It's the story about a MagicMystik who wasn't listening, a Ninja making profane T-shirts for children and a Panda who just couldn't wait. You might think of it as the latest episode of the ElectricSistaHood podcast, but we prefer to think of it as just another slice of life.

Magic starts it out by talking about the manga "Pet Shop of Horrors" and Ninja and Panda finish it up by giving their love to the new Soul Caliber IV. In between all that, they present another hour of hilarity for all of you.

Just get a load of the titles that were turned down for this episode:

Just Listen To It and Figure It Out

The Heartbreak of Numb Butt

When Naruto Met a Night Elf Chick

If a Tree Falls In the Woods, Does It Get Turned Into a Manga?

My Favorite Word of the Week Was Circle-Jerk

We Don't Really Have DILLIGAF For Kids

The Day WoW Was Not Played

Let's Not Talk About Boob Brutality

The Soul Caliber Unlockable for Windows? Clippy!

So Many Accessories, They Should Call It Sim Caliber

If Robert E. Lee Had Invisible Naked Chick Army, We'd Be Celebrating His Birthday

Soul Caliber Finally Realized I'm Fat

The T-shirt Has Yoda and Siegfried -- Where's Roy?

I Hate Being Pwned, But I Love the Attention

Maids Prefer To Think Of Their Hats As Tiaras

I Pahked My Cah Then Became a Shirt-Rippah

Mamma Mia, Not Another Musical Episode

Token With the Sistahs (Not, It's Not the New Cheech & Chong Movie)

So enjoy Episode 108: It's Like Food In My Mouth and don't forget to start sucking up to the Sistahs. You gotta get one of those tokens somehow.

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Today is the day people. Are your thumbs ready? Did you do your exercises? Were you able to decide between the path of the Jedi or the Dark Side? I hope you have, because today is July 29th which means that Soul Calibur IV has hit the shelves.

To say that I am excited for the release of this game would be an understatement of gigantic proportions. I have missed playing a fighter worth the rental fee for over two years now. The last new release fighting title that I would even dare to put into the "good" category was DOA:4 which is now nearly 4 years old. Four years is way too long of a drought to suffer through, but I take solace in the fact that I am not alone in my misery.

Now before the naysayers and fanboys get up in arms, I know that there have been many versus games based on the Dragonball series, and they have not all sucked. In earnest, the Budokai series has some great gameplay going on in the game itself. That said, the Dragonball titles to me have never really felt like a fighter game title. They are a franchise that appeal to only an existing anime fan base that potentially game as well. The Budokai games have not been able to bridge the game and draw the casual gamer in to join their "legion of the loyal." In many cases, the exact opposite happened; people that would normal pick up every and every fighter title initially shied away from the title. So because DBZ:Budokai focuses on such a small piece of the market of the fighting genre I do not believe it fair to use it as a representation of the whole genre. If you don't like it, you can suck it.

You may say, "...Ninja? Didn't NamcoBandai release an SC title for the Wii? Wasn't that good?" My reply would be "Yes! And it sucked more wind than a brand new Dyson." [And the commercials for that thing say it never loses suction.] SC:Legends was a waste of time and money, and I'm sure NamcoBandai felt that way as well which is why it looks like they worked so hard in order to redeem the title's reputation. NamcoBandai press releases promise that,

"Soulcalibur IV has been retooled from the ground up to provide a true next generation experience."

And then go on to say,

"...the wages of battle are shown as protective armor can be broken off and visible lacerations of clothing can be seen with the inclusion of the equipment destruction feature. Adding depth to the unrivalled combat system, players can unleash Critical Finish moves to defeat opponents in one stunning blow."

The game sports an "improved" character creation mode that allows you to customize the hell out of an existing fighter or even create an original warrior. Oh yeah, it has online versus play as well.

Get thee to thou localist GameStoppery and pick this game up. SCIV is available on the PS3 [Dark Side, Vader style] and XBox 360 [Path of the Jedi].

