It's the last day of the PAX convention, and I'm sitting here trying to think what is left to see or do. My self tells myself, "PLENTY!"

N'Gai Croal will be in town today moderating a panel on Sex, Violence, and Video Games which I want to attend and hopefully get to see N'Gai again.[CES was fun.] I'm hoping to get hands on with Fallout 3 today, if nothing else just to shut Pandalicious up about it. I also want to talk to SEGA about about Yakuza 2 coming out on the PS2 and not PS3 and why, and I figure cap my time off with a bit of people watching and photo snapping.

I may even stop by the Bioware booth as they are giving away fake tattoo sleeves as their swag. After all of that, if I have any energy left in me, I'll probably hit the freeplay rooms for a bit and get my game on with some other gamers which I haven't been able to do much of this entire trip.

Stay tuned for the final words from PAX and more pics!

Finish What You Start...

If you are an avid listener of our podcast or frequent visitor our site you know that the ESH crew is not in LA covering E3 on the ground this year. We are there in spirit though, and I am more than happy to share what I have surmised from the day one coverage of the media bru ha ha.

We kick off with Microsoft. From the land of online community comes the announcement of "Experience," the new online community framework that will be put into place on the XBox360 platform. Taking the hint from how successful the xbox.com community has been, "Experience" leans towards giving the user base a similar digital entertainment hub to that of MS counterpart/major competitor Sony with it's "Home" application. Through "Experience" users will have avatars that they create that can interact with each other over the internet, have access to an even broader base of electronic media entertainment [including the newly announced partner Netflix] and more.

On hand were the pre-requisite hype game trailers for both Gears of War 2 and Fable 2 [both of which make have many of us in the gaming community salivating at the mere thought of them] upcoming titles. I will have a gallery collection of my favorite E3 released trailers up later on this week. The XBox camp was also proud to announce that the new Final Fantasy XIII title will launch simultaneously on the XBox360 platform as well as the PS3 platform. A huge win for MS in the fight to end PS3 exclusivity dominance over the Final Fantasy franchise. [Try saying that three times fast.]

All in all MS tried to come out swinging at this event, making it known that that they are not afraid to jump into the brawl to be the best home entertainment system and not just gaming console. It's hard to not notice the trend towards a path of total digital media delivery package that the next gen systems seem to be moving toward. It is a road that competitors Sony and [to a degree] Nintendo have been marketing towards for well over a year now, but it still awaits to be seen if it is the predominant market for success here in the US.

We will just have to see what day two brings us tomorrow evening.

Finish What You Start...

I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the game Little Big Planet since it was annonced last year. I'm almost captivated by it. I obssess over every screen, youtube video and demonstration of the game that I see. I'm not a huge "The Sims" fan, but do enjoy the majority of simulation game titles available here in the US.

What grabs me first about a sim-game is the level of control it gives me over my environment. When I can affect the world I am about to play in it let's me explore areas of my imagination the I would otherwise avoid during my day job. It gives me a free pass on being constrained to a single plane of thought and ultimately let's me be a kid again. When you add to that the ability to create the people/creatures/things that will then live in that world or explore them, I get even more excited. Creativity to me is one of the most undervalued traits that a person has or can have. That being said, it should be no surprise that games like LBP or Spore never drop off my radar.

The problem I have is that I lack patience. Severely. Anyone in my family can attest to this. So to have to wait until October to get my hands on this game, and right now I'm having a hard time with it. Sure, I've had the Spore Creature Creator to keep my company, but I find that the Creature Creator has become a poor substitute for the full title, and of late does not quench my thirst. Here and there I play another round of Sid Meier's Civilization: Revolution, but like Creature Creator, Civ:Revolution is a demo, easily completed or timed out and I am left alone again clawing at my own flesh trying to tear my mind away for the unbridled desire for this game. I'm sure that Sony is tired of getting my emails about this game, but right now we are barely starting July... October is three torturous and agonizing months away. I mean, look at this stuff I found on the LBP Wiki, and from a Sony press release I got a while back:

"There are limitless ways to play. Players craft their own individual experience based on their own creativity.

Unlimited possibilities for user-created content – players can customize everything: their characters, the landscape around them and their own patch on LittleBigPlanet.

