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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!
First Nerdgasm of 2010: ESH@CES Las Vegas!
 

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    We less than three manga as well, so peep the manga reviews.

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    According to Bayonetta, Angels Enjoy Their Crotches

    posted @ 1/18/2010 08:05:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    The first full Monday after the CES recovery week brings with it a new episode of the Electric Sista Hood podcast and this one is focused on Platinum Games new title release Bayonetta.

    Both NinJaSistah and Pandalicious have played through the game and spend the bulk of the hour tripping through the awesome gameplay that is Bayonetta while spoiling the story ending, plot points and more. Did you know there was a music video at the end of the game? You do now!

    We even answer an audience question or two, touch on James Cameron's movie Avatar and start sharing some of the audio interviews Evermore and I conducted during CES 2010. Need more incentive to take a listen, check out some of the titles we came up with for this episode but didn't use:
    • Climaxes Are Different — We'll Get Back to Those
    • She's Wet — And It's Not Just Because She's Been At the Bottom of a Lake
    • and finally
    • The Last Naked Woman to Be Taken Seriously Was Eve

    Grab the beverage of your choice and enjoy Electric Sista Hood Podcast Episode 180: My Other Car Is a Pleasure Pony

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    Madden 1.9K82

    posted @ 1/09/2010 02:57:00 AM by evermore


    Believe it or not, this is one of the "new" games introduced this year at CES in Las Vegas.

    It's part of Microsoft's soon-to-come Gameroom for Xbox 360, in which you are a visitor in a giant three-story mall arcade with some of the favorite games from the 1970s and '80s, including Centipede, Pitfall and Lunar Lander.

    You'll hear more about this and more modern games like the forthcoming Mass Effect 2 on the next couple of ESH podcasts.

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    If You Can't Say Anything Good...

    posted @ 1/07/2010 12:11:00 PM by evermore
    For about the 325th consecutive year, Microsoft delivered a keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Wednesday night. Billionaire Steve Ballmer might as well have phoned the thing in.

    It is a guarantee at these things that some major glitch or computer crash will occur during Microsoft keynotes. YouTube is filled with such fun clips. Wednesday's keynote was no exception as the major problem occurred just 10 minutes before the thing was supposed to start.

    I sat in the press section -- the best seats in the house, in the first seven rows right in the middle of the Las Vegas Hilton Center -- as all the lights in the house suddenly shut down, leaving us in darkness for a few moments before the emergency power kicked in. When we saw that the dozen Microsoft monitors were still dark, we knew we were in for an unwanted adventure.

    It was interesting to watch the world's largest Black Screen of Death.

    About the time the keynote was scheduled to start, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: A "small power problem" has occurred and we would be starting in "about five minutes." Then technicians rushed the stage frantically trying to bring life back to the still powerless PCs on the stage.

    "About five minutes" turned into 30, and it was obvious that some of the PCs were still having difficulty being restored to their former health. Microsoft finally gave in and started the show anyway.

    What followed could only be adequately described as "Amateur Hour." I'm sure it resembled the old Homebrew Computer Club demonstrations of the mid-1970s more than what passes for modern keynote deliveries of the 21st Century.

    Steve Jobs of Apple has set the standard on the modern keynote address, with his simple graphics and well-rehearsed deliveries. It's rare that a glitch occurs in his keynotes, and when they do, he always manages to pass it off with a funny line and gets on with it.

    Steve Ballmer's keynote couldn't have been more different. He fumbled over his words during some rocky moments and when it came time for humor, it was obvious that it was scripted. You coud tell he was about to make a joke because he would raise the volume of his voice in order to let all of us know that he was about to make a joke.

    Ballmer's hit the road during 2009 making a lot of speeches about just how crappy Microsoft's products have been. He's apologized on different occasions about the Xbox red rings problem, the worthlessness of Windows Mobile 6.5 and just how much everybody hated Windows Vista. He offered no such apologies in Wednesday's keynote. In fact, he acted as if Microsoft didn't have any problems at all.

    For example, as the media was being seated before the show, we were all instructed to turn off "our cell phones and Windows Mobile devices." Well, practically anybody in the press corps who might have owned a Windows Mobile device had turned it off a long time ago. It was probably sitting in a shoebox at home.

    But Ballmer, talking about Windows Mobile 6.5, acted as if it was the industry's leading mobile phone OS, with marketshare expected to be growing into the next year (and probably throughout the millenium to come). The media folks rolled their collective eyes.

    It was a rambling presentation, with a lot of empty words being spoken about a lot of equally empty products. Ballmer didn't offer anything new. After talking about Windows Mobile, Windows 7 and a new cellphone designed to run WiMo, he finally got the media excited when he revealed some examples of some new "slate" computers that were being developed. Ahhh, here's the Apple-killer everyone wanted to see. But when he admitted that it was just a concept, everyone slumped down in their seats again. Alas, Microsoft's patened FUD (fear-uncertainty-doubt) struck again.

    Finally, Ballmer relinquished the stage to Microsoft's Entertainment head, who presented some genuinely interesting -- and actual -- products, such as the next version of Halo and some more details about the gamer-is-the-controller concept they call Project Natal. He even promised that Project Natal would actualy be available during 2010.

    But by that time, Steve Ballmer was already gone, not to return to the stage. With the keynote being at the Las Vegas Hilton, Elvis Presley's old hangout, I expected an announcement along the lines of "Steve Ballmer has left the building," but it didn't happen.

    Instead, he rode out in the same silence that will undoubtedly surround most of Microsoft's big ventures of 2010.

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    It's 2010- Put on your Jetpacks!

    posted @ 1/05/2010 07:00:00 PM by Vichus Smith


    It is every man woman and child's dream to strap on a jetpack, put on a helmet and soar through the skies, thwarting evil along the way.

    There is only one day until we all can download the Dark Void demo, getting vertical like no gamer's gotten vertical before.








    The Dark Void Demo is coming to the PS3 PC and Xbox 360, with the demo available on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.

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    Mass Effect 2 Trailer

    posted @ 1/05/2010 08:03:00 AM by Douceswild


    Anyone here remember a little RPG by Bioware called Mass Effect? I thought you might. Well, Mass Effect 2 will be hitting store shelves in a couple of weeks and I'm already sitting outside of Gamestop waiting.

    OK, so the second part isn't true. I'm not waiting outside...yet. Nonetheless, I still want to play Mass Effect 2 when it come out on January 26. In the meantime, I'll just have to settle for the trailer that shows John Shepard's new crew kicking some butt.

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    It's Beginning to Look a Lot ChrismaHannuKwanzika

    posted @ 12/21/2009 12:54:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    ...everywhere you look, including here in the land of ESH. We finish out the year with the end of our holiday buying guide wrap up podcast episode and Loserly from Dead Pixel Live

    In this, the final episode of the ElectricSistaHood podcast for 2009, we rehash our Holiday gift buying guide episode with a couple of editions including some from guest host Loserly of DeadPixelLive fame.

    We added some more audio equipment-type gifts like the Beats by Dre Tour in-ear headphones, some pocket-type synths from ThinkGeek. To give you an idea of how this show goes, here are some of the titles we came up with but didn't use:
    • Ninja's Tongue Needs a Wheelchair
    • AND It Helps If You Need to Move a Whale
    • Panda's Word of the Day: Facetious
    • Sandwiches in the Dark — How Romantic
    • Panda Says She Likes It From All Directions — And She Calls US Perverts
    • and finally
    • The Economy Needs You to Buy Stuff For Me

    It's a fun episode... chock full'o ladies [one of which may be slightly tipsy] chock full'o great gift ideas, just chock full'f fun. So grab a cup of your favorite drink and enjoy ElectricSistaHood podcast episode 177: Panda Likes Length, Depth and Girth

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    Left4Dead 2 Revisited

    posted @ 12/19/2009 11:38:00 AM by Pandalicious

    you're done it once, do it again down south!

    The moment when the dust begins to settle and you feel the tightness in your chest fade away is the moment you should panic. Today you are here, tomorrow… who knows for sure? In the realm where Zombies have infected the world, the only thing you can rely on is yourself…and maybe a three other complete strangers. Will you take that chance? You’ve done it once before and you’ll do it again.

    Left 4 Dead 2 revisits the world overrun by mindless hordes of decaying zombies. This time we are taken down south to New Orleans where things have progressed to a far worsened state then in the previous Left 4 Dead. Valve promised gamers a heightened gaming experience. We were waiting for it in the first game, and they delivered in the second.

    Visuals:

    When looking at gameplay footage side by side, there is no visual difference in terms of quality. Obviously, since the settings for both games are in two very different geographical areas, the background should play to the strengths and weaknesses of each place. Case in point, in L4Dead 2 our four survivors are in New Orleans. It’s a smaller area in comparison to the first location. Long streets surrounded by high buildings on both sides in an area known for being crowded. New Orleans is famous for its jazz influence; it is a city of blaring noise and action. In a zombie apocalypse however, this place is a homing beacon just a waiting to go off. Anyone trying to navigate through it without making a sound is in for a world of pain and misery.

    In the world of Valve’s first Left4Dead, the survivors were in a much larger city, skyscrapers and subways galore. The tactics needed to navigate rural cities and urban cities are very unique. However the space gave the survivors in this first game gave them more area to be effective in, however this also gave the infected an advantage over them. At least in this newer game, the hordes have to come at us full force and we are much better suited to take them on.

    Could the visuals have been cleaner? Yes, Is the pre-established fanbase going to be upset that it isn’t? No. When running for your life, you aren’t really concerned with how much detail is in that brick building. Survival is a gritty mistress and both games capture that.
    Results 5 of 5

    Gameplay:

    Essentially the gameplay is the same, the only things that are different are: the incorporation of a much needed melee system, the addition of new specialized infected for the survivors to fight and the integration of a more detailed story.

    Single player:

    Just like before, working together is essential in this cooperative first person shooter. Apparently, the AI didn’t get that memo. Playing this game by yourself is the most painstaking, mind numbing experience you could put yourself through that doesn’t involve playing Demon Souls on the PS3. Unlike with Demon Souls, where you want to persevere, conquer it and feel a tinge of accomplishment, Left4Dead 2 single player leaves you feeling apathetic and ready to move on to the larger scheme of the game.

    If you are playing single player then you are most likely achievement hunting. This is all well and good. It probably is what single player was intended for in the first place because it certainly doesn’t highlight the great aspects of this game.
    Result 2 of 5

    Multiplayer:

    This is where the fun begins. Why play a game designed to test the abilities of four strangers coming together to fight countless zombies and then not partake in it? No matter how humanlike AI has grown to be, it is still computer generated. Reasoning isn’t something that can be programmed. An AI will not verbally warn you when a smoker is restricting them, or care when a tank hurts you so badly that your future children feel it. People will…or at least should. This game will make you care, or will make you laugh at the misfortune of one of your following teammates. It appeases so many kinds of gamers. Valve did their homework and made this game versatile.

    The only downfall about multiplayer doesn’t stem from the game. It comes from players of the game: some get too serious while others aren’t serious enough. The people who recklessly throw themselves in harm’s way just because they can shouldn’t be playing campaign. You should indulge yourself in the other modes of play.
    Result: 5 of 5


    Other modes:

    The only silver lining we got out of Left4Dead was in the only DLC to come from it. This DLC gave one new chapter: The Last Stand. This chapter was only playable in one mode: Survival. Survival returns in Left4Dead2 along with Versus and a new pal called Scavenger. This game emphasizes the need to work together on a common goal: to make it out alive. So why not add the need to rummage around an area littered with debris and undead to get basic items that could in fact save-your-life? Scavenger appeases the survival horror gods with testing the four survivors with the task of gathering gas cans to get some motor running that will save them from their hellish nightmare come true.

    With the right group this can be hordes of fun and entertainment for hours.

    Outside of the standard campaigns that we are used to from the first game, Left4Dead 2 offers just a bit more: Realism is one of them and most likely the best mode to come out of the game. After you have cut your gums on the campaign in all of the standard difficulties associated with any sort of gameplay that is when you try Realism. Keep in mind that once you enter here, the game is not your friend.

    Realism is a mode that allows the four survivors to see just how well they work together. No outlines on weapons: melee or firepower alike; bullets will not magically appear before you, forget about being able to see your teammates from a considerable distance too. All things that can go wrong will. Mother Nature is pissed and she’s taking it out on you. All those comforts from before are a figment of your imagination. It is as real as it can get. Just remember: you opted to play Realism; you only have yourself to blame.

    This mode once mastered, will make you want to play this game in this setting for the rest of your natural life. It will prove just how ready you for that spur of the moment zombie infestation.

    Valve found a way to revitalize their zombie hit and it is thoroughly appreciated.
    Result: 5 of 5

    Shortcomings:
    Now just because I’ve talked about most of the good things about Left4Dead 2 doesn’t mean that there aren’t negative things to say. The major upset about this game was the lack of follow through in some of the areas that we would have liked to see some depth. Lets get started…shall we?

    Lets start of with character development. So in the first game, we got very generic characters: Bill, an old war veteran, Francis, an older biker dude, Louis, a business man who just happens to be black and Zoey, a college aged girl whose college experience has been less than good.

    Valve realized their little boo-boo and decided to give this bunch of people more involved back-stories. So we have: Coach, a portly high-school football coach with a bad knee; Rochelle, a low-level production assistant reporting on the evacuation for a local television station, Ellis, is a laid-back but extremely talkative mechanic; and Nick is a stoic gambler and conman.

    So great, we have backstory but do we get to benefit from these stories: Hardly. We only get a sense of the chemistry between Ellis and Coach. Nick and Rochelle don’t contribute much to the atmosphere besides just being alive and along for the ride. Ellis is probably the most involved character, taking you out of the chaos with a story that usually gets interrupted by Coach a minute or so later. If only Valve had spent a little more time here with the other two would the group worked better cohesively.

    Another issue, I have with this game is with some of the melee choices. Sure a frying pan and guitar seem like great melee ideas but, a frying pan has short range and if you are having lag issues this is not ideal for any horde situation, and as for the guitar, after a few good whacks there won't be much left to your weapon or you for that matter. If a game were going to incorporate a melee system, these weapons would have to have a durability factor to them. No weapon lasts forever especially in this kind of scenario. Though of course the only weapon that has limited use is one of the most effective weapons in the game. This weapon is the chainsaw. So choose wisely what you arm yourself with; it could cost you your life.

    Overall Result: 17 of 20

    I don’t feel I need to reiterate anything that I’ve said above. If you like zombies and testing yourself then rent this game. After you’ve played it and have loved it, go out and buy it. If you walk away from it feeling absolutely nothing, go back to your hello kitty mountain adventure; it will be our little secret.

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    Mmmm, Clip Show

    posted @ 12/07/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    A new Monday morning brings with it a fresh episode of the ElectricSistaHood podcast, are you not entertained? Well, after catching this episode filled with cutting room floor goodness you will be.

    In this episode of our weekly podcast, NinJaSistah introduces three segments of content we had to cut from previous episodes that have yet to air on a final episode of our podcast... until now that is. First up are some of the things we cut from our original airing of our holiday gift guide, including the RoboTech Saga anime series, iPod Touch, and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 titles.

    The next segment kinda keeps the holiday theme going by talking about how much both Pandalicious and NinJaSistah hate Christmas gifts/holiday decorations appearing commercially before Halloween has even happened. In the final segment of the podcast, we give you some of the anime stuff that NinJaSistah has talked about recently, but hasn't made it to your eardrums like Kiba and Maria Watches Over Us.

    It's about that time kids, so grab your morning cup of go juice and enjoy ElectricSistaHood Podcast Episode 175: The Island of Misfit Tangents

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    The Rock-Block Connection: Lego RockBand

    posted @ 12/05/2009 09:17:00 AM by Pandalicious

    We built this game
    We built this game with L-E-G-O-S

    Welcome to a world of pure imagination, and sadly it isn’t the world of Willy Wonka. Though some would say it was just as colorful and enchanting. If there is one thing that we’ve grown up with that has followed us into our adulthood it would be Legos. So this shouldn’t be too much of a shock to see it in our video games. Its success is another thing that the gamerbase should have predicted from the get-go.

    Traveller’s Tales, the developer responsible for reanimating this childhood classic toy in a digital form would want to find a concept that was new and family oriented. Perhaps another developer, who has a thriving game series that wouldn’t have to modify much to appeal to a general audience, someone like: Harmonix perhaps. Bingo. Merge together the love of yester toy with music from the decades and you’ve got Lego RockBand.

    Visuals:
    There is really only one thing I can say about the graphics: LEGOS. Everything is made out of Legos. There isn’t much detail to be had in a simple red, yellow, green or blue block. However for capturing the essence of what Legos are meant to do (which is inspire imagination), it does exactly that and then a little more. The customization feature is very similar to its’ big brother and sister games. It does have it limitations though, but those are simply in place to reinforce the Lego universe. At the end of it, if a person has an issue with the limitation of a Lego rocker’s style, then don’t play it. Play RockBand or RockBand2.
    Result: 5 of 5

    Gameplay:
    Single Player:

    Everyone is a solo artist before they decide they want friends. Once they have friends, it is instinctive that they would want to make a band. However the really cute thing about this game is that in single player you actually get a bit of story during the campaign. Granted, it is all very cookie-cutter but it is still refreshing to see and experience (especially since neither RockBand nor Guitar Hero decided to include it.)