You know the gamertag, let's star playing.

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If you ever sit and ponder on the idea of people of a young-ish age drinking, let this new episode of the ESH podcast be the proof you need to "just say nay!"

This week, MagicMystic returns and brings with her balance to the force while Panda and Ninja enjoy some adult juice before, during, and probably after the episode.

This episode starts with Ninja talking about the new XBLive Arcade title Go! Go! Break Steady that she keep calling "Go! Go! Beat Street" reports on some of the feelings around the industry about E3, and the hopefully triumphant return of the fighting genre on the back of Soul Calibur IV. Magic chimes in with her new found XBox-y goodness and general discovery of "the new" as she shares first impressions of her new XBox 360 Elite as well as latent desires for an XBLive account, and then Panda brings up the rear and talks about the anime and manga series, Full Metal Panic. The gals are back to normal and completely off topic as usual.

Here are some of the random things said during the show that could have been used as titles, but weren't:

• Wallmart, Baby Come Back!
• The Big "E" Is Big
• MagicMystic Is Back, And Out Of The Closet
• Jobless Wonder To The Rescue-ish
• It's Not The Size of Your GamerScore, But How You Use It
• You Don't Wanna Waste Your Bombs
• Don't Pay The Toll When 5-0's On Your Ass
• This Podcast Is Abridged
• and finally
• FUSION DANCE OF PAIN!

Hope you have a hot cup of coffee on hand, because you want to stay awake for this one folks. I give you, ESH podcast episode 107: Friends Don't Let Friends Drink & Podcast!

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Who doesn't like new podcast episode Monday? Productive people that's who. Let us help you start your week off on the unproductive tip with this episode of our podcast.

Sans MagicMystic yet again, the sistah's stick to the gaming topic covering both the new and upcoming starting with Panda's take on the game Project Origin and Ninja sharing some of what she was able to take away from the assorted E3 coverage.

From talking about the survival horror game genre to specific experiences with titles like Manhunt and Silent Hill to the thriller-chiller types including the "I don't think NinJa is ever going to finish it" BioShock game. Ninja talks God of War 3, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Portal 2, and Oneechanbura.

It's another one of our lively podcast episodes people, here are some of the titles we decided not to use to name it:

• Don't. Stop. Waitin' Fer RockBand 2, Yeah
• Who? Guess Who?
• Don't Sell Your Soul For Tic-Tacs
• The New Animal Crossing Lets Me Be Mii
• Kratos Makes Ninja's Gamer Boner Hard
• Kratos Was A Red-Headed Step Child
• Panda's Birthday Is Another 11 1/2 Months Away
• Killing Me Softly with Her Sword
• We Will. We Will...Flock Ewe
• Videogame Word of the Year: Booty
• E3 Didn't Want Me? Well, They're Not Invited to My Place Either
• We Have Nothing To Fear But the Sequel to Fear Itself
• This Guy's Full of Beans, and That Is a Bad Thing
• Don't Ever Attend a Zmbie Reunion
• and finally
• Brain Exlax, I Like that

If that hasn't told you everything you need to know about this week's podcast, then saddle up and give a listen to ESH podcast episode 106: Did I giggle That Outside Loud?

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When I first heard the announcement about the new Prince of Persia game I was pretty skeptical. While I did not complete Price of Persia:The Two Thrones [I only got half way through the title before I moved on to something else] I had grown quite attached to my prince, and the lovely narrator voice that followed him.

But the fine folks at Ubisoft have moved on to tell the tale of a new Price, and in an entirely new way.

The new Price is stuck in the middle of the most basest good versus evil conflicts: light versus dark. Very similar the the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princes which the environment of the new PoP game strongly reminds me of. In the interview video you are about to watch you can see what I'm talking about. What I find most interested is how the companion character Elika will affect the gameplay. I can not shake the fact that this new PoP game comes across as the bastard child of Twilight Prince and Ico on the PS2.

Take a look:

Finish What You Start...