Players learn new skills and discover new items to aid them on their creative journey. Explore the massive single player game or go online to find user-generated content.

LittleBigPlanet will change every day as players contribute their own levels.
Online and offline multiplayer modes – play alone, work as a team with up to four friends or get competitive.

LittleBigPlanet global community for players to get involved with: includes player comments, rankings and easy communication with new and existing friends."

C'mon, look at the main characters... THEY ARE SOCK PUPPET PEOPLE!!!

I'm going to have to call out sick from the day job when this game finally comes to market.

Finish What You Start...

Here at ESH we have been steadily going to trade events for the last year. Katsucon, Anime Boston, CES, E3, a bunch of big events that helped us meet some great people and take some fun pictures. It really has been a blast getting to learn more about the industries we love from the inside.

With half of this year behind us already, and digital 2009 looking us square in the face, I've decided it's time for us to grow up here a bit. Get a little more advanced in our coverage of stuff. And it starts now.

I am starting a new series in July of reviews on some gadgets. We keep talking about being a review spot for videogames, tech gadgets, and anime, but rarely cover gadgetry. Part of that is due to that fact that not a lot of companies want to part with review units to small to medium-ish us, and the other part has to do with picking where to focus our gadgetry reviews. ESH not Engadget. We aren't even in their league, so why would Dell want to send us their new laptop to review? It is because we're not Engadget that a review unit should swing our way. We speak to a different audience, but one just as passionate. I'm amazed and floored on a daily basis by the number of people that visit this site, and just how tech-savy you all are. You rock. But I digress. I have picked a focus for my initial journey into serious gadget coverage, and I think it's one we will all enjoy. Digital SLR cameras.

If you are a devoted fan of the podcast you know that both Panda and I share a passion for photography. We get it honestly from our Dad who was a Canon camera nut, and while Panda has been fiddling around in the darkroom with film photography I have gone the digital route. Many of the images you see in my posts or wallapers we offer up here on the site I have doctored or created in some fashion or another through Adobe Photoshop. I play around with digital point and shoot cameras when I am on the road, and have recently become enamored with DSLR cameras.

Over the next three months I am going to be researching DSLR cameras from three different companies: Nikon, Canon, & Sony. Each month is going to be a new camera, with a post each week about some particular feature that I like or don't like about that particular product. At the end of the three months, I am going to crown a winner, a "Best of the Best" if you will out of the three. And that winner is going to be the DSLR that we use in the future to photograph events we cover here at ESH.

The Best of the Best is also the one that I recommend to you guys and gals out there looking to move up from your own point and shoots to something a bit more substantial. Digital photography is a big deal these days. Everyone wants to take as many high quality digital pictures as possible and store and organize them easily. I know how important the pictures I take on family vacations, gatherings, or getaways with friends to me are, and imagine that you place the same value on yours. If we didn't love digital pictures, I doubt that places like Flikr, Deviant Art, or Picasa would exist, let alone thrive.

I promise to provide you guys with as much candid, hands-on info I can give you, and not just parrot back press-kit copy. The invitations to participate have been sent to Nikon, Canon, and Sony, so now it's just a waiting game to see who steps up to the plate.

Let Best of the Best: DSLR begin.

Finish What You Start...

Monday brings with it yet another episode of the ESH podcast, and in this one the sistahs' steal the limelight and hold it hostage for about an hour.

NinJaSistah takes the mic first this go 'round to speak on a topic near and dear to her heart, Ninja Gaiden II. From new visuals, lamest ninja name ever, to best and worst aspects of initial gameplay NinJa brings the sexy black. I mean back.

Then Pandalicious talks about her newly addicted Wii Fit experience. The yoga that is easy, what the game is and is not, and how it affects her daily life. MagicMystic chimes in a time or too before having to head out early. All in all, it's one of our normal, wacky shows. Here are some of the episode titles we rejected:

• It Helps If You're Nimble and Omnicient
• From The Look Of The Ninja Gaiden Girls You'd Think Goodyear Was The Sponsor
• Lamest Name For A NinJa: Joe
• AI Can Be A Sneaky Bastard
• No, The Dog Didn't Eat Panda's Homework
• And Then She Mentioned Richard Simmons' Weiner
• If Your Kid Turns Into A Pretzel, Turn The Wii Fit Off Now!
• My Fat Mii Haunts Me
• and
• Gravity Is A Bitch And Always Wins

Told you it was the normal wacky episode from the ESH girls. So sit back, relax and enjoy podcast episode 102: When NinJa Talks About Her Nuts, People Listen

Finish What You Start...