    There are also special alternative venues that are interactive. These places also depict the beautifully destructive awesomeness that is rock. No Lego people were harmed in the making of this game. However like all things multiplayer oriented, the game isn’t as engaging unless you are playing with someone else.
    Result: 3 of 5

    So quickly to the multiplayer mobile!

    Multiplayer:

    Just like its’ predecessors RockBand and RockBand2, most of the emphasis lies in its’ multiplayer. However in the realm of childhood, blame isn’t something practiced. Mistakes don’t occur in this magical land of red, green, yellow and blue. ”Failure” is a word that this age range won’t experience until the third grade. The game effortlessly mirrors this world we all secretly desire to go back to. It is shown through the “ Super easy” mode and “recovery phases” options presented in the game.

    Even though this game seems to be watered down a bit, don’t be quick to assume that the other difficulties are cakewalks. They are just are challenging as we’ve come to expect them to be. Warner Bros would never put itself in a light that would make children believe they couldn’t do anything. So the game does allow for gaming growth, which is essential if you want to keep the kiddies interested.

    This game could be a great way to have play dates for your smaller children (if you have them). It is a way to entertain up to four kids at a time, think of it as controlled rock chaos.
    Result: 5 of 5

    Music Selection:
    The choices in this installment are not the water logged, saccharin injected “children” versions that we’d expect out of a children’s game. (So sorry Kids Bop) I mean there are some covers of popular song, but they aren’t no named, unpopular artists doing them.

    Here is a small peek and some of the songs you’ll get in this game. Ok it’s all of them but…in the spirit of the holidays I couldn’t leave them out.
    • All American Rejects, "Swing, Swing"
    • The Kooks, "Naïve"
    • The Automatic, "Monster"
    • KoRn, "Word Up!"
    • Blink-182, "Aliens Exist"
    • KT Tunstall, "Suddenly I See"
    • Blur, "Song 2"
    • Lostprophets, "Rooftops"
    • Bon Jovi, "You Give Love a Bad Name"
    • P!NK, "So What"
    • Boys like Girls, "Thunder"
    • The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
    • Bryan Adams, "Summer of 69"
    • The Primitives, "Crash"
    • Carl Douglas, "Kung Fu Fighting"
    • Queen, "We Are The Champions"
    • The Coral, "Dreaming of You"
    • Queen, "We Will Rock You"
    • Counting Crows, "Accidentally in Love"
    • Rascal Flatts, "Life is a Highway"
    • David Bowie, "Let's Dance"
    • Ray Parker Jr., "Ghostbusters"
    • Elton John, "Crocodile Rock"
    • Razorlight, "Stumble and Fall"
    • Europe, "The Final Countdown"
    • Spin Doctors, "Two Princes"
    • Everlife, "Real Wild Child"
    • Spinal Tap, "Short & Sweet"
    • Foo Fighters, "Breakout"
    • Steve Harly, "Make Me Smile"
    • Good Charlotte, "Girls & Boys"
    • Sum 41, "In Too Deep"
    • The Hives, "Tick Tick Boom!"
    • Supergrass, "Grace"
    • Iggy Pop, "The Passenger"
    • Tom Petty, "Free Fallin"
    • Incubus, "Dig"
    • T-Rex, "Ride a White Swan"
    • Jackson 5, "I Want You Back"
    • Vampire Weekend, "A-Punk"
    • Jimi Hendrix, "Fire"
    • We the Kings, "Check Yes Juliet"
    • Kaiser Chiefs, "Ruby"
    • The Zutons, "Valerie"
    • Katrina & The Waves, "Walking on Sunshine"


    Result: 4 of 5

    Downloadable Content:
    A shining grace to this game is that with a great setlist like this, we are able to import them over to RockBand2. So many have seen this as an expense trackpack. Just like other RockBand games, content will be made available through the online store. So just like budding young kids, this game has the potential to grow.

    Result: 5 of 5

    Shortcomings:

    The only pitfall that I have noticed has nothing to do with the game out side of a lack luster single player mode. The question on my mind is: Why release this so late? North America got an 11/03/09 release date, where the UK (11/27/09) and our mates in AUS (11/25/09) just got their releases fairly recently.

    Most of the gamerbase didn’t see a need to release another RockBand game. At this years’ E3, this game was right next to the Beatles RockBand booth. Those who took time out to play Lego RockBand were just riding it off as “just another” rhythm based game. Reception was moderately high considering the overwhelming sense of “Meh” that came from the venue. To give this game the hype it deserved maybe MTV Games/Time Warner should have released it after the first Lego games came out.

    Speculations about this late release date center around the notion that if a game releases right before the start of the holiday season that sales will increase. Perhaps MTV Games/Time Warner felt that Lego RockBand would be overlooked and stepped up their game by setting up a deal with Old Navy. (If you aren’t an Old Navy shopper than this deal wouldn’t affect you). Then again, this could have been just a way to spread their product around to places where one wouldn’t see gaming influence. Talk about a way to get their name out there.

    Overall Result: 22 of 25:


    Gaming families with young children should seek this game out for the holiday season. It is definitely present for the whole family. And even if you don’t have wee ones to entertain,

    Happy Holidays!




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    Kid Dials 911 To Retrieve Xbox From Parents

    posted @ 12/01/2009 11:27:00 AM by Douceswild


    So we've all been pissed when our parents grounded us. No TV, video games, cell phone for a set amount of time can chafe the arse of any typical teen these days, but just how far would you go to get it back?

    A fifteen year old boy called Buffalo Grove police to find out if his parents were violating any of his rights by taking his Xbox away as punishment. Go ahead and let that sink in for a moment. His first call was made around noon, but he hung up. Shortly afterwards, the police showed up at the house to investigate and informed the kid that the parents have the authority to take his console away if they deem it necessary.

    If I were the parent, I would've told the cops not to go too far, because there was about to be a dead kid here.

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    The Xbox Live Modded Console Banning, Thus Far

    posted @ 11/24/2009 09:14:00 AM by Douceswild

    If you haven't heard of Microsoft's banning spree of modded Xboxes over the last few weeks as well as the lawsuit(s) that followed, then you must've been hiding under a rock.

    Microsoft fired the first shot by hitting about a million modded console owners with the banhammer, locking them out if Xbox Live. Why the sudden lockout? Microsoft said that it was a long time coming, offendrs should know better, and there will be more to come.

    The victims (if you want to call the that) replied with a lawsuit that stated not all modded console owners know/knew there system were modded. Some systems may have been purchased from online auction sites, such as Ebay, or from a friend or aquaintance and was not told about the sytem tampering. They feel that they (the good) should not have to suffer for the bad. The lawyers are saying that Microsoft intentionally waited for for the release of the biggest game of the year, Modern Warfare 2, to begin the bans, hoping that those affected would run out to buy another system which makes the corporate numbers look good.

    Microsoft fired the first shot by hitting about a million modded console owners with the banhammer, locking them out if Xbox Live. Why the sudden lockout? Microsoft said that it was a long time coming, offendrs should know better, and there will be more to come.

    The victims (if you want to call the that) replied with a lawsuit that stated not all modded console owners know/knew there system were modded. Some systems may have been purchased from online auction sites, such as Ebay, or from a friend or aquaintance and was not told about the sytem tampering. They feel that they (the good) should not have to suffer for the bad. The lawyers are saying that Microsoft intentionally waited for for the release of the biggest game of the year, Modern Warfare 2, to begin the bans, hoping that those affected would run out to buy another system which makes the corporate numbers look good.


    What does Microsoft have to say about these accusations? Last week they released a statement pretty much telling the finger-pointers to read the Terms of Service, be careful who you buy your systems from, suck it up, and have a nice day. The spokesman also said that the company feels bad for those who have unintentionally come into possession of a modded console, but that number is very small in comparison to those who actually sought out a modded system and those who modded themselves.

    I'm on the fence with this one. I can understand both sides of the argument. It's really hard to say who is right and wrong in this one. Both sides are sticking to their guns. The only thing I can say for sure is that whoever wins will strike a mighty blow for their camp.

    What does Microsoft have to say about these accusations? Last week they released a statement pretty much telling the finger-pointers to read the Terms of Service, be careful who you buy your systems from, suck it up, and have a nice day. The spokesman also said that the company feels bad for those who have unintentionally come into possession of a modded console, but that number is very small in comparison to those who actually sought out a modded system and those who modded themselves.

    I'm on the fence with this one. I can understand both sides of the argument. It's really hard to say who is right and wrong in this one. Both sides are sticking to their guns. The only thing I can say for sure is that whoever wins will strike a mighty blow for their camp.

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    Finish what you start...

    All Mixed Up: DJ Hero Review

    posted @ 11/22/2009 08:34:00 AM by Pandalicious

    It's about to get real up in this...

    “So look it here check the flavor of the rhythm I wrote and while I got chance here let me clear my throat.” –DJ Kool

    After devoting a good chuck of time to this game, it’s time I spit some fire bout it. Deliverin’ the truth like a record drops a beat, DJ Pandamic (What I call myself when I’m playin’ it) will walk you through the upbeats and the downbeats. So get your hands ready for the fantastic voyage that is DJ Hero.

    Fo’ a recap Activision published this joint. It is a rhythm-based game modeled after it’s one hit wonder game Guitar Hero. FreeStyleGames developed it. Their first title, B-Boy got released in North America in 2008 for the PSP. If this name sounds familiar they are responsible for two titles in 2007: Buzz! Junior: Robo Jam and Buzz! Junior: Monster Rumble.

    So lets lay one track down at a time and see what kind of trip it takes us on, and I’m gonna need some help from the maestro please!

    Gameplay:

    To play this game you gotta have the right equipment and a swagger to match, but that comes later. First and most importantly you need to master the turntable peripheral. (Playing the tutorial is a *must* if you want to excel in this game.) Just like its ancestor Guitar Hero, you have to hit the three colored buttons in sync with the corresponding nodes as they hit the strike zone. However the new elements comprise of: scratching, cross fading, and mixing. So while you are ‘zugga zuggin’ or scratching with your main hand, your other hand has its own stuff goin’ on.

    It is always good to check out the other modes in this game as well as the various ranges in difficulty. This makes it accessible to everyone who just enjoys having a good time. So if you have a hard time on easy, or you have a kid around who just wants to play, you can step back a notch to beginniner, and have at it.


    Multiplayer:
    There is a multiplayer option in this game, which allows a DJ to collaborate or battle. DJs can collaborate and battle with guitars or they can compete against another DJ.
    When battling, the difficulty is set for both right out the gate, so you are both equal.
    In my experiences playing competitively with another DJ, I didn’t feel that urge to beat the ever-loving crap out of her. (At the time, I played against my older sister.)

    It fails at being competitive, or rather succeeds at being competitive. The fact of the matter is that it doesn’t feel like a competition at all. The whole time I was playing, I was too busy enjoying the mix to give a crap about what the numbers said. It unifies two DJs instead of separating them.

    Even though this game is marketed as a party game, it does have its learning curve. Jumping straight into this will only lead to a rage quit and some minor property damage. So, take the time to get it right, and you’ll play all night! Ya feel me?

    Result:
    5 of 5

    Visuals:

    By today’s gaming graphic standards, most of us would say the graphics are nothing to write home about. However the style is unique and artistically sound for the game series. The various venues are thumping to the beats we provide to them as the DJs we play. The customization is a lot more thought out this time around even though it is not as free range as other rhythm-based games we are familiar with. All in all, being able to choose new sprites along with a few that were modeled after some of greats in the DJ circuit are good things. Customizing your deck, style color, freestylin’ samples and your signature headphones are perks simple perks.

    Fo’ what the game is tryin’ to depict its fresh and innovative and because of that it also eliminates the one issue I had with its ancestor Guitar Hero. I don’t know about you guys, but I noticed if I played Guitar Hero for too long I would begin to see things stretch out. This is an illusion brought on from a linear highway that we are focus on in the game. DJ Hero’s highway is curved, like a record baby right round… round round. (Sorry, I had to do that ☺.) So this increases the amount of time you can play without dealing with eye issues. (Yay!)

    Result: 5 of 5

    Soundtrack:
    The music is pure audio fire. The set list has 93 mashups, most of which, if not all of them, will get a foot tappin’ or a head bobbin’. Great thing about these mashups is that they aren’t just current music that we all listen to on the radio. DJ Kool said it best: “It’s that o’ skool rap with that new skool hit”. If only he had been talking about DJ Hero, but since he wasn’t then, I will now.

    The mashups that mix some old school with new school joints really capture the essence of what DJin’ is all about: making something new with what you got. It also allows for some who don’t know a damn thing about it, to learn it real quick.

    If there is any downfall with the music selection, it is the ability for tracks to repeat themselves. In my initial playthrough I heard Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back” more times than I cared to. Its mashups are good tracks don’t get me wrong, but give a girl some space…Geez.

    DLC will happen on the regular for DJ Hero via its online store. To get that ball rolling, some DLC was already available when the game released in October of this year.
    Expect more fun than anything else out of this title.

    Result: 4 of 5

    Overall Rating: 14 of 15.

    This is definitely a game that should be played if you are big into the interactive gaming scene. It is a *must* if you are a lover of rhythm-based games. It will add to your steadily growing collection of peripherals but one more couldn’t hurt right?

    For people who aren’t musically inclined, this could be something that you play at a party and will never touch again—but for the few minutes of musical bliss, you will enjoy yourself.

    The only things that I saw as shortcomings were the hint of repetitive music, and the pronounced learning curve early on in the game.

    It was great to get my hands on this, and it definitely deserves recognition for stepping out the box in terms of what it actually simulates. Note I said simulates. Many would argue that this game is pointless because it doesn’t actually teach you how to mix on actual turntables. To those people I say this and only this: It-is-a-game… it isn’t meant to teach you to be a DJ. There are classes for that.

    For those of us who understand what this game allows us to do, I say let the good times roll…or scratch…mix maybe? You get the gist, now go forth you DJ Heroes! The world needs saving one mix at a time.

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    Finish what you start...

    Same Face, New Scar: Modern Warfare 2 Review

    posted @ 11/17/2009 09:55:00 PM by Pandalicious

    Stand and Deliver...


    After all the players had taken the world stage, we prepared ourselves for war.
    After the last bullets left our guns, we prepared for rest.
    After the new foe turned the world’s fangs on us, we knew we were going back.

    War stories are the kinds of tales that are a lot longer then we think they are. War is the backbone of history. The formula goes: Peace. Prosperity. Conflicts. Riots. War. That train is never late.

    Some of us lived through wartime, while the rest of us learned about fragments of them in textbooks, completely unattached from the severity of each one. Now, in this present time, we have better technology and through entertainment can see and potentially feel that severity.

    Story Time:

    The first Modern Warfare took us into the stories of two individuals who would never meet but would be linked through war: Soap MacTavish, and Paul Jackson.

    A radical leader in the Middle East has staged a coup d’état, while civil war breaks out in Russia. It is up to the SAS and USMC to go in and do what they do best: suppress and end the wars. The USMC heads into the Middle East to capture Al-Asad and the SAS go to Russia. By the very end of this storyline Soap delivers the final blow to Zakhaev, the head of the Ultranationalist movement to put this war to rest.

    Or so we thought…

    Modern Warfare 2 brings us back into the fray five years later. Soap MacTavish who was a recruit to the 22nd SAS is now Captain MacTavish of the Task Force 141, however we experience all this from the viewpoint Gary “Roach” Sanderson. On the other side of the world, in America, We are thrust into the Ranger Regiment first as Private Joseph Allen and then later as Private James Ramirez.

    Both units are taking orders from General Shepard, whose focus is primarily to secure and silence the “obvious” antagonist Makarov. He is the protégé of the first game’s antagonist Zakhaev. Allen goes undercover into Makarov’s terrorist cell that slaughters an entire civilian airport but not before setting up America as the culprit.

    Russia takes immediate action against the US by means of a surprise invasion. There are a few causalities along the way. Our soldiers try to get close enough to the threat to eliminate it. After acquiring an Achilles’ heel in the form of an unknown prisoner in the gulag (this prisoner turns out to be Captain Price from the first game.), all hell breaks loose. A new antagonist emerges to shift the plot in a direction we never saw coming. Shepard becomes angered and disillusioned and takes it out violently on Task Force 141 by murdering Roach and Ghost. If you haven’t caught on, Shepard is the antagonist.

    Makarov gets put on the backburner and even slightly aids Task Force 141 or what is left of it. They take out Shepard, but as a result Soap, Nikolai and Price are on the run from the world. They still have their sights on Makarov and they still have a job to do.

    The story was enjoyable however, I disliked how for ¾’s of the game we are gunning for Makarov but in the last 1/4th we are focused on Shepard. Then again with that blank check in hand, Shepard did become more of a threat. I don’t see why they couldn’t have taken out Makarov and then settled the score with Shepard. This way does promote a better segway to a third game but that isn’t enough in my mind to justify the action. Result: 4 out of 5.