I have to thank Chris Pirillo for hippin' me to this one.

Submitted for your approval: Hit Me On My iPWN!

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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.

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It's hard to explain the title until you listen to the episode, but trust me this new episode of the ESH podcast is quite the piece of work.

In this episode of the podcast, the sistah's run the video game, entertainment and anime gauntlet from the audience choice re-review of the anime series Angel Sanctuary to new games on the E3 horizon. Would it be an ESH podcast if we didn't talk about incest, angst, mentioning Bioshock or complaining about videogames/comic titles being turning into feature length films? I don't think so. To give you a better idea of how the episode turned out, here are the titles we didn't choose:

• Sucked Into a Portal of Happiness
• God Knows, Even In His Sleep
• Again With the Incest
• I Love Her, So I Need to Kill Her
• The Sex Scenes Are Pretty Cool, Just Pretend They're Not Related
• Just Say "No" to Will Smith
• Want to Beat Darth Vader? Smack James Earl Jones in the Face
• It's Big. It's Black. and It Makes No Noise
• My Only Real Complaint Is that It's Short
• I Finally Took Out Ghandhi - I'm Not Proud to Say That
• and
• FYI: Incest Sends Your Soul to Hell

So grab your morning or evening cup of joe and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 105: This Is Fan Service...WITHOUT My Crotch

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It's Monday again, and it's time once more for a new episode of the ESH podcast.

I hope you guys and gals from the land of ESH had a happy and safe holiday weekend. I know I did, and I'm pretty sure that Panda did. Today we have another NinJa/Panda podcast episode where NinJa goes a bit in depth on the video game GRID and Panda shares some of her first impressions on the Diablo 3 announcement. It's a nearly all video game fun-packed episode, that you should totally pick up right now.

Don't believe me, here are some of the titles we decided not to use that came from the episode:

• Do You Question My Skills? (When don't I?)
• You Shouldn't Rape Your Tech They Can't Say "No."
• The Story of a Ninja Called Spanky
• ESHDog Cannot Be Controlled
• Lik eSands In an Hourglass, These Are The Races of Our Lives
• Ive Got Anal Leakage, But I'm Not Anxious About It.
• When ESHMom Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy
• Omnipotent Does Not Equal Omniscient
• Never Trust Cheese That Doesn't Melt
• In Diablo 4, He Fights That Super Boxer From Russia
• If She's Got Multiple Boobies, Who's Looking At Her Face?
• If You Think That Anal Leakage Is Bad, Guess What Her Armpits Do
• Is It Time For A WoW Siesta?
• WoW Craves, Diablo Saves Saves
• and
• Coming Soon: Smackdown! Diable VS Bobby Flay

It's a good episode, so grab your coffee and enjoy ESH podcast episode 104: My Senses Are There, My Balls Are Not Inert, Lock & Load, Let's Go!

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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.

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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.

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You say you want a revolution? Well, Ninjasistah sure wants one. And that's just one of the topics of this week's ElectricSistaHood podcast.

The Ninja has fallen in love with the free Xbox 360 demo of Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution, even though it stands for all the things she normally hates in a videogame. But, as a fan of the Parker Brothers' board game Risk, Ninja is willing to overlook the game's natural shortcomings.

For Pandalicious, a fan of turn-based, role playing games, Lost Odyssey is right up her alley, even though she's barely scratched the surface of the four-disc set. As you might expect, the Sistahs have plenty of fun with the game's protagonist, a 1,000-year-old man named Kaim.

Along the way, the Sistahs talk about online guides and the unexpected malady that has befallen MagicMysticGrl, who doesn't appear in this week's podcast.

And, about the title for the episode? Well, we might have left a word off the end. You'll have to listen to the thing to hear the whole title.

Here are the titles we rejected:

Just Say No to Drano

The Finger of the Internet is Pointing at You

Did You Just Get Hit With a Ridiculous Stick?

