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Join sisters NinJaSistah and Pandalicious and the rest of the ESH Crew each day as they discuss video games, tech gadgets, anime, manga... pretty much everything within the geek chic lifestyle.

From Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PC game reviews, previews, news, and gushings to audience questions and rumor mill seeding galore you'll find it here at ESH!
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    Final Fantasy XIV- It's beta sign-up time!

    posted @ 12/16/2009 08:21:00 PM by Vichus Smith
    Behold, the portal to your dreams:




    Now is the time to sign up for the Final Fantasy XIV beta! If you're a Squeenix maniac, if you crave Final Fantasy RPGs, then why are you reading this? Go here and become one of the chosen few! Sorry, kids, you've gotta be 18+ to apply :(

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    What do robots do when they're not planning world domination? Dance!

    posted @ 12/01/2009 04:15:00 PM by Vichus Smith
    If you haven't seen this video already, then sit down and witness your future. Pretty soon robots will be sitting next to you, anxious to watch the latest episode of Glee or Dancing with the Stars. In the present time, not only do robots like to dance, but they get together to have competitions!

    You can continue and watch, but beware: this will shock and horrify you!


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    Is the book better? Shangri-la vs. Shangri-la

    posted @ 11/23/2009 04:00:00 PM by Vichus Smith

    Before it became an anime, Eiichi Ikegami wrote a light novel called Shangri-la

    No offense to Range Murata, who designed the characters for the anime, but the illustrations for the 2004 Shangri-la light novel came from Kenichi Yoshida, who creates much more mature looking characters than the anime does. Whether Yoshida's writing was better than the ill-paced anime adaptation cannot be, unless you are lucky enough to speak Japanese and buy a copy of the book. Shangri-la was also printed in issues of Newtype Magazine from '04 to '05. Damn you lucky people who read it!

    You can see the entire Shangri-la anime on places like Crunchyroll and take a look at some of the novel's illustrations in the rest of the article you're reading right now. Judge for yourself: which would you rather have to entertain you?



























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    Wasting Time: The Gun Game

    posted @ 11/18/2009 11:05:00 AM by Vichus Smith
    What better way to waste your time than to fire off a few guns?



    The Gun Game promises to be a realistic simulation by giving you the actual recoil you would feel shooting a gun. Unless you're a real gun enthusiast, you'll just have to take the creator's word for it.





    The main objective of the Gun Game's three main modes to destroy your targets while protecting yourself and your area of the screen, your zone. This is a first person game, of sorts. All you see of your gun-wielding character is a hand (which you can choose to be colored white or brown).

    In the defensive mode, you are protecting your zone from numbered balls heading in your direction. As you hit these balls, the numbers count down, and the balls will eventually shatter.

    Efficiency mode is the most challenging mode of The Gun Game. You still have the task of destroying a ball, but there's a barrier moving around at the same time, giving you a limited area you're allowed to hit. Hit the barrier and you lose a life.



    Offense is the most fun, in which you get to take on another disembodied hand in a one-on-one duel. The enemy gun is a wee bit annoying, because it's a cold and calculating hand that knows just how to kill you off as you struggle to win.





    In the end, who cares if it's a realistic physics simulation or not? If you like a game where you shoot guns, you might want to waste some time with The Gun Game.

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    Tera Online trailer

    posted @ 11/02/2009 08:48:00 AM by Vichus Smith
    There are literally hundreds of MMORPGs out in the ether, but none had me as curious as Tera Online:



    Ain't it a beauty? What is most appealing about Tera Online is its attitude. It looks fantastic, which isn't uncommon, even in the case of "free-to-play" games. However, when you watch the trailer you can appreciate the gestures and effects associated with Tera Online's many classes. Enjoy!

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    Wasting Time: Time Fcuk

    posted @ 10/27/2009 01:26:00 PM by Vichus Smith
    It would be a severe oversight to talk about wasting time without mentioning Time Fcuk



    Time Fcuk is a puzzle game that wants to get in your head as much as it wants to test your skill as a puzzle solver.



    The story is that the protaganist's future self comes to his past self and asks him for help; sorry, this is not a fun Marty McFly adventure. As you are warped from one ever more dangerous room to another, you get the feeling that you might not want to trust your future self.



    Your only objective is to find your way out of the room you have been sent to. All you have to do is warp time and space. Simple, right? Be ready to have lots of "Eureka!" moments as you finally tackle these tough puzzles. Even though it's a time paradox if you do, you can die, only to be brought back to the same spot, good as new.