    On To Campaigns:

    Single player story mode:
    So for the story of Modern Warfare 2 you’d think that it would eat up a good chunk of your time. Sitting in the most comfy gaming chair with an arsenal of snacks at your side, the story mode can be completed in about 6 hours. So the story campaign is amazingly short. Dare I say too short?
    Size isn’t everything; some of the best stories written are short stories, but they did something unique for their time period. Even though they incorporated some new features into the gameplay like: breaching, more use of predator drones etc. It was still a very cookie cutter Call of Duty game. Infinity Ward had a chance to redefine the FPS standards, but they played it safe. Result: 4 out of 5

    Spec Ops:
    This is the newest feature to come out of this game. This can be done with or without a partner (Though I suggest you get one! You’ll thank me later.) In this, you and your partner get to work together in scenarios for star ratings. They range from one to three; three stars being the highest amount attainable.
    There are several different categories of events code-named: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Echo. These are insanely fun. It was the best move for Infinity Ward to make something Co Op instead of just strictly multiplayer. These missions allow players to go back to different areas from the game and even revisit some goodies from the original. It was a breath a fresh air. Result: 5 out of 5

    Multiplayer:
    Everyone who loved the multiplayer from Modern Warfare is going to love it in this sequel. They’ve bumped up the experience cap up to 70 instead of 55. They give you several kinds of multiplayer games like: Free-For-All, Search and Destroy, Demolition, Domination, Team Deathmatch and lastly Capture the Flag.
    Besides those, there is even a new option in multiplayer, which is third person perspective. That’s right, a FPS with 3rd person capabilities. Though it was initially disorienting and hard to get used to, this isn’t the fault of Infinity Ward. This is because of our self-training to play FPS. It just gives us something new to master. Result: 5 out of 5

    Overall Result: 18 out of 20. (Good Job Guys!)

    Infinity Ward knows how to please its fanbase. From its eye-catching visuals to its enriched story and multiplayer options, it was a delight to play. I plan to revisit this game often. The replay value is high and leaves us waiting to jump right into Modern Warfare 3, so get on it Infinity Ward. Time is ticking! ☺

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    Finish what you start...

    This Post is Oscar Mike...

    posted @ 11/16/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Or should I say, this fresh episode of the Electric Sista Hood podcast is on point and poised to keep you entertained and thinking for the next hour.

    In this episode of the podcast, the gals share [and spoil] Infinity Wards's latest belle of the ball Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. We answer an audience question about MW2, put the "No Russian" level controversy to bed, and end the MW2 section of the show debating virtual violence versus actual violence and how the issue affects the gaming community.

    Deep right? We thought so too, so then Pandalicious changes the topic to zombie hunting and how to prep to survive the zombie apocalypse. It's a good episode of the podcast, check out some of the titles we ended up not using:
    • If Artificial Intelligence is Getting Dumber, How Artificial Can It Be?
    • It Doesn't Glorify War, It Glorifies Killing Innocent Pixels
    • Showing Off My Shelf of Six
    • No Tooth Fairy? Who's Doing the Spoiling Now?

    Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and enjoy Electric Sista Hood Podcast Episode 172: It's My Party and I'll PWN If I Want To!

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    Finish what you start...

    Modern Warfare FTW!

    posted @ 11/13/2009 11:59:00 AM by Pandalicious

    Taking day sale records through the muftha effin roof!

    If you haven’t noticed, I haven’t written in about a week. I apologize for that but it seems like the gamer world was preparing for a homeland takeover. That takeover was the release of Infinity Ward’s much anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Everyone and their mothers were talking about this game, and for the two days after the midnight launches everyone and their mothers WERE playing it.

    It was announced yesterday (November 12, 2009) by the Activision camp that MW2 had the biggest launch in history across all other forms of entertainment. Estimating sell-through sales of $310 million In North America and United Kingdom in the first 24 hours alone. I guess it is safe to say that pairing up The US and UK in the first game paid off tremendously.

    There was an instance where the world stood still. If anyone uttered a word it was to praise or condemn this action packed game. Praises sang out over the return of Soap MacTavish, one of the protagonists from the first game, the stunning graphics and even setting up instances where slight hesitation equals repetitive death on the side of the player.

    The negative press with this game stemmed from a mission called “No Russian” where we (the US) send one of our own into a Russian terrorist cell. That cell then in turn slaughters a whole airport of innocent civilians. Now before I get chewed a new one for bringing this up, I must say that Infinity Ward was smart to give the player an option to not take part in that particular mission. However in my personal option, the story deems this mission necessary. So if you have yet to get this game, and were thinking of not doing this mission, I strongly urge you to do it.

    It shouldn’t be a surprise that I am bringing this mission back up again especially since I did an initial piece about it. However, now that I own the game and have played it I have to ask: Are you curious about how I perceive it now? Well I am going to tell you anyway so I hope you are. Actually playing through this mission wasn’t as bad as just watching it. So the moral of the lesson kids is looking at something without knowing everything about it is a stupid shallow judgment. Don’t do it.

    I only wish I could talk more in-depth about this game. However, since I was part of the unfortunate group of people waiting for the postal service to do me a solid and deliver it instantly (Yes I’m aware I have a skewed perception of the postal service); I have yet to get immersed into the story. Once I’m done with the story you’ll see me manning it up in multiplayer. See you on the front lines. Hurrah!

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    Finish what you start...

    Borderlands Review

    posted @ 11/09/2009 10:40:00 AM by Douceswild


    I put off getting Gearbox's Borderlands for a bit over a week after the release because I just wasn't sure if this was the game for me. The commercials made it appealing, as did all of the reviews I read, but for $60, I just wasn't sure about this one. Finally, I decided to take a chance and it paid off.

    The first thing you need to know about Borderlands is that if you're not playing this via online or LAN with friends or stranger (either one), then you're probably wasting your time and money. The single-player experience can be boring and frustrating, but when three other players join in for co-op gameplay, you get a mash-up of Phantasy Star Online set in a Fallout 3-esque environment with FPS gameplay similar to Halo and Call of Duty.

    You start off by picking one of four characters: Roland the gun-toting soldier, Lilith the stealth/magic femme, Mordecai the sniper/assassin, and Brick the boxer/tank. Then you guide that character through the familiar RPG "fetch and return" and "kill and/or collect x amount of y" quests throughout the large landscapes and varied dungeons. The overarching story is to find the secret Vault while being guided by a mysterious woman who talks to you in your mind. Don't expect an epic or deep plot here. It serves no other reason than for you to go out and kill things.


    Unlike similar titles like Fallout 3 and Hellgate: London, which use an under-the-hood die roll system to determine combat results, Borderlands has a pure hit or miss factor depending on your aim. If you hit the body, it takes damage. A bullet to the head resutls in a critical hit, causing more damage. So aiming plays a large part in how hard an encounter will be for you. Also, your overall level, weapon level, and weapon proficiency play a large part in the amount of damage you output. If you use the shotgun a lot, then you'll become extremely dangerous with a shotgun. The same goes for pistols, machine guns, rifles, etc.

    Questing and leveling are not the only RPG elements in Borderlands. The skill tree will be familiar to many Diablo 2 and World of Warcraft players. Each character has three distinctive skill trees to apply skill points towards. So even though you may find yourself playing with another Roland, the abilities between the two of you may be noticeably different depending on your skill point allocations. You might spec your Roland to be an all-out damage dealer with guns, the other guys may spec more of a medic, causing his friendly fire to heal teammates. You don't have to worry about being stuck with a particular spec either. You can re-spec anytime, but at a cash cost.

    The loot system has it's pros and cons for me. First of all, there are a LOT of different weapons to find. Some are the same items, but may do fire damage or ice damage, etc, or have different firing rates and magazine sizes. I love feeling of opening a chest or looting an enemy and not knowing what goodies are going to be there. Besides, guns, you'll get randomly generated items including, ammo, grenades and grenade modifiers (fire, corrosion, ice, shock, stickies, bouncies, HP transfusions, etc), gear in the form of power shields, and support mods that affect skill tree allocation. There are color indicators, similar to that of World of Warcraft, that determines rarity (white, green, blue, purple, and orange). This brings me to what I don't like about loot. The game lacks a reasonable way to distribute loot between players other than people making a mad dash for the drops and grabbing whatever they can, regardless of if they can use it or not or it being better suited for another party member, and selling it for cash if it's not an upgrade for them. Also if you want to trade or give an item to another party member, then you have to drop it on the ground and hope the right person picks it up. This can be extremely frustrating if not playing with friends or trusted gamers.



    The visual style of Borderlands just works. The use of solid outlining and bold colors gives it that Street Fighter IV painted look, completely different from the other Unreal Engine 3 titles. This makes the post-apocalyptic industrial wasteland come alive and complements the (at times) over-the-top silliness of the game. The art style is a constant reminder not to take the game too seriously when I see a shotgun-toting midget running at me or boss who gives me the Degeneration X crotch slap before trying to blow my head off.

    As I said before, the game really becomes fun when you add three others into the mix. The more players there are, the harder the enemies become. The harder enemies become, the better the loot becomes. Plus, it's more exciting when you walk into a town full of gun-toting baddies and the group has to work together to survive. Whether you trying to peel a crazed axe-wielder off of your teammate or as a medic, shooting him with healing bullets to keep him alive, the more, the merrier. There are some arena areas that allow for PvP or just whacking an teammate and waiting for them to accept the challenge can start a versus mode, but that usually a way to tell when party members are getting bored or the level 50 cap has been reached and, well, they're bored.


    Death in Borderlands does not mean the end of the fight. While you're down, you have an opportunity to kill an enemy to get a "Second Wind" that brings you back into the fray before bleeding out and respawning. Players can also revive you but at the risk of exposing themselves to danger while doing so. It's extremely frustrating to get taken down during single play, miss the "Second Wind", and have to no one to revive you, resulting in a respawn that incurs a fee each time.

    Many of the boss fights were anti-climatic. Whether in single-player or multi-player, you'll basically find yourself strafing or circling the enemy while shooting everything you have at a weak spot until he drops. Some bosses are able to be exploited by just staying out of engage range and sniping them until they die.

    Many other reviewers had a problem with having to drive or run for long distances throughout the game. I really didn't mind it because it drew me into the massiveness of the areas. Although, without an overlaying map or minimap, it was frustrating to have to constantly pause the game to check the big map for positions an routes. I'm hoping that this, along with the loot and trading system, is something that Gearbox fixes in patches.


    All in all, Borderlands was well worth the money I spent for it. Combining an awesome FPS experience with solid RPG elements and sealing the deal with enjoyable multi-player gameplay keeps me coming back for more even after the 30-ish hours of the main story has been completed. I'm looking forward to the DLC that Gearbox has on the horizon.

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    Finish what you start...

    Kickin' Early Christmas Square in the Nuts

    posted @ 11/09/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Monday morning podcast freshness here for your enjoyment... get it while it's hot, like Chloe's ass.

    In this episode of the podcast the girls finish up their impressions on Activisions' DJ Hero title and Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2 title but from the opposite perspectives this week. Pandalicious kicks off the hour running down her experiences with DJ Hero and then rolls her random self into her review of the new Disney movie, "A Christmas Carol: In 3-D." After a short rant about starting the Christmas season early by NinJaSistah, she picks up the mic and shares her rundown of the PS3 title Uncharted 2. Oh yeah, we talk about the lack of strong female characters that are both sexy and smart. Check out some of the titles we didn't use for this episode:
    • There's a Rash of Topical Creme Jokes
    • DJ Pandamic Won't Give You the Flu
    • My Flow Wants to See Me in Court
    • I Mentally Kick the Elderly
    • As the Stomach Turns: Panda's 3D Experience
    • and finally
    • So May Nazis, It Felt Like a Mel Brooks Movie

    It's odd, it's random, it's Monday so kick back and enjoy Electric Sista Hood Podcast Episode 171: If It Walks Like a Duck, It Must Be Chloe.

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    Podcastastrophe!

    posted @ 11/02/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Well, not really Podcastastrophe as much as new podcast episode for the win!

    In this episode we help kick off the start of November with a podcast full of gaming. Starting off with NinJaSistah's coverage on the new Activision title DJ Hero on the Xbox 360 while Pandalicious talks up both Uncharted 2:Among Thieves for the PS3 and Playlogic's new FairyTale Fights game.

    We are chock full of game goodness in this one ladies and gents. We even briefly mention the new Magic Mouse from Apple and Tekken 6 Here's a quick glimpse of what this episode is like:
    • Bobby Blue Bland — Say That Three Times Fast
    • Is It Possible to Spoil the Plot of Little Red Riding Hood?
    • Counting the Strokes Detracts from the Experience
    • and finally
    • It's Cartoony to Make You forget About All the Bloodshed

    Kick back, relax and enjoy Electric Sista Hood Podcast episode #170: It's Bright and Colorful, Yet Bright and Colorful.

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    Finish what you start...

    No Entendre Title Here

    posted @ 10/26/2009 08:13:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Sure, it would be easy to make a double entendre title for this weeks new podcast episode but we take the high road here at Electric Sista Hood.

    Ok, actually we don't, but it was a fun way to start this podcast post. This podcast episode is ALL game, no anime, no gadgets. Pandalicious kicks off the hour with her final thoughts on the PSP game Obscure: The Aftermath by Playlogic, including a recommendation to play it on something soft. She says the game is scary, and you'll through your PSP around like a rag doll. Then she goes into a spiel about her first reactions to the new 2K Games title Borderlands and explores the parallels between it's gameplay elements and the PC title Diablo. We then have a spirited conversation about how to get PC gamers over to the console gaming side of the fence.

    Then I finish out the hour talking about my experience with the social stuff on the Xbox Live Preview including Twitter and FaceBook. Closing out the hour is NinJaSistah's review of the EA title Need for Speed: Shift on the PS3. It's a busy episode, here are some of the titles for it that we didn't use:

    • This One Made Me Sing to Barney 'Til Dawn
    • Beware Games With Boys Choirs
    • Skeeziest Line of the Year: "The Flower Inside Me Has Just Bloomed!"
    • There's a Monster That Will Snatch Your Attention
    • Ninja Likes to Mounth Things — CONFIRMED!
    • and finally

    • SixAxiS Is a Palindrome — So Is Dud.

    Grab a frosty beverage and enjoy Electric Sista Hood Podcast Episode 169: First Rule of Midnight Club: Forget the Name of Midnight Club

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    Finish what you start...

    Law-Abiding Podcast

    posted @ 10/19/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    It's new podcast Monday and we have a full boat of topics in this episode.

    In this week's episode NinJaSistah and Pandalicious discuss some of the animated DC Comic movies that have been released lately as well as many of the DC based animated series and their impact on the mid-20-something crowd. The conversation that switches to some of the live action flicks including the Marvel options and then Pandalicious grabs the mic to talk movies.

    First up are Panda's post-viewing thoughts on the new "Where the Wild Things Are" movie, including who the best audience for the movie is and IS NOT. Then she moves on to "Law-Abiding Citezen" staring the very sexy [very Scottish] Gerard Butler. Finishing out the hour is NinJaSistah's post-mortem on the EA/Double Fine game Brütal Legend.

    Grab the beverage of your choice, kick back and enjoy Electric Sista Hood Podcast Episode 168: I Opted For the Gore AND Profanity

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    Finish what you start...

    Podcastaroni!

    posted @ 10/12/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    It is not the San Francisco treat, but it's just as yummy... it's a new episode of the ElectricSistaHood podcast.

    In this episode of the podcast, the ladies chat about various gaming news items and answer a couple of audience questions, and it's a good ride. We have another "what should I be for halloween" question, a question about the upcoming 2010 "Alice in Wonderland" release, and revisit how being being financially strapped in our youths has shaped how we purchase games in our adult lives from SlimTaurus78.

    Randomness doesn't escape the show, once again the Vampire/Daywalker/Twilight debate rears it's ugly head but it is counter balanced by upcoming video game releases for the month of October, the anime series "Alice Academy" and Pandalicious rounds out the hour with her late impressions of Call of Duty 4.

    Here is a better way to give you the gist of what this episode is like:
    • Let's Give Twilight the Silver Bullet
    • I Want to Spit Love, Peace, and Acid
    • ESHmom, sign This - Don't Read, Just Sign
    • Is Jay-Z Beyonce-Whipped?
    • Where Bastards Are Found, Wenches Always Follow
    • and finally
    • Soap McTavish Is Not the Scottish Version of Irish Spring

    Kick back and enjoy ElectricSistaHood Podcast Episode 167: Meh or Not Meh - Introducing Our New Rating System

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    Finish what you start...

    This Holiday Season Brings with it a fairytale.

    posted @ 9/29/2009 10:08:00 PM by Pandalicious


    Ho Ho Ho! Merry Bloodshed!

    Holiday season this year seems to be chuck full of trinkets, accessories and games that will titillate gamers during these cold hibernating months. If the buzz and hype doesn’t keep us all warm, our fingers frantically pushing, rotating and flicking will do it for us!

    Those of us under the XBOX360 mantle have several games to look forward to this holiday. Some of our lists of games may look similar like: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Assassins Creed 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Brutal Legend, and Halo ODST. However since we are all different but all seem to harbor a sliver of desire for pixilated bloodshed and mutilation let me shed some light on a little game called Fairytale Fights.