RPG Battle: Fun vs. Emo

Qu'est-ce que c'est Ninja Gaiden?

Every Guy Says His Unit is Magic, But Kaim's Really Is

Hot Kaim Action Inside -- Live!

Death is Coming for Panda, and She's Relieved

Dead and Gone to a Place He Can't Go, Kaim Must Be Emo

Lost Odyssey = Lost Syllables

So enjoy this week's ESH Episode 103: Throw Some Bleeps On That... and have a great Fourth of July weekend.

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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

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I know it's been a while since I wrote something on the site, but trust me when I say that the wait will have been worth while.

I have been working on a series of wallpapers featuring some of my favorite characters from NamcoBandai's upcoming Soul Calibur IV title, and I have to say these are pretty damn hot if I say so myself. I have a few more characters to go, but with the game launch nearly upon us, I felt it only fair to put these up now.

The wallpapers are designed at 1440x900 and are sitting on my picasa page, so feel free to peruse the slideshow and then hit up the actual page for to be making download.


Who loves you baby?

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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.

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Notice anything new on the site?

Like I promised I've been hard at work on some updates to the ESH site, some more minor than others. First off, the site background image for the site has changed. It's a little softer I think. For those few unfortunate souls still using IE 6 the graphic doesn't quite render right. I'm not going to say that you should get a new computer, but you should upgrade yourself to Firefox at least. IE stinks.

Next up you may have noticed that the FreshStaff section is gone and in it's place we've added a "recent staff Twitter" section. The rest of the team will be coming on board soon, but for now enjoy the random musings of myself, MagicMystic, and Douceswild.

There is even more in the pipeline, but what do you think so far?

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LAUNCH
The podcast kicked off in 2006 with the first episode being released on May 3rd, and we have been cranking them out ever since. Over 100 total released shows [We have done a bunch of My Top Fives people] ESH has really grown into something unexpected, but ultimately an insane amount of fun to do.
 In this episode of the podcast we talk about how we got to be two years old.

CHANGE
I launched the site in April of 06 as SplendidBlunder.com. Originally, the idea was to have a space on the web to create, post, mix, and remix other people’s GarageBand projects. It was going to be a playground for Panda and I, and while we were having all of our conversations about the setup, we kept wasting time talking about Video games and anime.

GROWTH
We realized quickly that we wouldn’t be able to do just the site or the podcast alone, and began recruiting our more than geeky friends to join the family. The first recruit was MagicMystic, then came Evermore, MonkeyDoo, Douceswild, GeekWoman, madameRoslin, theAdmiral, colonelPanic, and most recently KingBabyDuck.
We started out small, with only 1000 people on average hitting the site, and now, we do quite a bit better. I figure it has to be the crazy that keeps them coming back, because there is definitely nothing out there like us.

We will be making autographed DVD’s featuring all of the podcast episodes over the last two years available on the ESH site shortly.

We thank you for your attention, and toast to another hundred. Enjoy podcast episode number 100: Go Team Venture!

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2K Sports announced that Don King Presents: Prizefighter, the first documentary-style boxing extravaganza, has officially gone gold and is ready for production on the XB360.

Brainchild of Venom Games [a 2K studio] Don King Presents: Prizefighter is said to try to find and focus on the balance between sports simulation and mystique inside and outside the boxing ring.

Don King Presents: Prizefighter puts the player in the role of an unknown boxer fighting his way out of obscurity and into the international spotlight while attempting to claim the world championship title. Players will have rigorous training regimens and have to fight the temptations of wealth and stardom. [My personal advice is to not end up like Mike Tyson]

The game sports a

"...live-action sports documentary style that features real-life legends and current stars from the world of boxing including Ken Norton, Larry Holmes, Andrew Golota, Joe Calzaghe and many others."

And for the dudes that like pixel vixens, both the Penthouse Pet of the Year Heather Vandeven and video vixen Bria Myles also star in the documentary and will try to distract you.