    It's highly recoomended that you take a chance from this, especially if you were a fan of Valve's Portal. Besides giving you a wicked challenge to screw with your mind, you also have a companion with very puzzling (and disturbing) comments to make.

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    Scientist vows to create Gundam vehicle to celebrate Anniversary

    posted @ 10/09/2009 08:03:00 PM by Vichus Smith
    I need just a minute of your time.



    The video you've just seen might not be amazing, but look how far we've come with technology in the past couple decades! The inventor of this little robot also would like to create a Gundam. I say, go for it! I am afraid of robots taking over our civilization and enslaving us, but I'm cool with mecha that has to be piloted by humans.

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    You can't leave the table until you finish your InuYasha!

    posted @ 10/09/2009 08:01:00 PM by Vichus Smith


    "Inuyasha!"

    "Kagome!"

    "Inuyasha!!"

    "Kagome!!"

    "In-u-yasha!!!"

    "Ka-go-me!!!"

    "SIT BOY!"

    Ah, memories.

    If you're a fan of the Inuyasha anime, you were most likely disappointed when the series ended- without an ending. Viewers were prompted that if they wanted to finish the story of the heroic half-demon, you would have to read the manga. Now Sunrise Studios has wizened up.

    The Rumiko Takahashi tale will come back to the small screen in InuYasha: The Final Act. Now you can not only watch old episodes of Inuyasha, but you can also watch Final Act online as well. Check out the teaser trailer if you're on the fence about continuing the journey.

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    Let me tell you a 'Fairy Tail'

    posted @ 10/09/2009 07:54:00 PM by Vichus Smith
    Maybe you're not aware of the latest anime coming to Japan (and to your your computer screen). Don't worry, we've got you covered!

    Fairy Tail


    Fairy Tail is one of the more interesting shounen anime coming out this fall. The premise is that Nancy meets Natsu, member of the mage guild Fairy Tail. Nancy would like to become a mage as well.

    Fairy Tail catches you visually first, because it seems to be a mixture between One Piece and Naruto. Fairy Tail has not premiered yet, so all there is to go by is the media that have been released so far, including artwork and a trailer.

    Natsu Dragneel, Fairy Tail's main protagonist, is pretty buff, which makes him look more like Goku from Dragonball Z than the lanky rubber man, Monkey D. Luffy.

    Lucy Heartfilla (I'm not making these names up) is most likely the romantic interest/pain-in-the-butt for Natsu to play off of. Judging from her uh, character design, expect Lucy to be the butt of many a boob joke. Also, expect Lucy to be incredibly sunny and cheerful.Happy is a cat. He has wings!




    Makarov is probably just what he looks like: a wise old mage with wisdom to impart. He's probably a perv too. ;)

    Ezra looks like an antagonist. In every picture of her she's scowling, so if she's on the side of the heroes, she must be pretty pissed off at something. Maybe Natsu turns her off.

    Gray looks to be the "eternal rival" type of guy, constantly trying to prove that he's a better mage than Natsu. He'es a total opposite of Natsu; his hair and clothes are dark, in contrast to Natsu's crazy pink hair and brighter style of dress; an easy way to contrast the two young mages. Gray uses electrical magic.

    Put them all together and you have Fairy Tail! Crunchyroll (who seems to be picking up every show under the sun) has picked up Fairy Tail for internet broadcast, so if you want to see what Fairy Tail is about for yourself, you will have to not only sign up for Crunchyroll, but you will also have to become a paying member. That is a major bummer for the cash-strapped. Hopefully, Fairy Tail will make it to DVD on other shores.

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    The Grin is gone, but the FF Fortress lives on

    posted @ 9/23/2009 06:53:00 PM by Vichus Smith



    Swedish game developer Grin Studios was a company that brought you titles like Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 1 and 2, Ballistics and Bandits: Pheonix Rising.

    More recently, Grin had a less than stellar run with titles like Wanted: Weapons of Fate, Terminator Salvation and Bionic Commando. Because of financial issues, Grin had to turn the lights off. There was a curious diamond lying in the rubble, though. It is a Square-Enix title code named "Fortress."

    Fortress is believed to be a Final Fantasy spin-off that takes the franchise in a different direction. The guys at grin describe their unfinished work as a "masterpiece," and, judging from the artwork that appeared around the net, that was most likely true.

    Luckily, this "Fortress" is not a sad orphan that will die alone, since Square-Enix still wants to complete it.

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    Are some PS3s made of fail?

    posted @ 9/17/2009 08:14:00 PM by Vichus Smith
    For as long as the Xbox 360 has been around, there have been the 3 red lights, the sign that your precious game console is on its last legs. Xbox fanboys have

    Now its time for Sony and the PlayStation diehards to face the music.