    This was the first closed demo that I got to catch a glimpse of at E3 ’09. It seemed harmless enough, very colorful and animated. It wasn’t until a few moments later that I noticed that the color red splashed over the screen far more often than any other color. It had an odd sense of Christmas really, green rolling hills, splattered with the blood of the innocent; it leaves a warm fuzzy feeling deep inside my heart.

    Innovation was on the forefront of Playlogic Entertainment’s mind when this game came into being. They took something that was wholesome and pure from our childhood (Which is ironic since most fairytales weren’t very happy at all in their proper contexts), gave them a hatchet, an arsenal of very sharp, pain-inflicting weapons and let them duke it out the way we always imagined they would. Of course this could only done on a hack n slash platform. The most interesting fact about this game is that it runs on the unreal engine 3.

    Fairytale Fights comes to XBOX360 and the PS3. Sorry you Wii lovers this game will not be coming to you, but I know you as well as I think you do, I’m sure you have one of the two consoles stated previously, so you’ll enjoy it too! If the chance arises to give this game a run through, it is suggested you do so. A little bloodshed didn’t hurt anyone did it? (Well…you know what I mean.)

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    Finish what you start...

    Subservient What?

    posted @ 9/28/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    The best way to kick off the beginning of a fresh new week is with a new episode of the Electric Sista Hood podcast. This one has an audience question, video game reviews and anime... the holy trifecta of ESH!

    We start off with a question brought to us by William Bell of TheXboxDomain which fuels the conversation for the bulk of the show about how nit-picky we have become as gamers. From growing up and having to learn to love what you get, to almost being apathetic as new titles flood the market. Pandalicious and NinJaSistah don't really come to an agreement on the subject, but it is a fun journey towards an answer nevertheless.

    Then we move on to hands-on video game reviews of Bethesda Softworks new release Wet on the PS3 and NinJaSistah's knee-jerk reaction to the DJ Hero demo. Then we chat about the Dreamcast/PS2 games available via PSN rumor and Pandalicious tops out the hour with her coverage of the anime series Black Buttler

    Here is a quick glimpse into what the episode is like:
    • Five-Year-Olds Don't Need Boom Boxes
    • My Douche-Baggery Made You Better
    • I'm Not Condoning Eating Cats
    • Videogames Are Not a Pos-Apocalyptic Guide
    • and finally
    • Spoiler Alert! Bambi's and Norman Bates' Mothers Both Dead

    Dig in and enjoy Electric Sista Hood Podcast Episode 165: Pandalicious Loves the Hired Help

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    WET? Naw...Barely Moist. By Pandalicious

    posted @ 9/25/2009 05:16:00 AM by Pandalicious


    dirty jokes are fun, but what about this game?

    One of the things that I was hopeful for when I made the journey to E3 was to see an emergence of strong, sophisticated, sexy-without-the-slutty, badass female lead characters. What I got, was the hint of WET. At the time the sole impression I got from the advertisment was “Wow! She’s sexy…and she kills.” Granted these are two things I love to have in a main character, but even I am not that shallow. In fact, dare I say I enjoy a deeply invested back-story to my random acts of murder and violence? Yeah, I dare to! The main character, Rubi, is a gun-toting, sword-swinging gymnast! Not only can she jump from tall distances without taking damage, but she has also been studying at the School of Spiderman, as is evident with her upside down ballistic techniques.


    It has a surprising voice cast
    * Eliza Dushku as Rubi Malone
    * Malcolm McDowell as Rupert Pellum/Mr. Ackers
    * Parry Shen as Zhi
    * Ron Yuan as Ratboy/Dr. Afro
    * Alan Cumming as Sorrell
    * James Sie as Ming
    I don’t know about you guys, but I’m a HUGE Malcolm McDowell fan. If Eliza Dushku gives Rubi the “Faith” vibe from Buffy then I’ll be more than satisfied with her casting. I have enjoyed a lot of Cummings’ films and assorted Cummings’ products. If you don’t know about that…get on the info train and check it out!


    Nevertheless, I left it to Ninjasistah (who by DNA is my actual sister) to play it up and I left my speculation up to the hoards of the gamerdom that weekend. I assumed that fate would step in to give me a more intimate time with the newly anticipated Bethesda/Artificial Mind and Motion creation. Several months passed and the voices of the gamer community did not seem to be in support of this game. Surprising? I think not. From the community of people who do not create, we do what we can by judging…and judging harshly. Still, I waited for the playable demo to hit my respective console in hopes that I would find some enjoyment, where the masses had not.

    Needless to say, after playing the WET demo, I did not rage quit and punch puppies in their faces. I sat there, controller in hand…and felt nothing. Was something wrong with my gamer pleasure receptors? Had I had a minor stroke and lost several moments of my life? Nothing was wrong with the game, It is just…something was missing…or wasn’t settling in.

    Now I know in a demo they don’t want to give you much story, because they are essentially charging us money for the story. However in the case of something like this, I feel it is necessary to give us something. In the end, what they decided to give us was a brunette clone of “The Bride” from Kill Bill, a dash of Quentin Tarantino with an ability that recreates the famous Crazy 88 black and white fight (however in WET it’s Black, White and Red) and a filter that…over exaggerates the first two things I mentioned. If Bethesda really wanted to keep the purity of the movie series in terms of style they wouldn’t have included a filter that made it look like an actual movie. They would have left the game universe as it was.

    Let me touch on the game play. From the demo I felt Rubi moved a little too slow. Now I’m aware that the aesthetics of this game is the main focal point. It isn’t a matter of killing all the enemies; it’s how cool Rubi looks while doing it! Who’s against slow motion power sliding armed with identical guns of badassery? I know I’m not. Then again…how thrilling is it to do the same maneuver eight times in a row? Yeah not nearly as cool.

    In my opinion, the demo should have played Rubi up at her best, fully powered up, so we could see a rapid chain of stylish ass kicking while taking names. I am more than certain that because of this unpolished demo, that the numbers from purchasing this game will be lower than anticipated.

    As it is right now, the game has been out for five days. It was released on September 15, 2009. So…did WET make me wet? Nope, not even moist I’m afraid. Try again?

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    Monday Freshness For You

    posted @ 9/21/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Start of a new week means it's time for a new episode of the ElectricSistaHood podcast, and in this episode NinjaSistah and Pandalicious talk games, gadgets, and cosplay.

    The gals kick off the episode by answering a question submitted by audience member KevinCrave about costly options for Halloween, hot now demo's for the Xbox 360 and PS3 Wet and Brutal Legend and what first impressions they were left with, and some giveaway goodness that is going on this week and next.

    Both the Need For Speed/EA folks and Inspired Instruments have some great things popping off this week. NFS is running a mission based deal from 12:00am PST on the 21st of September to the 25th of September until 11:59pm where they will be giving away a bunch of NFS: Shift goodies. Oh yeah, and a beemer. Inspired Instruments will cut you a $10 break for every friend you refer that buys a You Rock Guitar from them. Gear and goodies, gotta love it right?

    For a better picture of the episode, here are some of the titles we came up with, but didn't use:
    • Buy Our Magazine and Get a +5 to Purity
    • Inside: Girls Talking About Getting Wet
    • Every Roadie Is Named Eddie
    • "Jack the Bus" Shouldn't Mean Actually Jacking a Bus
    • Need For Speed Needs to Satisfy My Need For Car
    • Panda Hokey? That Pretty Much Describes It
    • and finally
    • I'll Be Broke For Christmas

    We enjoyed recording this episode a bunch, so enjoy the fruits of our labor and kick it with ElectricSistaHood podcast episode 164: When In Doubt, ALWAYS Go Awesome!

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    Finish what you start...

    Human After All

    posted @ 9/14/2009 11:11:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    When it comes to music simulation games I make no bones about the fact that I am quite biased towards them. For me, they are the rare type of game that can be competitive or non-competitive at a moments notice. As a creative type person with friends on both sides of the "avid gamer" fence, this is an important quality for a game to have.

    Last week I was woo'd by the MTV Games/Harmonix title The Beatles: Rock Band. This week, Activision's DJ Hero has my direct attention.

    This gear-shift does not mean that Beatles Rock Band and I broke up, just that we are not dating exclusively. DJ also looks like a fine lady to hang out with and with good reason. When the title launches on October 27th, Activision boasts a whopping 93 songs on disc will be playable, including a bunch of megamixes for the player to enjoy. While this may seem a bit "old hat" to you, the kicker for me today was that camp DJ announced tracks from Daft Punk would be in the game.

    The mixes available include:
    • "Around the World" vs. Young MC "Bust A Move"
    • "Da Funk" vs. NASA "Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB and Fatlip"
    • "Da Funk" vs. Queen "Another One Bites the Dust"
    • "Robot Rock" vs. Hashim "Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)" – Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts
    • "Robot Rock" vs. Queen "We Will Rock You"
    • "Short Circuit" vs. Boogie Down Productions "Jack Of Spades"
    • "Technologic" vs. Gary Numan "Cars"
    • "Television Rules The Nation" vs. No Doubt "Hella Good"

    If you listened to this weeks' podcast episode already, you know that I was not quite yet sold on purchasing this game, that has now changed. I love Daft Punk. Whenever I am in the middle of a day full of suckitude, Alive 2007 brings me back to being me; fun-loving and not chock-full suck. As much as I enjoy the music that artists like Jay-Z, Eminem, the Gorillaz and Rick James, I was a bit worried when I looked at the initial revealed artist list for tracks in the game. But as more and more video's started to hit the web showing off various folks giving the wheels of plastic a spin I became less and less anxious. Now I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this title.

    Make sure you make a visit to the DJ Hero site and check out what is going down October 27th, and while you are checking things out, peep our new image gallery including some DJ Hero images with more to come soon.

    Who knows, maybe I will have a hands-on review of the game and controller for you soon.

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    Podcasts With Punch

    posted @ 8/31/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    We aren't talking punch and pie, we are talking uppercuts and decks to the face in this episode of the podcast. I should clarify that statement. Pandalicious is talking uppercuts and face decking, NinJaSistah mostly just tries to stay out of the way.

    In this episode of the podcast Pandalicious lays bare her tale of woe concerning the temporary loss of her XBox Live account, and how the lack of connecting is affecting her life. From the bounce around treatment of customer care reps on both the XBox Live email and phone support, and quick response from the Windows Live ID groups to the soon-to-be-catch-phrase-of-the-end-of-summer, "...and then you get punched in the face!" Calling her segment a rant doesn't do it justice.

    Bringing a little bit of tranquillity back to the show, NinJaSistah adds some gadget/peripheral stuff to the mix like Ion Audio's new $199 DrumRocker Core Rock Band kit as well as some info on the new Star Wars comics coming to an iTunes store [and Dark Horse hopes] and iPod/iPhone near you. Capping off the hour is a bit on the Square Enix PSP title Final Fantasy Dissidia and a heads up for your PAX attendees on a Tekken 6 tournament for prizes that you should jump on.

    Want a better picture of what the episode is like? Here are the titles we didn't use:
    • From Now On, It's Panda-Phish-Us
    • LadyESH Is Secure in Her Chastity Belt
    • If Xbox Live Doesn't Get Their Act Together, They're Going to Be Xbox Dead
    • Remember What Happened to Bambi's Mom? That's What This Is Like
    • Something Like Tis Could Drive Someone Back to the Loving Arms of WoW
    • Screw Criminal Justice -- I'm Switching to Victim Justice
    • Perhaps the Perpetrator Was Someone From Sony
    • On CSI Miami, This Case Would Have Been Solved in 45 Minutes
    • Something's Rising at PAX Yeast
    • Don't Drive and DS
    • Hello Kitty's Already Doin' It
    • and finally...
    • I've Resorted to Playing My Wii -- and That's Not Gaming At All

    So kick back and enjoy, Episode 161: There's a Lot of Facial Violence in This Episode

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    The Dark Knight is back!

    posted @ 8/28/2009 08:03:00 PM by FreeLoader


    If you’ve ever played a Batman game before, then you may have just chosen to pass on Batman: Arkham Asylum. I’m here to help you realize exactly how big of a mistake that is. Little known company, Rocksteady Studios has a real hit in this new title, and you’ll regret not playing this game.

    I don’t even know where to start with this game. The amazing graphics? The impeccable voice acting? The extreme attention to detail? Or perhaps the innovative, smooth-flowing gameplay? It’s all just so good. Let’s begin with the engine, the game runs the Unreal engine – that just screams quality right there – and as such most everyone is buff to the max. Yes, even Commissioner Gordon. But it works for the set-up this game has. And the detail, oh the detail.

    Batman’s suit alone has an incredible amount. From the seams that hold it together, to the sound water makes when it hits your cowl and cape. As you progress through the game the suit and cape begin taking damage, tatters and slashes appear, showing how dangerous the situation is. Speaking of the cape, fans will be ecstatic to know that the developers spent so much time on the Dark Knight’s all-purpose fashion choice that they said it was basically treated as a character on its own. It shows too, most games with capes don’t pay any attention to cape details. As such, body parts and structures in the environment will all go through the cape as if it weren’t there. This causes the game to look unpolished and really detracts from the overall experience.

    Well down at Rocksteady, they realized how important the cape is to the Caped Crusader. So when you’re gliding with your cape and a wall comes up on your side, rather than disappearing into said wall, your cape will fold in to avoid hitting it. The cape is longer than Batman is, and this is represented by the cape folding onto the ground. Truly, the amount of detail place in just the cape speaks to how much this company wanted to get every detail down, so as to not upset any long time fans.

    You’d be hard pressed to find a better storyline too. The Joker has taken complete control of Arkham Asylum and has trapped you, Batman, inside it, as well as everyone who works there. Among the villains locked up in Arkham when Joker’s plan goes down are: Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Mr. Zsasz and Bane. All of which you should be ready to encounter in the worst way possible. And don’t forget the guest appearances and the huge amount of nods to other Batman villains. Riddler has challenges set up all across the island and when you find one that corresponds to a certain villain, it unlocks a bio for that villain. There were bios for villains I had never even heard of before (who the hell is Calendar Man?).

    To add to the great story, the voice actors in this game will please any Batman fans. Kevin Conroy is the most memorable Batman voice in the history of the franchise, but even more memorable than his Batman, is Mark Hamill’s Joker. Hearing these two voices face off against each other really adds just so much for fans of the old cartoon like me. I still say Mark Hamill should go down as the best Joker of all time. Fanboyism aside, the voices are great, and every minor character is fully voiced too which adds a cinematic feel to the entire game.

    Unfortunately you can’t expect more than 20 hours of gameplay if you know what you’re doing from the get go. In three days I have fully beaten the game on normal and have all the Riddler challenges found. For most of you this will be a rental, but for diehard Batman fans I will state that this game is a must own. A completely original story with a large cast of characters – this game feels a lot like a straight to DVD Batman movie, except you play it. I know I will replay this story many more times; I just can’t get enough of the CG movies and the conflict of Batman vs. some of his most powerful villains that seem to jump right off the screen. If the story mode isn’t enough to keep your attention, the challenge rooms surely are.

    The challenge rooms are the perfect place to showcase the gameplay of this title. There are fight rooms and “silent predator” rooms. Fight rooms showcase the beautiful combat of this game by pitting you against 4 rounds of enemies, increasing in difficulty for each round. Enemies range from your basic thugs, to knife-wielding inmates, stun rod toting baddies, titan-infected henchmen and even Zsasz. Now I’ll admit, I thought that the game’s combat system was going to get really old, really fast. I was wrong. Everything is so fluid, you take out thugs the way Batman should, with a variety of powerful attacks, throws and takedowns. Combat is only half the fun though; you can’t truly be Batman unless you prey on your enemies from the shadows.

    With detective vision giving you a layout of the room and the locations of all armed thugs, you use all your gadgets to move around the room silently and take out baddies one by one. As you dwindle their numbers some enemies get smart and pair up, while others become scared for their lives, shooting anything that makes noise and making them easy to pick off. Batman preys on his enemies’ fear of him, and predator mode really brings this aspect of the Dark Knight to life.

    So while fighting your basic thug is fun, the boss battles are severely lacking. Some of the biggest enemies are the easiest to beat, and the only fight that even remotely seems like a boss battle is the one against Poison Ivy (though the Scarecrow fights are very cool, and a total mind freak). Even the final battle with the Joker ends up being a bit anti-climactic, though the final hit will forever go down in my mind as epic. But I guess that’s how it is with Batman, whether you’re a petty henchmen or an 11-foot crocodile-humanoid, you’ll be going down with relative ease.

    As a PS3 owner, I was able to try out the Joker challenge maps. Basically you play as Joker on the normal versions of all of Batman’s challenge maps. Now I was looking forward to this, but you basically play just like Batman but with less gadgets and funnier takedowns. I will admit that it’s not a total loss. I do like the Joker mode, and it adds a new element of strategy to the predator maps since you cannot disappear into the shadows with your grappling hook. But honestly, it could have just as easily not been included; it doesn’t make the game by any means.

    The music is cool too, remixes of classic Batman tunes, and some catchy ones at that. The music fits with the eerie architecture of the asylum, and adds to the spooky mood of being locked in a box with all your worst enemies.