Monday yet again people, and here we go with a fresh new episode of the ESH podcast for you.

In this episode of the podcast the girls talk a bit about nearly every entertainment medium. We gots a bit of manga, a bit of anime, some feature film stuff all topped off with video game shizzole.

Pandalicious kicks off the show talking about the anime series Hell Girl based off of the manga of the same name. She and Magic go back and forth a bit exploring what works and what doesn't in the series. MagicMystic then shares her impressions of the new Hulk movie and NinJaSistah closes out the show talking about E3.

To give you an idea of the kind of show we had, here are the titles we rejected:

• NinJa Can't Fly, But She Can Jump to Conclusions
• No..Un..com..piled Da-ta EVER!!!
• It's The Season For Creepy Flowers
• The Cat In The Hat Was Not In The Prestige
• Panda Makes A Fight Club Reference Nobody Else Understands
• Hulk Smash! Movie Not!
• Panda's Comic Book Cred Just Plummeted
• Levitating Trumps Hovering
• Attention Game Makers: Panda's Up For Payola
• Exclusive: NinJa's Guide To Carnal Solicitation
• The Love-Hate Relationship With E3 Has Turned Back To Hate
• and
• I'm Pre-Retractable

It's a completely rounded out episode folks, so sit back and enjoy episode 101: Not To Spoil It For You, But This Episode Ends In Goodbye.

Finish What You Start...

You know, I try very hard to not be one of those, "I told you so" people. When I'm gaming against folks, I will partake often in the, "IN YO FACE SON!" celebratory dance routines. [the running man is often involved] With that said, revenge is touted as a dish best served cold, I believe it is best served like Gagh... fresh and kicking.

If you haven't put it together yet, this post is about the eternal foe of mature video game titles, Jack Thompson. Mr. Thompson had a 38 page complaint filed against him back in 2007 by the Florida State Bar Association. While a ruling was expected in April, the judge hearing the case [Dava Tunis] asked for an extension to go through some 400+ pleadings, e-mails, letters and missives that Thompson had sent her. Judge Tunis has finally gone through all of the materials and has released a report suggesting that Mr. Thompson be found guilty on 27 of the 38 charges.

Thompson has a good chunk of time left before the Supreme Court makes a final ruling on the charges as a hearing covering possible sanctions is to be held on June 4, but it doesn't look good. With many of the charges against Thompson include perjury and fraud, as an attorney I don't know how he could possibly hope to keep his ability to practice law period and not just in the state of Florida.

Do not misunderstand me, I believe that it is every persons right to stand up and be heard on whatever issue is near and dear to them. Whether or not I listen to their opinion or even agree, is my choice and right as well. In a country where freedom is cited as being the right of every man, woman, and child, Jack Thompson has the right to believe whatever he likes. I agree with Mr. Thompson that not all video games are for children. In fact, most video games on the major consoles are not designed for children. I don't think that anyone under the age of 16 should play GTAIV as they game may expose them to language and themes that they may not be ready to see/hear. Where I differ with Mr. Thompson is on who holds the sole responsibility of keeping children away from titles like these. I do not feel that keeping games like GTA from ever being made is the solution, but rather it is the responsibility of parents to be involved in the entertainment purchases of their children. Parental guidance on what is and is not appropriate for acceptable levels of sex, drugs, and violence should be decided between parents and children, not the governing state.

My mom kept me away from truly violent games until I was 15 years old. Every game that came into our home had to be researched by her first before it was purchased. While we had an allowance, money was never put in my hand until I was 15. My mom held on to my money in a back up high where I couldn't reach it [yes, I am actually short] and would take it down for me any time I wanted to count it. [Even back then I was worried about my money being right] So when the time came that I had enough money, my mom would take me to the local Toys Is Us place and spend an hour or so with me in the game aisle going over every game I wanted with me. Explaining why or why not I could possibly buy the game with my money. By the time I was 15, my mom was sure that I had good common sense, knew I had a good head on my shoulders, and the common sense to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. It's at this point I was allowed to make decisions about gaming on my own, and that I was becoming an adult responsible for my own choices and actions. [I was also allowed to hold my own damn money thank you.] This is one core piece that I think Mr. Thompson is missing.