    Apparently, Sony doesn't have such a squeaky-clean record when it comes to the PlayStation, either. A BBC program called Watchdog exposed the PS3's error, the dreaded "yellow light of death," to the world. Sony, naturally, didn't take this too well. In fact, Sony typed up a 6 page response to refute Watchdog's allegations. Sony goes point by point and tells Watchdog that they have not done their homework. Is Sony doing damage control or was Watchdog way out of hand on this issue? If you read the article, you might be able to pic your side in the matter.

    Watchdog's episode on the yellow light of death only pertains to PS3 consoles in the UK. Will news outlets in other countries shed light on these console errors as well?

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    APB Open Beta: Get your Cops n' Robbers on!

    posted @ 9/08/2009 11:55:00 AM by Vichus Smith
    If you love MMORPGS and you like the price point of $FREE, you may want to sign up for the APB demo. What sets apart APB from other MMOs is that it involves the enforcers taking on the criminals in a persistent, open online world, reminiscent of Grand Theft Auto.




    APB's got a lot of style going for it, and it looks like the character customization can go as wild as you want it to. The images for APB seem heavily biased towards the criminals; where are images of the cops? Who will play the cops if they're just in dress blues? APB also has its own music editor, so you can enjoy your own custoom music as you frag. More details to come, so watch this space. Or, hell, sign up for the open beta right now and you can see for yourself!

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    Wasting Time: Toss the Turtle

    posted @ 9/06/2009 07:11:00 AM by Vichus Smith
    I found this odd game one day and I had to know how the game worked. Toss the Turtle, found on Newgrounds, isn't the type of game I'm used to playing, and it has a style that really stands out.



    The internet has no shortage of cute meets scary (I'm betting that somewhere out there is a picture of a cat holding a little M-16) but this wacky world of a turtle being shot through the air does a tremendous job between being gross and gosh-darn cute.



    Your objective, as cannon owner, I guess, is to shoot the titular turtle as far a distance as you can, gaining power-ups and avoiding enemies as you sail. As you fall, you will bounce off the floor, giving you a chance to snag power-ups that are lower in the atmosphere. In a game, taking damage usually isn't a benefit. For Toss the Turtle the turtle is the target of punches, shooting and explosions. The more the turtle gets beat up, the more he'll stay afloat. As you gain points, you can buy upgrades, allowing you to punish the turtle even more.




    If you started playing games in the 80s, the uppercut the banana throws is familiar to you, as is the squashing you give one of the brown creatures that are scattered along the level. The creators of Toss the Turtle are classic game fans, without a doubt. Toss the Turtle is a pretty good cure for what bores you, but it isn't quick enough of a fix. That turtle can stay in midair for quite some time, so you'll have to set aside a few more minutes to wait for your shelled target to come to a stop.

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    Dragonball Online Trailer

    posted @ 8/30/2009 12:33:00 AM by Vichus Smith


    A new MMORPG is ready to Kamehameha your PC! That's right, just when you thought it was safe to put down your scouter, a Korean MMO carrying the Dragonball name (and designs by Akira Toriyama) has arrived!



    Judging from the trailer, you will have quite a few classes to choose from, and you will also be able to play as male or female. The current races include Saiya-jin, human, Namekian and even Buu! Namekians, of course, are only male,but Buus are both female and male.

    There are many questions left unanswered about Dragonball Online, the topmost being "Is this going to be available outside of Korea?" For now, the answer is "No." Now don't go crying in your Capsule Corp tissue just yet. Hopefully DBO performs well enough to expand into other markets.

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    Hey, PS3! You look different. Have you lost weight?

    posted @ 8/18/2009 08:33:00 PM by Vichus Smith
    The internet is all a, well, I guess I can't use twitter anymore, because that's ruined. OK, the internet is all abuzz about the new PS3 SKU, and this time it's positive! This has to be the most thumbs up reaction PS3 has had for its hardware since people knew of the console's existence a bit more than 3 years ago.

    In addition to getting a more portable PS3, we're also getting a far less expensive one. The PS3 Slim costs half the price of the original PS3, which mean there's little excuse for people who have been putting off buying the admittedly expensive original. You can get up to an 120GB model for $299 (including the PS3 "Fat") and an 160GB model for $100 more. Also PlayStation looks like it's finally ready to properly compete with its two adversaries.