I ain't sayin' she a gold digger, but Don King Presents: Prizefighter

Prizefighter hits your local game-a-torium on June 10 for Xbox 360, and this fall for Wii.

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ESH goes to the movies in this week's podcast and you won't believe how much Magic hates the new Indiana Jones film.

The Sistahs use Magic's bad review as a springboard for their dislike of most of the bad movies based on videogames and how much they wish there were more films like Iron Man and fewer like the last X-Man film.

Here are the titles we rejected for this week's show:

Indiana Jones and the Cake Is a Lie

Fluffy Man Boa? Not Today

Chia Pet Naruto -- Believe It!

FYI: Russia Is a Damn Cold Place

George Lucas Can Still FuX Things Up

They Shoot Russians In Roswell, Don't They?

My Frigidaire Is My Savior

Two Words: Necco Wafers

Don't forget that the live recording of the 100th episode is Friday, June 6. Look for details on the website. But in the meantime, give a listen to Episode 99: Indiana Jones and the Blah-Blah-Blah.

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Ok, here is a quick teaser of something I've been working on in prep for the release of the new Soul Calibur IV game this summer.

Like the image? Can't really see it? Well then click on the image and it will open up the full-size version in a new window that you can download. The best part? The large version is wallpaper size. You likey?

More to come. Stay tuned.

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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...

Hothead Games has dropped Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One worldwide simultaneously via XBLive Arcade (except Korea) and via the Greenhouse digital distribution platform for the Windows, Macintosh, and Linux versions.

There's a video after the jump.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One is expected to offer players six to ten hours of gameplay, and is priced at $19.95 for the computer versions and at 1600 MS points on the XB360.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One is an RPG-Adventure game set in a very deranged 1920s universe of New Arcadia, delivered to gamers via accessible episodic releases. You join Gabe and Tycho, the crime-solving team of the "Startling Developments Detective Agency" to combat savage enemies [miniature fruit fuckers start you on your path towards the precipice] and solve mysteries hidden deep in the sinister heart of New Arcadia.

The game is the bastard child of Hothead Games and Penny Arcade, featuring distinct artwork and characters designed exclusively by Mike "Gabe" Krahulik, story and dialogue by Jerry "Tycho" Holkins, both brought to life by the Hothead team. If you have an XB360, you should grab the demo now to see what it's about... then pony up yo money and get cracking. I've been playing Precipice during my GTAIV breaks and it's crazy fun which for me is saying something since we all know how much I loathe love RPG's.

Finish What You Start...

And you can too!

Coming out this fall [think September-ish] from DarkHorse ComicsThe Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Conversations with Dead People” Board! Named for an award-winning episode from the 7th season of the Buffy tv showThe Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Conversations with Dead People” Board is a big ol' Ouija board designed Totally in the "Buffy" way.

Fearless souls [i.e. players]

"...can let voices from the other side guide the planchette along the board to spell out the answers to their queries."

Accompanying the game board and planchette,The Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Conversations with Dead People” Boardincludes an exclusive comic-style instruction book featuring sequential art by "Buffy" season eight guest illustrator Paul Lee.

Finish What You Start...

Videogames, manga, anime -- we've got it all in this week's episode.

In this episode, Pandalicious discusses the anime Paprika, MagicMysticGrl talks about the manga MeruPuri: Marchen Prince and NinjaSistah brings up the latest videogame news.

The rejected titles for the episode? Right here:

ESH Myths Revealed: Ninja Has Three Boobs

Last Week's New Word Was V'jayhole, This Week It's Omnimpotent

Whatever Shall I Do With All This Sexiness?

You Don't Bathe Other People's Children

It's Cute to Be Stupid When You're Young

You Had Me At Sorceress

Magic Has a Nero Complex

I Asked for Toilet Paper and They Gave Me Nectar

In Your Pants -- It's Where Panda Always Goes

A Horse Dissected Cannot Stand

So enjoy this week's new podcast Episode 98: This Episode Is Ribbed for Your Pleasure.