Right now, it is very easy to blame entertainment media for the things that go wrong in the world. It would be so easy for me to cite Paris Hilton as the reason behind the current rash of entitled pre-teen gang of kids coming up these days. A case could be made that [though I'm sure not intended] Ms. Hilton's published behavior publicly published for the world to see has influenced an entire generation in a negative and selfish manor. That her inferred hatred of underwear, and at best flexible morals have lead the youth culture of the country down a path of stupidity and ignorance the world has not yet seen the full effects of to this moment. It would be easy to say, but in fact would not be correct.

Entertainment media can only influence those who have no other strong influences in their lives.

As I said earlier, I agree with Mr. Thompson that games like GTA do not belong in the hands of 6-15 year olds, but there is an audience for games with more adult themes and language. That audience is called adults. People who are old enough to know the difference between right and wrong, real and play, killing someone, and destroying pixels on the tv simulating a person. With Mr. Thompson constantly condemning all video games that contain even a semblance of violence as the fall of decent society or ruination of mankind is a bit much to swallow. What is not hard to swallow, but in fact is something to savor is that the same legal system that Mr. Thompson has been flooding with complaints passing his own judgement on the video game industry for the past few years will be passing judgement on him.

Fresh Gagh anyone?

Thanks to Vicshus Smith for the heads up.

Finish What You Start...

You say you want a revolution, well, you know... we aren't here to change the world. Monday still equals new podcast episode day, and I don't see that changing anytime too soon.

In this episode of the podcast, the girls cover the popular creative peoples website, "Deviant Art" as well as the anime series "Vampire Knight" and examine the possible effect GTA IV may have on the national release of the "Iron Man" film. We are chock full of something on this episode people, and I think it just may possibly be caffeine. Don't quote me on that one though, just check out the titles we didn't use for this episode and draw your own conclusions:

• OC BC Does Not Equal AC/DC
• Everyone Is Social On Da InterWebs
• He Wasn't Worth Remembering
• I Heart Vampiress (And They Heart, Hearts
• We Have Angst With A Little More Angst On The Side
• A T-Rex Mobster? ow Does He Tie A Windsor Knot?
• I'm More Isolated Than Ever ON The InterWebs
• Don't Trust Mean People...That's What They WANT You To Do!
• and
• It's Hay Fever Season, But YOu Shouldn't Sneeze Sparkles

Yeah, we go up and down the spectrum this week, trying our best to remind you that time is running out to try and win that custom GTA IV Xbox 360 Elite and bring you some fun insights on the realms of geek, game, and anime... so sit back and enjoy podcast episode number 95: Batman Doesn't Eat Babies.

Finish What You Start...

I rather fancy myself a gamer. The day job keeps me from honestly slapping on the mantle of “avid gamer,” but I play a LOT of video games in my down time. I’ve been playing games nearly as far back as I can remember, which is kinda amazing all things considered.

I grew up the child of a staunch Roman Catholic baby boomer. My Nana believed that there were things for boys to do and wear, and things for girls to do and wear, and an asswhoopin’ awaiting you if you dare cross over either of those boundaries. Her belief was passed on to my mother, so when I came along lacking the third leg my fate was sealed before I had a chance to be slapped by the doctor that brought me into the world.

To this day, I swear that nearly every article of clothing my mother bought for me up to third grade was pink. Socks, hair bows, shirts, underwear, everything was pink. I’m sure it’s the reason why I detest just about everything pink to this day. [obvious exceptions: hello kitty, this website] I didn’t get to wear pants to school until fourth grade, didn’t own a pair of denim until seventh grade. The only toys I could have had to be distinctly girl or girlie in their nature. Imagine Christmas [or Festivus if you prefer] morning opening up Barbie after Barbie, when all you asked for was Lincoln Logs, or and Erector Set. No He-man for you NinJa, revel in this EasyBake Oven. [Ok, so the EasyBake didn’t suck, but I wanted a Spirograph.] I know it sounds like I’m whining, but the fact that I couldn’t even have access to types of toys based on the singular fact that they were perceived to be specifically for boys by my mother has always bothered me. So when computers came along at got popular I knew I was screwed.