    Good News however, never comes hand in hand with its little brother. The bad news is that while the original PS3 could stand perfectly on its own, you might have to purchase a vertical stand. I suggest you save your $24 and prop up your PS3 Slim with your Golden Girls DVD box set. Also, PS3 Slim HATES Linux, so good luck with playing with the PS3 OS. Rounding out the bad news is the lack of PS2 game compatibility. I don't see why this drawback cannot be fixed via firmware, but until then you are out of luck if you ever feel the urge to get nostalgic.

    This is a new day for PlayStation. By Christmas, tons of people are going to score the one item that has eluded their grasp for so many years. I hope to see you all online. I've been waiting for some fresh meat to pwn in Street Fighter IV :)


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    After the Apocalypse, You Aren't Allowed to Wear a Shirt

    posted @ 8/14/2009 09:12:00 PM by Vichus Smith


    Rage has finally shown its ugly, beautiful face on the internet, and I am quite impressed. A trailer for ID Software's latest FPS (with a dash of car combat) has appeared on the official Rage website. One image in the trailer that starts to make you wonder is the front page of a newspaper littered on the ground:




    What's is an Ark in the world of Apophis? If you know your basic Bible, you know you that if you you weren't on the ark, your house got really wet. Is this last ark the objective of this whole game? Is living underground better than living on the surface? Maybe.


    Most of the trailer takes place above ground, with good old-fashioned FPSing, some third person car combat, and some freaky mutants hopping out of everywhere, trying to kill Rage's protagonist. Weapons look pretty standard, except for what looks like machine gun turrets that you can use to do the dirty work for you.


    I can just imagine gamers all over comparing this to the Half-Life series, BioShock, the Jak series of platform games, etc. One has to wonder if Rage can take all of these familiar elements we have seen in games before and deliver a satisfying package. It's coming out for damn near every system (except for the Wii because, well, you know) so the majority of us is going to get a shot at Id Software's latest.






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    Wasting time: Red Remover

    posted @ 8/11/2009 06:11:00 PM by Vichus Smith



    My favorite color is red, so it saddens me that this fun little PC Flash game tasks you with getting rid of all the red you see. Getting rid of red involves removing whatever you are allowed to, leaving only the good colors.




    There are four colors: green, blue, light red and dark red. Dark red is the only color that cannot be removed. So your strategies are to either click on a color to pop it out of existence, or somehow get a color off of the screen.





    All the while, these colored shapes are looking at you with their cute little faces. You'll be very sad if you let one of them down!




    You will know that all the brain juice you pumped out thinking of a solution has payed off when the good colored shapes let out a "Yay!" If you fail those poor green guys, you will hear a fart noise. Mm-hmm. If you fail enough, anyone within earshot of your computer might think you're battling a wicked case of flatulence.

    The first few levels are easy, but then some more physics are thrown in, forcing you to think even harder!Even if you consider yourself a brainy lad or lass, you'll still have to go through a bit of trial and error.

    Red Remover, even with its crafty physics puzzles, will not take you that much time to complete, so its perfect for goofing off at work. If you decide to play at home, you can extend the fun with the more difficult modes. I wish the game had more levels, but maybe the developers are saving their other ideas for a Red Remover 2!< You can play Red Remover on the Silver Games website.

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    The Anime Network is slacking off!

    posted @ 8/08/2009 08:21:00 PM by Vichus Smith


    The Anime Network is going to get very lazy starting at midnight on Sunday- and they want you to take advantage! As soon as August 10th comes, you'll get a taste of ADV's pay service for absolutely nada.

    So mark the date, because it's time for you to gorge yourself on as much anime as you can stand. When you do, I suggest that you start with Cromartie High School. ;)


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    Is This the Happiest Place on Earth?

    posted @ 8/02/2009 10:50:00 PM by Vichus Smith

    What would happen if the bright, happy place Mickey Mouse and his friends call home became a ruined, dark wasteland? Well, you get Epic Mickey, a curious set of concept artwork that have caught many a geek's eye.








    The word going around is that Epic Mickey will be a Wii exclusive. No word, though, on what story is being told or what characters are involved in this game. UK based artist Fred Gambino is responsible for the images created thusfar. If you've watched cartoons like The Ant Bully, The Tale of Desperaux or Jimmy Neutron, you're familiar with his work. Warren Spector (System Shock, Deus Ex) is behind the story that will bring these beautiful scenes to life.

    So what adventures are in store for Mickey Mouse in Epic Mickey? Details are scare, but the game involves painting with your Wiimote. The main adversary of The Mouse is a character we (presumably) have never seen before, a character who has long been forgotten. I can't wait to see what this turns into.

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