    I’ve got to give Batman: Arkham Asylum a 9/10. The only thing that could have made it a full 10 would be better boss battles, a few more of Batman’s sleek gadgets and some type of multiplayer would have been awesome – Batman/Nightwing co-op mode? A gamer can dream. This may only be Rocksteady Studios second game ever, but you can bet that I’ll be keeping a close eye on this company, because I see good things in their future. So long as they don’t try to force out a sequel.

    Written by: Bramimond

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    "ESH"ACKED

    posted @ 8/27/2009 02:12:00 PM by Pandalicious

    BEWARE 360 owners...we are under attack!


    "PANDA"LERT "PANDA"LERT Yesterday at about 8:20pm EST My XBL [Xbox Live] account got hacked. Not once did I ever think this was possible but, like always I was wrong. I am taking this time out to warn you of the threat that this poses.

    This XBL msg only activates if someone on your Friends' List falls prey to it. The msg you get says "Go here to get 1600 MS points! It works and msg me if it doesn't!" [I'm paraphasing mind you...] next it shows a site that is..get1600mspoints4free.t35.com. If you type this in, it redirects you to a page that is identical to the XBOX log in page. If you...at this point type in your information you are screwed! that is right screwed! It will take your password, lock you out of your Windows Live ID and if your credit card/debit card is attached to it, well cancel those cards because you are....in serious danger! At that point this hack spams all your friends on your list with the same lethal message but with your Gamertag.

    This scam preys on your creditability and is a travesty! Do not look for a quick fix from Microsoft either. In order for them to fix the solution they will of course establish your identity to you....which apparently takes several days to do. On the sad side of this for the most part they can offer you to rename your Gamertag. You will lose your friends list and whatever MSpoints you had before the swipe. Hopefully your Gamerscore and achievements will be in tact....[When my salvation comes I will be able to confirm all this to you all]

    So as a final warning please! PLEASE if you respect what I do here, if you get this kind of message just DELETE it. You'll be happier you listened to me....

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    Let me take U 4 A Ryde

    posted @ 8/24/2009 04:47:00 PM by FreeLoader


    Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is back and cheaper than ever. Hardcore fans of the series will be excited to know that this hundred dollar game can now be obtained for the paltry price of only $14.99. But what about those of us that only played the game once or twice back when it was hot?

    It may be remembered as one of the most unbalanced fighters in history, but that doesn’t stop people from loving Marvel vs. Capcom 2. With its huge roster of characters from all the Capcom games we love, and plenty of X-Men and other Marvel Universe characters to choose from, the game certainly has someone for everyone to enjoy playing as. That is, as long as they enjoy losing every battle.

    It’s unfortunate, but unless you’re playing as Cable, Magneto, Sentinel or Storm, you’re probably losing 80% of your online matches. That’s because certain characters have a huge advantage over the rest, whether it’s the overwhelming power of Sentinel, the avoidance of Storm, or the options of Magneto, they are all in a tier of their own. It certainly makes life hard for us Jill players, and if you like the Street Fighter crew, then this game is not for you.

    But that’s not to say you shouldn’t get the game. I mean, it was worth $100 for a reason. If you do most of your playing offline and at a low level of play, then basically any character combination can win matches. The thing about going online is that you’ll be facing all those 9 year vets of the game that can catch you in infinites and gigantic combos. But if it’s just you and a few friends using basic combos and playing for fun, then it’s still a worthwhile buy.

    The game is a port of the Dreamcast version which is widely recognized as the best version of the game. Visuals flow smoothly and the new graphic enhancements are crisp. Of course there’s the option to make the graphics that of the original, for those of you that lust after nostalgia. Speaking of which, the game sports that same soundtrack that we all know and hate. Fret not however! The game allows you to listen your own custom soundtrack while playing, assuming you’re not in an online game that has mics turned on.

    At any rate, the online is a great addition, and makes the game worthwhile for vets, but it also allows casual players to play online with their friends. And I’m sure no one is complaining about having more trophies and achievements to add to their collection. Though it confuses me as to why the Avenger’s trophy is worth more points than the other trophies/achievements that are essentially the same challenge with different characters. I mean, it even allows you to use Iron Man’s PROTON CANNON FTW. But I digress.

    For only fifteen bucks, the game is a steal, but don’t expect to become the best on the leader boards unless you know how to use the top tier characters. That won’t stop me from perfecting my Guile/Jill/Captain America team! But I also tend to keep it pretty casual for fighters.

    Written by: Bramimond

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    Inglourious Podcast

    posted @ 8/24/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Oh yeah! It's the beginning of the week, so you know we have to hit you with a new episode of the podcast right?

    In this episode of the podcast, Pandalicious kicks the show off with what she took away from the new Tarantino flick "Inglourious Basterds," followed by some open conversation about the Rock Band support for the Lips wireless microphones as well as the new PS3 slim. Then we back the conversation up to games and NinJa jumps in with quick reactions to both Live Arcade titles Trials HD and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled.

    To give you an idea of what this episode is like, here are some of the titles we didn't use:
    • It's Not a Spoiler Alert If You Spoil It Before the Alert
    • It's Got T.I.T. Right In the Middle
    • Canada Isn't a Religion
    • Don't Waste Your Microsoft Points -- You're Going to Need Them
    • The PS3 Slim Is No McLovin
    • and finally,
    • The Only Girls On the Internet Asking for Stalkers

    Listen to this week's podcast episode: Episode 160: I Fought Physics and Physics Won. Then get started on Assignment Avatar!

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    I Hear Noobs Getting Fragged

    posted @ 8/11/2009 09:15:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    In the race to be your XB360 headset of choice, the folks over at Turtle Beach today announced the Ear Force X41 wireless headset, and it looks like it's no joke.

    I had the chance to visit Turtle Beach's booth while at E3 this year [along with Trition and Razer which both compete with Turtle Beach in the high-end gaming headset market] and was pretty impressed with the headsets I was able to try. The Ear Force X41 headset is a wireless over the ear headset with boom mic made specifically for the the XBox 360 system which boasts Dolby 7.1 channel surround sound capability.

    At E3, the peripheral guys were nearly as bogged down as the software developers, but while trying out the different headsets one question kept constantly popping into my head, "What is the real benefit with these headsets?"

    Sure, with any of the headsets I tried the sound was always clear, the explosions seemed to have more bass to them than any headset I currently use with my consoles and PC rig, but was it enough of a difference to justify the $129 or in some cases $199 price tag that came along for the ride? The jury is still out on this one as ten minutes with a headset is not enough time to form much of an opinion, but I'm working on some hands on time with some of these headsets and will be featuring my final thoughts during our August 31st "Cool for back to School" podcast.

    Be on the listen. Until then, make sure to check out the Turtle Beach site and peep the deets on their new Ear Force X41 headset.

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    Extra Bastard Aboard

    posted @ 8/10/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    This Monday, we have a special new episode of the ESH podcast. In this episode we welcome our very own King Baby Duck to the hosting chair to talk a bit about his new team project, The Boston Bastard Brigade, among other things.

    Those other things include EA's The SIMS 3, the new Gears of War 2 DLC, and some knee jerk reactions to the Batman: Arkham Asylum demo available via both the XBox Marketplace and the PSN store. Pandalicious even chimes in with her impressions of the new Xbox experience preview including the Avatar Store, Netflix parties, and even some games on demand stuffs.

    We are chock full of laughs, tangents, and maybe a Naruto dig or two. To give you an idea of what this show is like, here are some of the titles we didn't use for this episode:
    • What Did Cake Ever Do To Her?
    • I'm Gonna Touch It - No, I'm Not
    • Perhaps That's Why They Call it Project Natal
    • The Naruto Door Is Marked "Exit"
    • This Is a Warning For All Aspiring Spinal Tap Drummers
    • Your SIM Oughta Check Out That Julia Child Movie
    • Pana Will Work - For Microsoft Points
    • Avatar Marketplace - Isn't That What Started the Civil War?
    • and finally
    • Here's One Case Where Shrinkage Is Good

    So kick back, relax and enjoy Electric Sista Hood Podcast Episode 158: God of War Is Not Proper Sex Education

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    Rock Band DLC Update: Spinal Tap

    posted @ 7/31/2009 01:47:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Oh baby, am I glad about this! The first time I played a Tap song in Guitar Hero I kept praying that someone would add more stuff from Spinal Tap to their line up, and evidently the group over at Harmonix heard my silent cries.

    Now, if you are down with the living room rock star lifestyle you already know that some of the Tap songs from the "Back From the Dead" album are available in the Rock Band Music Store. That's cool and all, but in all honesty, the three songs, "Back from the Dead," "Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare" and "Warmer Than Hell" are not the songs that Tap is well known for. On August 4th, a slew of Tap songs we all know and love will be available for purchase in the RB Music Store... let the tiny rocker inside you rawr with joy! I'm including the list below so you [like me] can salivate over it between now and the drop date.
    • (Funky) Sex Farm
    • (Listen to the) Flower People (Reggae Stylee)
    • America
    • Big Bottom
    • Cups and Cakes
    • Gimme Some Money
    • Heavy Duty
    • Hell Hole
    • Rock ‘n’ Roll Creation
    • Stonehenge
    • and of course
    • Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight

    Fake axes at the ready folks, your summer living room concerts are about to get a lot louder!

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    The Battlefield Will Never Look the Same

    posted @ 7/27/2009 02:41:00 PM by FreeLoader
    With the destructible environments in EA’s Battlefield 1943, it really won’t. You may even find that some matches end up being fought out in craters that used to be islands.

    Battlefield 1943 takes you into the Pacific during World War II (and as far as video games are concerned, were there really any other wars in history?). You play as either the American or Japanese Navies and fight for control of the five capture points on each of the three maps (there’s a third bonus map but I’ll get to that later). As long as your team controls the majority of the capture points, the team health gauge of the other team will steadily reduce. It also reduces every time someone respawns, so obviously the more kills your team has, the less health the other team has.

    You have a choice between three different classes, the Scout (sniper rifle, satchel charges, pistol), Infantryman (SMG, recoilless rifle), or Rifleman (rifle, rifle grenades). Everything is unlimited, from bullets to grenades, with explosive weapons having a timer to refill once the last one you carry is used. In addition, at anytime during the battle you can change classes as long as someone of a different class dies nearby. So instead of picking up a downed soldier’s Thompson, you pick everything from his recoilless rifle to his wrench for repairing vehicles (and knocking enemies over the head with).

    I haven’t played a shooter where I could destroy nearly everything on the map for a long time. Battlefield 1943 provides that in a big way. Did your target just run into a building to hide from you while he reloads? Blow a hole in the wall with your rifle grenade and keep on shooting him. Of course the entire environments are not destructible, structures such as pillboxes, towers, and aircraft carriers will take little to no aesthetic damage. Still, I love the feeling of throwing a grenade into a wooded area and watching the trees fall around it. And the sheer devastation that results from calling in a bombing run will leave the ground burnt completely black.

    There have been some server issues where it becomes impossible to join games because there are too many people online, more on the 360 version than the PS3 version, but that is because EA did not expect there to be such a high demand for the game. These problems have and will continue to get better as more server space is provided. The game plays great, ignoring some graphical issues like people turning into a black box for a split second. If you can tune out the graphical glitches (and they are minor) then there’s really nothing wrong with the graphics in this game. One thing that’s off to me is that the people seem small. Especially when sniping, it’s like I’m trying to headshot ants. This is somewhat corrected by the addition of little triangles that appear over an enemy’s head if it has been seen or hit. But still, I feel like the proportions are wrong, and I for one can’t hit a thing from the air.

    Plane controls are hard to pick up, but easy to master, once you know what you’re doing. You’re provided with a radar-type HUD in first person view that locates enemy planes. This is especially helpful on the bonus map that both consoles have now unlocked: Coral Sea. It’s an all out air battle, and if you leave your plane, you respawn, and no points can be earned in the enemy base (which means no parachuting onto enemy aircraft carriers and sabotaging planes). The map is nice and all, but if you play enough of it you’ll notice something interesting. The Japanese Imperial Navy wins 90% of all matches. I thought it was odd after a while that no matter which team I was on, it was always the Zeros ruling the skies and not the corsairs. In fact the only match I ever won from the US side was a 4-on-4 (as opposed to the max of 12-on-12) and our pilots were clearly more skilled judging from the scores.

    I decided to delve into why that was and realized that the American Corsairs are extremely slow when compared to the Japanese Zeros. Granted that the fire from the Corsairs is more powerful and focused, but it does not make up for the sheer lack of maneuverability that the Zeros seem to have inherently. The Zero’s guns are more spaced out as well, allowing for a wider range of fire, whereas the focused fire of the corsairs needs to be dead-on its target. I hope that EA will come out with a balancing patch for this, as it makes the map far less fun. People will quit games just because they are not on the side with the better planes, which ends up giving the Imperial Navy even more advantage, because they now outnumber the other side.

    Another issue I had with Battlefield 1943 was that I had been looking for a First Person Shooter game that I could play with my friends on the PSN. This is not that game. Not yet at any rate. Trying to join a game with a friend is tough, but the game allows for you to make a squad beforehand, and then jump into a game. This is all fine and dandy for the first match (sometimes). But by the time the second map loads, you will have lost all contact with your friends. You might still be in the same squad as them – and I emphasize might – but you will most likely not be able to hear them and vice versa. I have even had it happen that after the third or so game my friends are on the OPPOSITE team. Now I don’t invite my friends to games just so I can shoot them. I wanted an organized squad that I could communicate with and form strategies with, but the lack of functional voice chat makes that impossible. It is a real detriment to an otherwise fun game, and I can only hope that an outcry by the fans will cause EA to release an update that will fix it.

    Oh, and aiming in vehicles is way off in third-person view. This might be on purpose however, to balance the use of tanks and such on the battlefield, because once I learned to switch from third-person for travelling to first-person for shooting, I was getting a lot more tank kills than before. But I guess that isn’t really a huge issue.

    All in all, for $15.00 Battlefield 1943 is a functional World War II shooter. The ground maps are very balanced, the variety of vehicles is awesome, and the destructible environments keep game play new and exciting. I hope that in the future we will get more new maps, but I for one will not pay a dime for them. Especially not after the catastrophe that is the voice chat of this game.

    Written by: Bramimond

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    And Lo, The Planets Align...

    posted @ 7/27/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    No joking here folks, the heavens themselves moved in order to get Milk-chan from Ultimate Quest on this week's new podcast episode.

    Once more, the ladies run this thang and it's funny as hell.

    Pandalicious kicks the show off with her impressions of the XBLive community game 1 vs. 100 game and then Milk and NinJa chime in with some comic-con stuff which leads us down the path to COSplay. In case you didn't know, all roads lead to COSplay... and Zelda. Milk chairs the topic of Twilight Princess and adds the fun of Majora's Mask multiplayer.

    We let the COSplay get the best of us, but NinJaSistah ends the tangent line by bringing it back to gaming and talking a bit about the upcoming NXE updates due to hit the Xbox dashboard this August, including the upcoming Avatar Marketplace and Netflix Parties. This podcast is chock full of awesome folks, so sit back and enjoy it!

    It's coffee and funcakes time again, so kick back and enjoy Electric Sista Hood podcast 156: Drinking Helps Unity - And It's Also Where Babies Come From

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    Destination: The Beatles: RockBand

    posted @ 7/21/2009 01:25:00 PM by Pandalicious



    New additions to The Beatles: Rock Band game announced!
    As you know the ladies here at ESH have been clamoring over the anticipated 2009 release of The Beatles: Rock Band. So it is pointless to mention that as soon as new news reaches either of our ears, that we would want to bring it to the forefront for all of you out there who come and pay us a visit.

    Now I have to admit, that my awareness about the profound sound of The Beatles didn’t truly hit until the release of a movie “Across the Universe”. Which in my opinion gave an overly simplistic story to songs that inspired countless people during that particular time in history. It was seriously downplayed but still enjoyable to fans and non-fans alike.

    So here is the list of the new songs that will be made available in the game. Along with the tracks are the venues in which you’ll be able to play them in game.

    · Twist And Shout / Cavern Club
    · Do You Want To Know A Secret / Cavern Club
    · Can't Buy Me Love / Ed Sullivan Theater
    · I Wanna Be Your Man / Ed Sullivan Theater
    · Eight Days A Week / Shea Stadium
    · Paperback Writer / Budokan
    · And Your Bird Can Sing / Budokan
    · Yellow Submarine / Abbey Road Dreamscape
    · Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band* / Abbey Road Dreamscape
    · With a Little Help from My Friends* / Abbey Road Dreamscape
    · Within You Without You / Tomorrow Never Knows / Abbey Road Dreamscape
    · Revolution / Abbey Road Dreamscape
    · Birthday / Abbey Road Dreamscape
    · Dig A Pony / Rooftop Concert
    · I've Got A Feeling / Rooftop Concert


    So if you haven't been as excited about this game release before this news, you'll have more to look forward to now! :)

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    Ethnic Slurs, Dropped Balls, et al.

    posted @ 7/13/2009 12:34:00 AM by evermore
    Things always seem to run right off the tracks when the Sistahs are joined by a guest, and there's no exception to that in this week's podcast. The girls are joined by Alphabox of Dead Pixel Live -- and you've got to hear it to believe it.