The first video game that I ever played was on a Commodore 64. The game was called Zaxxon, and I was addicted to it. A school friend of mine had the C64, and I would beg, borrow, and sneak over to her house to play on it. I didn’t even like the girl, [we actually ended up hating each other by the end of the year] but once I played with that game I just had to do it again and again. I wasn’t even good at it, but something about the sights and the sounds intrigued me. It was like nothing I had ever seen or played with before and that excited me.

Pleas for a computer fell on deaf ears.

Disappointed doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I think I knew then that I had been born a geek, I just didn’t know what to call it or why I was so drawn to electronic tech. I just knew that I was, and I’d probably never get the chance to do anything about it, because I was a girl. I felt doomed for a long time, until a strange and wonderful thing happened. My cousin was leaving for college, and could not take all of his crap with him. Knowing a was a budding technonut, he offered me his Intellivision system [on the DL because he knew my mother would say no] and I am forever in his debt.

I played on that thing day in and day out. My mother worked during the day in Boston, so she never got home before 7pm. My dad could see that I was crazy curious in love with this toy so he’d let me play it when I got home from school. He showed me how to hook it up to the TV and how to disconnect it before my mom got home that night. It was at least 4 months before my mom figured out that I had one of these “boys toys,” and by then, it would be stupid to try and give it back to my cousin. Score one for me. I think a couple of months after that, my mother let me hook the system up to the living room TV permanently and gave me a designated hour of playtime per day I could use provided my chores and homework were done and inspected. [The birth of my honor roll student career is owed to video games]

The cool thing that happened over time was that my mother became interested (1) in watching my interest in video games grow and (2) watching the games unfold herself. It was because of this time and shared experience that my mother’s view of “boys stuff” versus “girls stuff” started to change and wain. By the time the Nintendo Game System came out, her view had softened enough that instead of getting a Barbie that year, I got the Nintendo system bundle that came with Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt game with the Light Zapper gun. And that was the start of a now 20 year long love affair with video games. For both of us.

My mother now plays video games. Mostly the brain teasers, [things like Scene It and the occasional RockBand attempt] but more importantly my mother is engaged with me or my sister in the gaming experience. I think one of the best memories I have with gaming was the launch of God of War 2. When it was about to come out my mother drove both my sister and I to the local GameStop to help us reserve a copy. Paid for both our copies in full [by this time I was no longer living at home with my mommy] and then sat in her easy chair and watched us as we toiled through the entire game the next day. Making us pause every time she needed a potty break, getting completely drawn into the story. Every time we died, she’d laugh her ass off making us more determined to get through the damn level.

It was freakin’ awesome.

I guess that’s why I love gaming to this day. Despite the guys that I play online against reassuring me that I must either be a dog or a lesbian in order for me to (1) enjoy playing video games and (2) be so good at some of them. [I admittedly suck at FPS and RTS games] I enjoy experiencing new ideas that developers come up with, sharing that experience with those I love or whose company I enjoy, but I never take for granted the fact that I may not have been allowed to do so at all until my adult years.

Finish What You Start...

I put a lot of effort into not turning this website into my personal rant space. I'm not the only member of the ESH Crew. My pet peeves may or may not be shared by the other editors or even you, our loyal readers, but something happened yesterday that to this very moment still pisses me off to no end. Allow me to explain.

If you are a regular visitor to this site, you know that I [like most of the ESHer] work a day job. This "do this in order to get your bills paid" obligation requires that I use the D.C. mass transit system to get from my humble apartment into the district. While most people tend to hate mass transit, I have been one of the few to totally embrace and love it.

I love riding the train in and out of work.

My commute into work [which is shortly over 40 minutes] is something I look forward to each day I go into work. The train I catch starts out just late enough to miss the morning rush hours, so I always get a seat. People soliciting for their respective religion/magazine/money have all left the station by the time I get there so it's a simple and smooth transition from point A to point B. I take my seat, pop in my earbuds, and watch some video on my iPhone or listen to some podcasts. It's great. Let me rephrase that. It's normally great.