    Panda enthuses about Prototype, Alpha takes off on Battlezone and Ninja relates her pleasure with the Xbox 360 game show 1 vs. 100. And there are ethnic slurs and a pre-show discussion on balls that's guaranteed to bring on a giggle or two.

    Want more proof? Here are the titles that we rejected for this week's show:

    If Only the Game Was Like the Box

    Would Zombie Sims Be Zims?

    Short? Like Gherkin Short?

    Seeking Nice Looking Guy With Lightning

    Panda's Boyfriends -- All of Them -- Should Avoid This Episode

    Hitler Got Close to Unlocking Everything

    Perhaps It Should Be Called a First-Person Walker

    The Pan Pacific Region Is Not a Pizza

    Anyone Who's Played Mass Effect Should Know What the M Stands For

    And You'll Be Leaving With the Home Version of Our Game -- Oh -- You're Already Home

    Here's a Collector's Item You'll Want to Throw Away


    Be sure to stay on for the bitter end as the Sistahs bring you Electric Sista Hood podcast episode 154: 1 Vs. 100 Is a Real Buzz Kill.

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    Fun With Audio: The Next Round

    posted @ 7/06/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    The gals took the weekend off and left Evermore to his own devices [meaning Adobe SoundBooth and Final Cut Pro] to Frankenstein together another one of his infamous ESH clip shows!

    There is music, there are interviews from some of our E3 booth stops, and maybe even a nugget or two of fun. From Warner Bros. Batman: Arkham Asylum to my Beatles: RockBandinterview with Creative Director Josh Randall. from Harmonix and more. [Can you say Heavy Rain walkthrough? What about Ratchet and Clank: walkthrough.]

    You'll find the last remnants of our LA time in this one, so sit back, relax and enjoy Electric Sista Hood podcast episode 153: The Last Word From E3 (We Promise!)

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    Mmmm, It's a Podcast Episode

    posted @ 6/29/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah

    In this episode of the Electric Sista Hood podcast Ninjasistah kicks off the episode chatting about the anime series Eden of the East and then we try to get serious.

    We tried.While we do our best to keep it on the PG, Pandalicious starts a rant on achievement whoring which turns into an achievement glutton VS achievement whore definition debate that ends up running into a tangent of it's own. When we get back on schedule she talks about her new found love of completing games including the Ubisoft title Assassins' Creed and what we are looking forward to in the next installment of the game. Then Ninjasistah comes back with some bits about industry mergers and acquisitions with the announcement of the Tecmo Koei merger on the heals of the ZeniMax Media id Software.

    It's another fun podcast in the can so sit back and prepare to enjoy ESH podcast episode 152: A Romp in the Hay Should Be Fun

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    Mmm, Podcast Goodness

    posted @ 6/15/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Once again, Monday brings with it a new episode of the Electric Sista Hood podcast, and in this one I think we finally put the nail in the post E3 wrap-up content.

    Pandalicious and Ninjasistah talk about some of the lesser known or presented games like Warner Bros. Scribblenauts for the DS and a few titles from Playlogic including Section 8 Who had the best looking man candy by far. From Alpha Protocol to The Lord of the Rings: Arrogorns' Tale we talk through the last bits of our E3 notes... until we finish unpacking that is.

    So kick back, relax, and enjoy ESH podcast episode 150: The Brownies Were Mad Crazy Delicious

    p.s. more photo galleries to come, so be sure to check out the website this week often.

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    Another E3 in the Can

    posted @ 6/08/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah


    We aren't dead, but our feet [and brains] are dead tired from traipsing around the LA Convention Center last week to cover E3 for you guys. [And if I'm honest, for ourselves as well.] I couldn't tell you how much both Pandalicious and I enjoyed our time in LA. First there was the catching up with the rest of the AllGames fam, followed closely by the meeting and greeting of new gamer-type press groups and the exchange of thoughts and ideas over free drinks. [Crix Lee from GirlGamer, Destructoids' Nick Chester, and Mr. Crecente himself from Kotaku to name drop a few.] The side-story fun stuff aside, we descended on LA for a reason and that reason was to get the low down on the soon to be released and up-and-coming video games.

    I won't bore you with a list of what we looked at, and whom we spoke to now as it wouldn't leave us anything to write for the rest of the week. What I will do is tell you that this podcast was one of our more enjoyable ones to record. We recorded it live from the show floor and Crix Lee popped by during our The Beatles: RockBand time and shared some great insights with us. A few people were wow'd by my laptop skin [courtesy of DecalGirl] and interrupted us a bit so you may notice that in here as well, but we had a lot to talk about... Bayonetta, Scribblenaughts, Prototype, and Batman: Arkham Asylum come to mind as I write this.

    From the stronger female presence both physically and pixel-y at this years' show to media briefing impressions and being excluded from demos we talk about it all. Grab your beverage of choice and put on your headphones, it's time to enjoy Electric Sista Hood podcast 149: While My Pocketbook Gently Weeps

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    New Podcast Episode For Ya

    posted @ 6/01/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah

    Right before we head off to LA we cooked up a fresh new podcast episode for you to enjoy while we sleep on planes.

    In this episode of the podcast hosts NinJaSistah and Pandalicious talk about what they hope to see, learn, and play at E3 this year as well as deal a bit gossip out for your enjoyment. From the confirmed PSP GO to discussing some of the many ways Harmonix/MTV Games will be storing all the money they are stand to make with The Beatles: RockBand we leave no gaming cranny uncovered.

    Then we cap it all off with our first reactions to the upcoming hand-drawn Disney feature length animated film, "The Frog Princes," which features a nearly all black cast of characters. There's a lot of energy and a lot to enjoy in ESH podcast episode 148: A Disney Movie With Black People? Well, Zippity-Do-Dah

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    Microsoft Announces Cheater Branding

    posted @ 5/18/2009 09:21:00 AM by Douceswild


    Microsoft is not taking Xbox Live cheating lightly. If you're one of those who has done something underhanded to juice up you Gamerscore, then prepare to publicly wear the mark of shame.

    Stephen Toulouse, XBL Policy and Enforecement official says that besides dropping the Gamerscore of cheaters to zero, they're also marking their Gamercards as cheaters so everyone will know you're a dishonest gamer.

    "It also puts a tag that you've been caught cheating on your Gamercard. That's a pretty big Scarlet Letter.", says Stephen.

    So, I guess cheaters have an important decision to make. Is a few extra gamer points worth a permanent cheater brand?

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    Time For More Randomness

    posted @ 5/18/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah

    Got a piping hot fresh episode of our humble little podcast for your listening pleasure, hit the jump to learn more.

    Xenocore from Ultimate Quest joins us on the mic to talk a bit about anime series that drop some knowledge or substantial amount of reality on the viewer as well as those that don't. [yeah Overman King Gainer, I'm looking at you!]Pandalicious chimes in with her opinions on the Nintendo DSi title Rhythm Heaven and how it can be productive while addictive at the same time, and then there is NinJaSistah.

    Riding a crazy wave of dual Mt. Dew regular and Mt. Dew Throwback Ninja is all over the place in the episode [causing a lot to be cut out, by the way] and yet somehow manages to get on topic chatting about Sony's recent fiscal earnings announcement and how it may affect creativity and individuality throughout the industry.

    When you take a gander at some of the titles we didn't use for this episode, you understand why you have to listen to it. We passed on things like:
    • The Many Degrees of Layitude
    • I Manga Like a MoFo
    • Longer, Better, Faster, Harder - Normally, Panda Wouldn't Mind That
    • and finally
    • Don't Shake the Bejesus - He Bedoesn't Like That

    Kick back and grab your morning dose of wake up juice and enjoy ElectricSistaHood podcast episode #146: I Went Through All 26 Episodes So You Don't Have Too

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    Harmonix Will Be Getting Even More of My Money

    posted @ 5/05/2009 05:14:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    As if announcing a Beatles Rock Band game with a full scale Höfner bass controller wasn't enough for Harmonix today I get a press release talking about the new Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet guitars that will be available for The Beatles: RockBand game dropping on 9/9/09.

    If you are a massive Beatles fan [like most of us here in the land of ESH] you know that the Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet guitars are widely considered the signature guitars that Lennon and Harrison used during their careers respectively. Each guitar will be available for $99.99 here in the US.

    Not sure you want to pony up $250 for the kit [with the Höfner bass, Ludwig branded drums, mic and mic-stand] plus $200 for these guitars? I thought the same thing as I started reading the press release. Then I saw a picture of the guitars and I changed my tune immediately.

    I think you'll agree.

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    Podcast Awesomeness

    posted @ 5/04/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah

    It's time to enjoy another new ESH podcast episode folks, and this one stays fairly well focused which is a bit out of the norm for us.

    Pandalicious and NinJaSistah go on and on and on for a bit about the state and future of handheld gaming thanks to Furian09's submitted question as well as the upcoming PS3 title Katamari Forever, Magna Carta 2 on the XBox 360, this weeks new Rock Band DLC, and the anime series Hetalia.

    From Pandalicious' tales of the weird and wacky world of Hetalia to NinJaSistah's Mt. Dew fueled awkwardness throughout the hour, this episode of the podcast is a great way to kick off year 3 of the ElectricSistaHood show. So grab your warm and or frosty beverage of choice and enjoy ESH podcast episode 144: It Might Not Be the Best, But It's the Bessssssst

    Oh yeah, make sure you stop by the site and check out the new digs!

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    That's Harley If Your Nasty

    posted @ 4/18/2009 02:22:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    So there is an introduction video up on the Gametrailers website for the Harley Quinn character in the upcoming Batman: Arkham Asylum game. Hit the jump and check it out



    I have to say, I like this Harley. She's dark, and definitely disturbed as she should be and the look is also hardcore with a touch of femininity that grabs me. Of course, I was head over heels for this game from the first screen I saw... so take my love with a grain of salt.

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    Rise of the New Assassin

    posted @ 4/17/2009 09:45:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    To say that the original Assassin's Creed left me wanting would be an vast understatement. I try to avoid hype whenever possible but my efforts were in vain and it was nearly impossible to avoid. With Ubisoft taking another crack at Creed I find myself wanting to believe the hype.

    AC2 sets out to separate itself from it's predecessor by following a new assassin Ezio, an Italian noble during the Renaissance who has been betrayed by the rival ruling families of Italy. In a press release sent out yesterday Ubisoft promises "new gameplay elements, diverse weapons and a profound character progression that will appeal to fans of the original Assassin's Creed..."

    I will say that I do like the character style of the new assassin in the game, and I would be lying to you if I said the premise of running through the streets and buildings of renaissance Italy does not entice me on a few different levels. While I'm going to be a bit more cautious on the approach of this title, I am starting to look forward to it.

    Besides, Ezio looks hot. Look for AC2 to drop on the platform of your choice this holiday season.

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    Gimme Back Dat Podcast...

    posted @ 4/06/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    ...Gimme dat podcast! Okay, it's not as catchy as this, but I had to grab your attention to remind you that we have a new episode of the ESH podcast ready for you now.

    You can yell at me for the song being stuck in your head later.

    In this episode of the podcast, we talk about all kinds of crazy stuff from the rampant ravishing of our treasured entertainment pasts to create feature length film like the upcoming Tekken movie and G.I. Joe movie to the classic game title Bubble Bobble which is currently available as Wiiware. Both NinJaSistah and Pandalicious answer some audience questions, including one from Bootleg Pete as well as promote the Gamer Daily News Spring Cleaning event, and then cap off the hour with the manga turned anime series Rideback

    We are up to the usual monkey business in this episode, and if you don't believe me here are some of the titles we came up with but chose not to use for this episode:
    • Reality In Video Games - Isn't That An Oxymoron?
    • There Will Always Be Wire Hangers
    • He's More Buffy Than Buff
    • The Tekken Movie? That's The April Fool's Joke
    • It's At The Bottom End of The Wayans Scale
    • G.I. Joe Doesn't Make You Gay
    • Pandalicious Talks About Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged - And This Isn't A Rerun
    • It's Not A Motorcycle - It's a Motor-Psycho!
    • Panda's Swan Lake Would Include Alligators
    • You Know There's a Crotch Underneath That Dress
    • and finally
    • Next Week At This Time: Pandalicious of Love

    See? Fun to be had here folks, so sit back and enjoy ESH podcast episode 140: Drinking Games Add So Much to Anime!

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    New Monday, New Podcast Episode

    posted @ 3/30/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    It's Monday once again, so that means we have to hit you with a new episode of the ESH podcast doesn't it? Yep, sure does, and we're glad to do so.

    In this weeks episode of the podcast NinJaSistah and Pandalicious cover a wide range of topics starting with Pandalicious' need of a new job, to video game titles Batman: Arkham Asylum,God of War 3, as well as the Final Fantasy and Tenchu franchises and the manga Pride of Bagdad. Oh yeah, we talk a bit more about the lack of mature and "seasoned gamer" titles on the Wii platform as well.

    Did I mention the tangents we go on? Nope? I should have. One of the tangents might involve a limerick, I'm not sure, but for a better idea of what we end up talking about in this episode, check the titles we came up with but didn't use for this episode:
    • Help Wanted? Have We Got a Panda For You
    • There Once were Some Ladies From ESH...
    • Did You Say Talking?
    • Wii Need Some Excitement, Nintendo
    • The Monkey Boy In Pandalicious Was Suddenly Unleashed
    • And Certainly Not Batman: The Bold and The Beautiful
    • When Revers-Puberty Occurs, This Vehicle Will Be Unmanned
    • It's Like The Lion King With Guns
    • Her Hot Pants Have a Bow In The Back - For Modesty
    • Episode Includes Our Impression of Oprah!
    • and last, but not least
    • No Trees Were Killed To Produce This Podcast

    Told you it was an interesting show. So sit back, relax and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 139: When You Get Home, Slap Me... Don't Ask

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    Podcast-a-Mundo

    posted @ 3/23/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    That's right, there's a new episode of the ESH podcast in town... and it's ready for your consumption.

    So, MilkChan of Ultimate Quest fame was supposed to be on the show, but yet again the sistah's got stood up. We didn't take it personally though, instead we used the extra time to be random and rant and rave about games, gadgets and whatnot. We start with a couple of audience questions about the Wii and titles to look forward to on the XB360 and then we get into the nitty-gritty down and dirty.

    NinJaSistah talks about her first impressions ofResident Evil 5 and does a compare/contrast type thing with the Tomb Raider: Underworld title on the XB360 versus the PS3 version. Pandalicious learns the meaning of the acronym FML as well as the existence of the FML Blog, let's people know that she shouldn't be trusted with other people's children, and then goes crazy random for a bit.

    It's another one of those podcasts that starts off with an agenda, but it down the weird and random path to goofy glory. Need a mental picture? Well, here are the titles that we came up with to name the episode:
    • What the "L" Is FML?
    • People Don't Trust Me With Their Children
    • Bad Worm!
    • Guns In Her Shoes? That's Accessorizing
    • I Want World Peace, But It Would Make For A Lousy Video Game
    • When Bigger Isn't Better
    • Capcom, We Have A Problem
    • There's Nowhere Like Home - That's Not Necessarily a Good Thing
    • No Console Left Behind
    • and finally
    • Don't Eat Bacon Wrapped Cancer

    Told you it was random. Grab that morning cup of joe, put on your headphones and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 138: I Have One, and I'm Proud!

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    More Podcast Goodness

    posted @ 3/16/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    It's yet another day day ending in "y" so why not give you a new episode of the ESH podcast? Yeah, there is no reason not to, so here you go.

    Went to a podcast and a fight broke out. I will be nice and call it a strong disagreement between two strong women and turns into Pandalicious needing to know her role...which is bring you guys some interesting perspectives on things like the XBLive game Peggle and micro-transactions while NinJaSistah drops the knowledge on ya about a bunch of stuff. From some Lego games in the works, to BioShock 2 known' and unknown facts, and the new Utah bill that so far away from what we really need when it comes to violent or sexually over-toned themes, that it won't go anywhere.

    To give you an idea of what you are in for, here are some of the titles that we didn't use for this podcast:
    • That's Quite An Empire State Building You Got There
    • Wo Watches The Watchmen? Not Very Many, Apparently
    • Indiana Jones and the Cold sore of a Movie
    • Scrambled Eggs Is Murder
    • For That Matter, You're Always Getting Thrown Into Jail In Monopoly
    • There's No Way You Can Get Pregnant From Peggle
    • I was Listening to the Sistahs, Then Suddenly Cheech & Chong Appeared
    • Will Work For Microsoft Points
    • and finally
    • Devil Dogs Are Not Chocolate Twinkies

    Oh yeah, we also rip Jack Thompson a new one, and jibber jabber about a few other things as well. Plenty of diversity here. So sit back and enjoy ESH podcast episode 137: Don't Make Me Turn This Podcast Around

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    Panda Love L4D long time.....

    posted @ 2/27/2009 09:25:00 AM by Pandalicious

    Panda loves many things....and here is one of them.