Yesterday, I was running late leaving work and just barely caught the train. And by just barely I mean I had to run to make it to the end of the car in front of me. There was no place to sit, so I had to stand over the in the corner. No big deal, as the next two stops are usually the most popular stops for people exiting the train. So I, following my routine, proceed to whip out my earbuds and iPhone to start watching some video on my way home. I had started a movie in the morning and was picking up where I left of. The movie I started was SuperBad [which I'm loving by the way] and realizing that it probably isn't the best movie to watch in the wide open space, I backed myself into a corner to keep the screen from reflecting off of any surfaces and decided to not sit down at all during my trip home. I didn't want any of the people sitting behind me to be forced to see anything that they may find upsetting.

When we got to the next stop at least twelve people exited the train like normal, but a bigger bunch got on. I think a lot of people were running late because of the bad weather that was heading our way. So the train car became a little crowded. A very tall guy and his "lady friend" ended up standing near me. There were a couple of single seats available, but I guess they decided to stand until two seats together were available. I dunno, and now I don't really give a damn. Anyways, the tall dude is the closest too me and from the corner of my eye I'm able to see that he's looking down over my shoulder at the movie. I can hear him chuckle a bit, and think to myself, "oh cool, he "gets" this movie too," and decide to pay no more attention to him. I focus back on the movie. I'm at the part where Seth finally realizes what the stain on his pant leg is. It's a priceless moment really, but just then I catch more motion out of the corner of my eye. It's from the couple near me. Turns out I wasn't the only one that heard the tall dude chuckle, his "lady friend" heard him as well. Curious as to what he was laughing at, she moved in closer to me [she was also taller than me... what can I say, I'm mad short] and peeked over my shoulder at my screen. She however, did not "get" the movie, and started a tirade of what I can only call verbal diarrhea that in some circles passes for conversation not only with her "man friend," but eventually with others on the train as well.

It seems that this "lady" had taken huge offense to what I was watching on my iPhone. From the early bits of her little public speech I was able to gather that she felt that I had invaded her private space by having my video on and that my watching content "like that" in public just goes to show what little I care about the world I'm surrounded by. When her man friend only silently shrugs in total fake agreement, she gets louder and tries to recruit a couple of the people around her in her cause. "Well I don't think it's right to watch porn in public? And I doubt anyone on this train will either!" And, I'd agree with her on any day. Pornography in public is never a good idea. Kids are everywhere these days, and where there are kids, there should NOT be porn.

But I wasn't watching porn, I was watching a comedy.

I was watching said comedy on a device whose screen is less than four inches wide. I was listening to said comedy using a set of in ear earbuds, so there wasn't an audible noise coming from me. I never invaded "her" space, if anything she invaded mine. I was off in a corner by myself. I had my back to a non-reflective surface. Each of those people had to move from their original positions to look over my shoulder to view what I was watching. I didn't invite them over. At no time did I walk over to them and shove my iPhone in their face like, "Look! Look! You know you wanna watch my movie! If you're good I'll pause on the frame with the nipples!" So why am I looked down on, and made to feel the villain here when I've done nothing wrong. Who the hell are you to pass judgement on how I get through my daily commute? Who the hell are you to pass judgement on any person keeping their entertainment to themselves? Why does anyone person feel like they get to enforce their will on another on the basis of disagreeing personal opinions?

When she doesn't get the uproar that I guess she was looking for from other patrons on the train, she looks back down at me as if to shame me into turning my video off. The sad thing, is for a moment I was about to do it. I don't like rocking the boat unless it's really necessary. "NinJa" is just part of my pen name. I'm a gamer and not a fighter.

As I moved my fingers over the screen of my iPhone I realized that if I stopped this movie from playing, I would have let this "lady" completely bully me into doing something I didn't want to. I'm a grown ass woman, and I don't have to do a damn thing I don't want to. So instead of turning off my movie, I just turned my volume up and shifted my weight.

That "lady" wasn't pleased at all. She shook her head, rolled her eyes, and whipped out her Blackberry. One thing that I'm fairly sure of, whatever she was looking at on her Blackberry wasn't nearly as entertaining as my movie.

Finish What You Start...