    Greetings one and all, Panda here bringing you some humor from her new found love for Left for dead. As much as I'd like to take credit for the artwork, but it comes all the way for Ctrl+ Alt+ Del..... Also I have to send a special thanks to Tofu! (She knows who she is. She was the one who turned me on to these. Say thank you everyone!)

    I hope you all enjoy.....we know I do!


    http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comics/20081117.jpg
    This one makes me giggle inside.


    the second link is my personal favorite.
    http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comic.php?d=20081121




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    NSFW Funday!

    posted @ 2/23/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    No boring Monday's here, today we release one of our more totally NOT SAFE FOR WORK new episodes of the ESH podcast.

    I can't state this clearly enough, this podcast episode is NOT SAFE FOR WORK.

    Not only is there the requisite amount of swearing in this podcast episode, but Pandalicious and I spend a good chunk of time in the episode talking about a specific piece of the male anatomy. Yes, this episode focus on "that" thing you are thinking of and how it has recently made prolific appearance in gaming today. From digital pictures sent through the pipes of XBLive and PSN to the Stubbs character in the new Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost & The Damned" DLC, DP has been popping up all over the place and needs to stop. We also chat a bit about the new Street Fighter IV game from Capcom and Panda shares some of her Left 4 Dead versus mode opinions.

    If you still aren't sure what we are talking about, here are some of the suggested episode titles we didn't use:
    • She Surely Misspoke When She Said Bean-gag
    • We Need To Stamp Out D.P. In Our Time
    • If I No Ask, You No Flash
    • If You Gotta Show It To Me, Please Shave First
    • Was It Flopping Around Like a Dead Fish?
    • and finally,
    • I Don't Care If YOu Talk To Me, But You're Going To Listen To Me

    So sit back, relax and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 134: Don't Aggro The Toast!

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    Infinite Undiscovery Review

    posted @ 12/03/2008 03:00:00 PM by Douceswild


    There's been some pretty good RPGs coming out on the Xbox 360. Most of them have been awesome, but everyone once in while there's one that just doesn't quite cut the mustard. Unfortunately, Square Enix's Infinite Undiscovery has trouble even getting the jar open.

    Infinite Undiscovery takes place in a world containing a moon, which is the home of a god who is considered the source of magical blessings upon humans. Those that are born under certain phases of the moon are tattooed with sigils known as Lunaglyphs, which grant powers and abilities. A group called the Order of Chains has shackled the moon to the ground, disrupting the flow of power and balance, thus bringing disarray. The hope and fate of the world rests in the hand of Sigmund the Liberator who has the power to cut the chains and restore order. You take on the role of Capell, a musician who mysteriously looks like Sigmund.

    The character personalities are well defined and enjoyable. The dialogue, which is mostly voiced over, really fleshes out the almost 20 playable characters. Narrative inserts are engaging and something to look forward to as it enhances the story.



    The gameplay leaves something to be desired. There are many aspects to the combat, which is good and bad. Although real-time combat provides a variety of moves, the amount of button-pressing that comes with performing the abilities is overwhelming and hard to remember at times resulting in constant sifting through the tutorial for a refresher course. You have the basing weak, but fast attack and the strong, but slow attack as well as combos. These are hard to connect on mobile foes due to the lack of target autolock and lengthy animations. You will always be controlling Capell, but the “Connect” feature allows you to issue commands to allies and utilize their abilities either in combat or through small puzzle-solving situations. If you die then you have to wait and hope that a party member sees fit to revive you before the timer ticks down and it’s game over.



    The lack of save points right before boss battles can be frustrating, resulting in a lengthy retracing and refighting your way through a dungeon or area if you die during the encounter. Seeing as how some of the boss fights are complicated and may take a few tries to get the fight down, you may be doing this a lot.



    Visually, this is one of the prettiest games out there.The world is beautiful and full of color and detail, but the directions you are given to find the next waypoint are extremely vague, which makes it easy to get lost along the winding paths. You will come across the frequent “go south” or “go west” and that’s it. It’s sounds simple enough but a few landmarks to look for from the quest-giver would have made the search a lot easier and less time-consuming.

    As far as RPGs’ go, Infinite Undiscovery comes in short at about 20 hours. There’s just not much there but the basic storyline and stunning graphics. Features like item creation add a bit of side enjoyment but not enough to make you feel as though you got your money’s worth. Pass on this tittle at its’ current price of $39.99, but if you can find it in a bargain bin or Gamefly it, then give it a shot.

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    This Is A Nerds World

    posted @ 11/10/2008 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    May the Monday morning new podcast episode of victory be with you... and also with you, but not that guy behind you. He's kinda creeping me out.

    In this episode the sistahs talk about the driving forces behind anime franchises with a focus on the Gundam series, specifically Mobile Suit Gundam 00. We also talk a bit about the eastern animation style influence moving west and the New Xbox Experince interface. [NXE in the heezy fo sheezy]

    Want an idea of how this episode turned out? Check out the titles we didn't use:
    • It's a Nerds, Nerds, Nerds, Nerds World
    • We Don't Know How Green the Gundams Are, But Their Suits Are Shiny
    • Pick One: The Thermos or the Hello Kitty Vibrator
    • No One Makes Pases at Ninjas With Glasses
    • The New Xbox Avatars Look Like They Come From Stepford
    • Diversity Mech Misers: Now With More Germans!
    • How Green Was Your Mecha?
    • and finally
    • Celestial Beings, Not To Be Confused With Celestial Teas

    It's another fun filled hour with the ladies, so sit back and enjoy ESH podcast episode 120: The Xbox Experience Means You Can't Go Home Again

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    The Future Will Make You Blind

    posted @ 11/03/2008 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Monday morning creeps around again, so the sistah's got to gabbing again to create a new episode of the ESH podcast for you. And this one is another single topic-er.

    We couldn't think of a better way to herald the return of NinJaSistah to the East Coast the girls get together to chit-chat about Fable 2. Actually, first they talk about Fable, then Fable 2, open environment games, and action RPG's, and a bunch of stuffs surrounding the Lionhead Studios titles.

    I'll warn you now, there are a bunch of spoilers to go around in this episode if you haven't finished either title, so you may want to download this episode and wait until you finish your game before you listen to this one. Don't say I didn't warn you. Seriously, look at the titles that we didn't use for the episode:
    • You Can Kick Chickens and It Doesn't Affect Your Purity
    • He Shoots Your Sister, Then He Shoots Your Dog...Bastard
    • Fable 2 Teaches the Horror of Eating Meat
    • I Want My Dog Back, I Really Don't Care About My Sister
    • The Future Will Make You Blind
    • and finally
    • Desperately Seeking Spot

    See, told you, spoilers poppin' off all over this joint, so sit back and open up your ears for Electric Sista Hood podcast episode 119: You Better Play Fable 2 Before You Listen to This One.

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    Panda Ponders Yet Again

    posted @ 10/27/2008 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Monday brings along with it a new episode of the ESH podcast, and since NinJa had an at bat on an episode all her own, we had to give Panda equal time on this network.

    Ok, so we aren't a network yet, but we are growing in that general direction so stop raining on our parade already. Pandlicious spends a little time in this episode sharing her top 5 picks for best songs featured in Rock Band 2 by MTV Games/EA/Harmonix. By now you should have a firm grasp on how much the sistah's love the Rock Band but if you don't, just make a run through of our past posts and podcast for the last two months. You will lose count of the amount of times we talk about this game, so one more won't hurt.

    While I won't give away the list [what will make you listen to the episode if I type it all up here, eh?] I will tell you that it features some great all around songs folks... including stuff by Jonathan Coulton.



    So, grab your headphones and a cup of joe to sit back and enjoy Pandalicious' Top 5: Songs of Rock Band 2 [medium and hard difficulties].

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    The Return of DJ Petite

    posted @ 10/09/2008 01:22:00 PM by evermore
    The autumn of 2008 is going to be all about the new Rock Band and Guitar Hero games around the household of Ninjasistah -- anyone who has ever listened to a few ESH podcasts already knows that. But while she's banging away at her drums or shredding guitar, her mind is going to be on something else entirely.

    It's called "Scratch: The Ultimate DJ."

    Before she became an adult, the Ninja dreamed of the day she would become a real DJ, complete with turntables and stacks of vinyl. She often went to sleep at night imagining herself in a club scratching out hip-hop tunes for the masses.

    But the music industry went a different direction. The music suddenly became about spending money on golden neck apparel and fake teeth. It became all about champagne and Courvoisier. Artists from Atlanta took over and threw out all the DJ's.

    Even with these changes, she tried her hand at putting together some beats of her own using some new-fangled electronic tunes. Click here for a sample of a song she did under one of her other pseudonyms, DJ Petite.

    Now it looks like DJ Petite might be on the comeback trail with the announcement of Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, which is a DJ game in the realm of all of Ninjasistah's favorite music games, like Amplitude, Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

    Quincy Jones III is the musical consultant for the game, being produced by Genius Products, 7 Digital, QD3 and GenCo Media, and set for release next June. It will feature a DJ turntable-style controller and will be available for the Xbox 360 and the PS3.

    Need more info? Check out any of your favorite gaming sites out there. It's all over the place.

    It's going to be a long nine months.


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    Whatchu Talkin' 'Bout Ninja?

    posted @ 9/22/2008 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    The start of the week brings another new episode of the ESH podcast, and this week we learn that caffeine and sugar do not sit too awful well with the sistahs.

    This is especially true if you add prescription drugs to the mix. poor Pandalicious and her messed up foot. But neither the pain nor giddiness of the two keeps them from chatting about Spore:Creatures on the DS Lite, RockBand 2 co-operative play on da interwebs, and how the lack of XBox Live can drive lonely ninjas nutzoid.

    If you want to get the gist of what the episode is about, check out the titles we didn't use for this one:
    • Bomb Ash Is Not Bomb Ass
    • There's Always a "Why?" At the End of Sex
    • I Am What I Bee
    • Double-Stuf Oreos -- That's the Team I Bat For
    • The Legend of the Three-Tiered Easy Bake Cake
    • The Love Toilet: Our Worst Tangent Ever
    • EA Makes Me Want to Use Three Condoms
    • Panda's Wielding the Stick of Righeousness
    • A Cramp Ruined My White Wedding
    • Mentos: The Memory Taker
    • and
    • I Failed Chemistry, But I Remember Ionic and Covalent Bonds

    So sit back and enjoy ESH podcast episode 114: I Said Finger Pluck. FINGER PLUCK!

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    Harmonix is a Hawt Cougar!

    posted @ 9/15/2008 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    It's already "that time" of the week again...time for the ESH crew to drop a new episode of the podcast on you to help kick your week off right!

    NinJaSistah and Pandalicious once again hold the hour down talking about games and generally entertaining topics ranging from rhythm games in general to the final on disc track listings of Activision'sGuitar Hero: World Tour, Harmonix's Rockband 2, and Konami'sRock Revolution. Somehow David Bowie makes it into the conversation again as well as incest which is mostly Panda's fault for bringing Viva Pinata: Trouble In Paradise to the table.

    We didn't have a long list of titles to choose from this week, but if you want an idea of how the show stacks up to the others, one title on the list was "no pants, no WoW, no problem." That's all I got for you folks, so grab your morning or evening drink and enjoy podcast episode 113: Rhythm Game's Gonna Get Cha!

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    Far Cry SE On The Way

    posted @ 9/08/2008 01:16:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    It's rare that I buy new video game titles. In all honesty more times than not I rent titles first to figure out if I want plunk down the benjis for them and then traipse down to the local videogameria to pick them up. But if you are like me, you want to get more bang for your buck when you do purchase titles, and Ubisoft has some good news for you.

    FarCry 2 will be shipping October 21st on the XB360, PS3, and PC platforms, but what is great about this news is that there will be a GameStop only special edition
    available now for pre-order that will give you
    • 6 Bonus Missions [approx. 3hrs of additional content]
    • A fold out map of the FarCry 2 world
    • and
    • "Exclusive" game packaging

    I'm not sure what that last one means and it's taking far too long to download the pr kit for the thing, so here's a pic that I ganked from the interwebs.

    Personally, I'm not a huge FarCry fan, but if I was I'd probably pick up the SE version of the title, I seem to be trending that way more and more with games that I purchase. For my 50 bucks plus I want some audio, artwork, bonus costumes or content in the game. It somehow makes me feel less hosed when I drop 100 bucks and go home with only two games.

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    Oneechanbara: Kill em' In Yer Skivvies!

    posted @ 8/31/2008 01:45:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Games that start off with a description involving scantily-clad women usually don't rate high on my radar, so Oneechanbara was definitely not something I had been pining away for since it's development.

    If you said to me three months ago, "NinJa, there is this game out there where you are one of two asian chicks either in a school girl outfit or your undies and a boa fighting zombies and you are going to love it..." I would probably have laughed in your face and cussed at you for a very long time, but after seeing Oneechanbara trailers for the first time I kinda changed my mind. D3 helped me seal the deal a bit her at PAX 08.

    Even though they are not demoing the game at PAX, D3 did bring a teaser video that had the opening of the game and some gameplay elements on loop at their booth and after spending a bit of time with one of the PR reps, I'm sold on this game.

    In Oneechanbara you play one of two asian sisters Aya or Saki and are forced to hack and slash your way through zombies that are after your blood for some reason. There is something in your lineage that makes you prime targets for the zombies and it is up to you to find out what it is and rid the world of these damn things. The game is a bit different than other sword slashing games in that you have a gauge indicating your weapon's bloodlust [which when filled your weapon has a good chance of sticking in to enemies making you have to yank it out] and you have to clean your sword constantly to keep it from doing less damage or sticking in a enemy leaving your vulnerable. I was able to find these bullet points from the D3 website, even though a search for the title on their site didn't find it:

    • Control Two Super Sexy Sisters and Their Sword Swinging Samurai Skills – Master sword swinging martial arts at their finest on the ground and in the air, slashing, swinging and thrusting into zombie enemy hordes.
    • Exclusive Dress-Up Mode – Go behind the scenes to expose the hottest samurai wardrobe on the planet.  Unlock an arsenal of customized clothing and looks to maximize and personalize the Onechanbara experience.

    • Go Deep Inside Aya, Saki, and the Legend of Onechanbara in Multiple Gameplay Modes – In addition to the main Story Mode, players can experience the game in Free Play Mode, Survival Mode, Quest Mode and more to let gamers dive deeper into the Onechanbara experience.
    • Killer Combat Control System – Each character has a variety of moves, weapons, and throws to combat enemies on the ground and in the air, and can unleash killer Rage Mode attacks when desperate and surrounded.

    • Co-op Multiplayer – Invite a friend to join in the fight with Co-Op mode and try unique fighting styles together to rid the world of zombie infestation.

    D3 is kinda tight lipped about a ship date for Oneechan but it will be available for the XB360 and Nintendo Wii at some point.

    Bitches hate zombies!


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    Changing My Original Opinion

    posted @ 8/30/2008 08:23:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    I was not a big fan of the game FEAR. I thought it was a bit dark, and a bit cumbersome to control when I started playing the game, so for the most part, I had written Origin off. After what I’ve played here at PAX I think I might have changed my mind.

    There are now four weapons in the game and not three with two new types of grenades [shrapnel, and incendiary] The gameplay is crazy fluid on the XB360 and it looks as terrifying as ever.

    While I’m not a big fan of FPS games, I am looking forward to Project Origins. Sure I’ll have to play it in a well lit room, but when don’t I have to play an FPS that I like in a well lit place? Let’s be honest, the only FPS titles that I ten to be attracted to are the thriller/survival based titles.

    I love Gears [don’t ask me to play as I say unto thee that I sucketh] and Bioshock took a lot out of me and still haven’t finished it. [There aren’t enough daylight hours to play that thing, seriously.] But there is something about Origins that excites me more than it scares me. I find the story really engaging, which I don’t feel happens enough in FPS titles, and I hate to be shallow, but aesthetics have always played a small role in whether or not I spend the time it takes to finish a game.

    Origin is not a sequel to FEAR, and is to focus more on how Alma came to be so gawd damned powerful. I have been sitting here at the Microsoft booth, with Fable 2 and Infinite Undiscovery being manhandled over and over again, and kinda blown away by the fact that few people sat in for the Origins demo, but many showed up for the Gears 2 demo. I don’t know if the name change is hurting the title on the brand recognition side, but something is definitely up and I hope this post [and the subsequent ones to come] help Origins find homes across the land when it launches Fall of 08.

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    Pandalicious' Throwback Thursday: Desparately Seeking Ms.Pac-man

    posted @ 8/28/2008 01:00:00 PM by Pandalicious

    His story.... over mine... his story will be his story
    And my story is a waste of time (aaaah-aah-aah) (TLC reference)

    Welcome to once again another Throwback Thursday.I'm your host Pandalicious coming to you live [well as live as a post is] from the ever so popular ESHLAND. This Thursday however, I thought I'd slow things down and give much love and much respect to the ladies. You see women are...in two words: simply awesome. All the great men who were responsible for our history,culture and addictions had great women right behind them,,most of which proclaiming that they were fools. However in the gaming world there was one pair that this wasn't so. There is one pair that to this day were seen as equals in my mind. This pair is...you guessed it. Mr. and Ms. Pac-man.

    Even though, I as a gamer recognize this pair as equals they were not brought into existence at the same time. Sadly, though not entirely sad, Pac-Man was the first of the pair to be created. As much as I'd like to say that Pac-man was an american creation I would be a bold faced liar. Japan brought him into the world, along with some of my other obviously favorite things. [Cough Anime Cough Cough]. Anyway he was developed my Namco, but brought over here to the U.S by Midway. You might recognize Midway through some other famous titles such as: Mortal Kombat [Deadly Alliance, Deception, Shaolin Monks and Armageddon] Pac-man via Midway hit the U.S in 1980. [So for age reference, Ninjasistah was a little over a year old, and I was still in the pre development stages. Barely on the radar, if you catch my drift ~^]

    Needless to say droves and droves of a budding gamer nation were sent in crazes of joy upon playing Pac-man. It was an overwhelming sensation and widely addictive, kind of like any drug you can imagine minus the drooling, hallucinations and uncontrolled bouts of gambling or raging libidos. Thusly Pac-man was flagged as a gamer icon, and a landmark in gaming history...

    As much as I like to boast about Pac-Man, I cannot idly sit by and just be content with talking about the male aspect of things. I cannot walk away without bringing a much needed guest to the forefront and give her a voice. She is known as Ms.Pac-man.

    Too much of my surprise, the origin of Ms.P did not stem from the same place as her male counter part, which for this senario is idle. So sorry pervs of the world , there is no gamer incest here. Originally rumors were leaked that Ms.P ( game formerly known as Crazy Otto) was a bootlegged copy of Pac-man made by the programers over at the General Computer Coporation. They were highly impressed with what they did, and rushed themselves over to Midway. They liked what they saw. After fighting all the red tape, and buying the necessary sprites to the game. She was renamed and released here in the U.S. This all went down in 1981. Midway had grown fed up with waiting for Namco to release Super Pac-man. Not only did the release of Ms.Pac-Man make Midway happy, but at the time she was also a prominent answer to a question that the gaming community still addresses today: How in the world do we appeal to the female gamer fanbase?!

    Like I mentioned previously, the Pac-man game was blood success! It was seen in arcades all over the place so needless to say the game mechanics are simple to the average gamer today. However, taking a seasoned gamer from today and placing them back into primitive forms of gaming is indeed interesting to observe.

    Take for instance myself. Add me to say either the Pac-man or Ms.Pac Man game via the technology of the XBOX360. [God do I love ports when done right!] Timing and precision are key as they were for these two games back in the 80's. I came to find that my timing was completely off which once again made the game physically challenging. Since the game's premise was already known. I found my hands to be stressing out faster with each passing level and those ghosts once again pose a serious threat to my existence. ...

    This classic will always bring warmth to my gamer soul. If not for the quality hours I spent playing it...then for the personal reason of thriving in it while Ninja did not. [This is why Siblings were made, and why gaming displays the strengths and weaknesses of those siblings.]However, if it wasn't for either of those reasons that it was for the Panda of the 80's...all six years I spent in them.... for desiring to be yellow and round and wanting everyone to play with me...for wanting to rock a styling bow and for [unbeknowst to me at the time...gave me hope that other girls wanted to do the exact same thing]



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    How RockBand Saved My Graduation

    posted @ 8/24/2008 01:07:00 PM by FreeLoader
    For the last year I have been working and finishing up a second degree at GWU in DC. To celebrate surviving school I wanted to have a barbecue with a group of girls I graduated with, their families and then all my work friends from Apple. Normally my different groups of friend have no trouble mixing but with the addition of my friend’s families the party become two separate parties. My Apple friends were inside playing Rockband while my college friends outside with their families.

    Luckily for me someone suggested that it would be fun if we could get all of the parents to give Rockband a try. Now after watching my father try and play Guitar Hero over Christmas and not make it through the training session let alone a song I admit I had my doubts.

    The Players:
    THE DOC: On drums we have my father…. who has no musical talent and even less rhythm though sadly he thinks that he does.

    THE WIVES: For vocals we had Amanda’s mother and stepmother who from what I understand are not really on the best of terms, lucky though both could sing.

    THE SINGLE MOM: Reluctantly Caitlin’s mom agreed to play the bass guitar… having raised a very girly-girl on here own, games like this were a complete mystery to her.

    THE ARTIST: We rounded out the group with Amanda’s father taking the lead guitar, he seemed more comfortable behind his camera then the guitar.

    The Game:
    ROUND ONE: Each parent received a quick tutorial as to how the games is played by our local Apple Clarendon Creative team, and then the group was ready to select their song. The Last Train to Clarksville by the Monkees was picked because they figuring that at least would have a fighting chance of knowing the words.

    ROUND TWO: After getting over the shock of not completing the song the parents promptly demanded that they be allowed to try again. More quick pointers from the Creatives and the group was off again ………

    ROUND THREE: With spirits high the group decided to give the song one more go…. they started out strong and even figured out how to save another player who had failed out. Sadly they did not even come close to completing the song but they did manage to complete 24% of the song, which was meet with a rousing cheer from the whole room.

    The Wii has received much acclaim for its ability to bridging across the generation gab and if my party was any indication Rockband can be added to that list. It was a great vehicle for breaking the ice between two different groups and even if the parents did not complete the song they had a blast trying and everyone else got kick out of watching them try.

    I never thought that having my family failing out repeatedly on a song at 24% would save my graduation party….

    Written by Megwin

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    New Podcast Episode: De-Generation X and Y

    posted @ 8/11/2008 12:30:00 PM by evermore
    It's another all-videogame podcast, but, as usual, the Sistahs careen dangerously toward the profane and near-profane.

    While Ninja proclaims the goodness of the Pure and Braid videogames, Panda admits her love for retro games, particularly those that can be found through XBox Live. It all leads up to a future topic for the podcast: How to Turn Your Wii Into a Micro-brewery.

    I think we all have to admit that would be quite effective in selling the Wii to hardcore gamers.

    So please enjoy Episode 109 of the ElectricSistaHood podcast, How Do You Play Where's Your Pickle?


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    The Soul Still Burns Brightly

    posted @ 7/29/2008 12:12:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    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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    Alcohol Is NOT For Kids

    posted @ 7/28/2008 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    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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    An Open Letter to the Folks at Bungie

    posted @ 7/22/2008 02:16:00 PM by evermore
    Dear Bungie,

    I read in Variety this week that you have had some disagreements with your previous owner Microsoft and that was why there was no Halo announcement at E3 this year.

    I know it must be difficult after so many years kowtowing to the likes of Steve Ballmer, and if you think that maybe it's time for a little payback, I've got an idea on how to have a little vengeance against the Evil Empire.

    Give Steve Jobs a call. I understand that it may be a little difficult to get in. Between drinking macrobiotic shakes and counting all that money coming in from WALL-E and emailing to pals on the next version of the iPhone, he's a little busy these days. Tell him you've got an idea.

    First, tell him you've mended your ways. You're sorry you sold out to Microsoft all those years ago and took all those fun games away from the Mac. Then tell him you've got a way to kick the likes of Microsoft, HP, Dell and all those Asian computer makers right in the tail.

    The Halo Mac.

    The Halo Mac is not just a Macintosh with a bunch of decals on it. It's a Mac designed to play Halo. Take a MacBook Air and give it a multi-touch screen, like an iPhone. Just throw the controller away. You have everything you need, between the multi-touch screen and the keyboard.

    Inside, put a processor capable of bringing out the best in Halo, along with a solid-state drive and the maximum amount of RAM possible.

    And keep all the great capabilities of the MacBook intact. The 802.11n network is superior to anything on a console. Voice and video chat is built in -- not an add-on. In fact, you could share your screen with other players. You could even capture your screen play and turn it into Machinima with the free iMovie program on the Mac.

    Imagine the possibilities of a Halo-player that is as light as a MacBook Air and just as useful. The Xbox 360 is OK, but you only move that hot plate when it Red-Rings-Of-Death.

    [MacBook Air photo credit: Tim Malabuyo]


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    MagicMystic Still A No Show

    posted @ 7/21/2008 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    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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    If One Wasn't Good Enough....

    posted @ 7/17/2008 04:39:00 PM by Pandalicious

    When a Mommy RockBand and a Daddy RockBand love each other very much...

    Hey Hey Hey...Pandalicious on the scene bringing you the goodness that is. Rock Band 2! Now I know what you are thinkging.... ::cues flashback wave things::

    You: Panda....I know Rock Band is the hottest thing since pancakes on Saturday morning. But What makes this Rock band as awesome?

    Panda: Well Let me tell you. First let me tell you about the new gameplay changes. Remember how when we wanted to play online through XBL (XBox Live) and you were still a noob and didn't know how to invite me. THEN when you finally managed to invite me we could only do quickplay songs and it was just hours of masss hysteria!

    You: Yeah....

    Panda: Well not anymore. There is a new mode in Rock Band 2, that allows us to make a band with not only our local rockers but with outside rockers on the XBL interwebs. You know what that means right?

    You: You are never going to let me sleep?

    Panda: That's right! The Gameplay is still the same though. Same color nodes. Same overall feeling of rockitude and swagger. There is still single player mode however it is now extended to a solo bassist! Thats right, so now the sexiest component to a Rock Band (IMO) gets their chance to rock out with their COCKS out. [Yes I said cock, deal with it]

    You: What about for drumming? You know we all were exicted about being drum masters and realized that we all really sucked...

    Panda: Speak for yourself ! However if you weren't like me who went back into the drumming tutorial to help train my foot better to use the kick pedal, there will be something called the "Beat Trainer" which will generate beats to help you hone your rocking skills.

    You: Well Panda that sounds niffty and all but am I going to like the play list? Am I going to have to buy all the songs, load them to my iPod so I can learn them so I don't make an utter fool of myself when I come to your house?

    Panda: Well...Let me tell you the ones that I'm looking forward to and if you a GIANT loser and haven't been following the coverage of E3...the internet will be your friend and check out places such as. IGN, joystiq and of course, us, DUH. If you are new to the interwebs you should try www.fuckinggoogleit.com [Just kidding, Wikipedia.org is a nice place to start]

    In terms of the songs i'm looking forward to guitaring they are
    1) American Woman~ The Guess Who
    2) Down with the Sickeness~ Disturbed
    3) Chop Suey- System of a Down
    4) Lump~ Presidents of the United States of America

    In terms of Singing...
    1) Master Expolder~ Tenacious D [FUCK FUCK FUCK YES!]
    2) Everlong~ Foo Fighters
    3) Round and Round~ Ratt
    4) White Wedding~ Billy Idol
    5) My Own Worst Enemy- Lit

    You: ....

    Panda: I love our little interludes like this. I'm out of here!

    But now seriously guys

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    E3 Day One Summary

    posted @ 7/14/2008 08:31:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    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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    Return of the Omnipotent?

    posted @ 7/07/2008 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    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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    New Podcast Episode: What the Bleep?

    posted @ 6/30/2008 09:53:00 AM by evermore
    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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    New Podcast Day: Artificial, Smart, And Sneaky

    posted @ 6/23/2008 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    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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    New Podcast Day: No, But Yes

    posted @ 6/16/2008 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    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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    Didja see?

    posted @ 6/12/2008 07:26:00 PM by evermore
    The videogame industry is packed with news these days, but I'm sure you must have read about some of this stuff:

    Didja see? There's a new Blackberry case from Otterbox.

    It protects the Blackberry from the iPhone!

    Didja see? Square Enix says Final Fantasy XIII is still intended to be exclusive for the PS3.

    I guess if no one plays it, no one will know how badly it sucks.

    Didja see? In order to save tens of millions of dollars on the Xbox 360, Microsoft designed its own chip for the thing. Then when the chip red-ringed everyone's Xbox 360, the recall cost Microsft a billion dollars.

    As the politicians say, a billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you're talking real money.

    Didja see? An analyst says that the reason we can't get Wii Fit here is because Nintendo is sending them all to Europe because of the strong Euro.

    That, and that the only people who want to become fit are already fit.

    Didja see? Lucas Arts laid off 100 people last week.

    It means Ninjasistah won't see her Wii lightsaber game for a while longer.

    Didja see? Take Two has announced BioShock 3 -- even though BioShock 2 isn't even out yet.

    What's next, BioShock: The Musical?

    Didja see? Scientists have discovered an algorithm that solves the Rubik's Cube in only 23 moves.

    Or, just one move if you have 46 hands.

    Didja see? They're coming out with a Metallica version of Guitar Hero.

    Unfortunately, while on your network it checks your computers for copyright-infringing music.

    Didja see? Sony has quit development on two games for the PS3 and one for the PSP.

    They're taking their football and going Home. Oh, that's right, Home is still vapor, too.

    Didja see? Game developers are taking advantage of the accelerometer in the iPhone to make some really great games.

    How much is that Nintendog in the window?


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    Momma Says Knock You Out

    posted @ 6/06/2008 10:29:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    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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    Technical Difficulties Suck

    posted @ 5/26/2008 10:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Being Monday, we had to hit you with a new episode of the podcast... but this one probably should have been left in the oven a bit longer.

    Poor Pandalicious has having some serious internet issues which left Evermore with a hell of a job editing a show together, but they pulled it off pretty damn well if you ask me. In this episode of the podcast, Panda shares her top five video games of 2008 [so far] with you. There are a couple of honorable mentions and a list that I only have a single problem with. Let's see if you can guess which game gives me the heebie geebies.

    Have a seat and enjoy: My Top 5: Video Games of 2008.

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    A Precipice To Look Forward To

    posted @ 5/23/2008 10:02:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    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.




    alt : Rainslick Trailer



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    SoulCalibur on XBLive

    posted @ 5/16/2008 09:17:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Yeap, NamcoBandai confirmed that SoulCalibur the first will be hitting XBLive this summer. I even have some yummy screen shots for you, finish what you start to learn a bit more.

    Originally released in 1999 for the Sega Dreamcast, SoulCalibur remains one of the highest rated fighting game of all time.

    SoulCalibur will be back for a new group of souls to open ye olde can=o=whoop upon an unsuspecting online community! Prove you got skills against by laying down the smack old school style on the world with dozens of leaderboards spanning every character and mode.

    Seriously, prepare to make your thumbs ache, for a good reason. Visit the screens gallery here.

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    Win The XBox 360 Elite

    posted @ 5/03/2008 06:19:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Time has damn near run out people! You have until 8pm tonight to get your entry to the GTA IV All Games Radio Network giveaway.

    Seriously. Like we've been saying on the podcast and in that mini bar at the topic all our pages, you have a shot at winning a limited edition XBox 360 through ESH. All you got to do is make a 60-120 second [that's one to two minutes] promo for ESH in the guise of a radio station bump that would appear in the game.

    We will be picking the semi finalists to send on to the final round at AllGames.com Sunday Nay 4th.


    So get cracken, or don't bitch to me about not being able to play Ninja Gaiden 2 because you don't have a 360.

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    Ever Closer to the Precipice of Darkness

    posted @ 5/03/2008 03:44:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    In case you didn't know, the fellas over at Penny-Arcade are inching ever closer to completely changing the course of man. Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One went GM

    If you didn't know that Penny Arcade was making a game then shame on you. Precipice will be available for on the Mac, Pc, Linux, and XBox360 as a download.

    From the press release:
    "...[Precipice] is an RPG-adventure game set in the comic-book-meets-pulp-horror-meets-H.P. Lovecraft deranged 1920s universe of New Arcadia, delivered to gamers via accessible episodic releases. Players join Gabe and Tycho, the crime-solving team of the Startling Developments Detective Agency, to combat savage enemies and solve mysteries hidden deep in the sinister heart of New Arcadia. The game is the result of close collaboration between Hothead Games and Penny Arcade, featuring distinct artwork and characters designed exclusively by Mike "Gabe" Krahulik, story and dialogue by Jerry "Tycho" Holkins, and both brought to life by the Hothead team."


    Yeah, you know you want to get it. Precipice will be $19.95 on the Mac, PC, & Linux platforms, and available for 1600MS points on the XBLive.

    See you on the edge!

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    New Podcast Day: Episode 94

    posted @ 4/21/2008 12:32:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Being Monday and all, far be it from us to keep a new episode of the ESH podcast from you.

    In this episode of the podcast NinJasistah kicks off her editorial piece on the good, the hrm, and the wickedly awesome tip for video game franchises with her take on Super Smash Brothers. Pandalicious jumps in the mix to talk about the anime series Soul Eater a weird and dark tale that Panda swears can be liked to the bastard child of Bleach and One Piece. [Yeah, try to get that image out of your head.] But don't think we don't have some randomness for you. We work a little Paranoia Agent, Death Note,and even a couple of references to Neon Genesis Evangelion. Don't trust me? Check out the titles we didn't use:
    • Panda Likes It Random
    • That Death Scythe Would Be handy Around Plants & Shrubs
    • 11-Year-Old Girls Shouldn't Spend time Around Ham
    • The Chicks Got Pregnant And Their Babies Had Horns
    • Hooray For Incest
    • Shinigami School For The Who?
    • Here We Go Again With The Angsty Crap
    • Papa Wassa Manslut Scythe
    • and
    • Mmm! Catwitch


    And, we want to take this opportunity to let you know that you could win something KRAZY cool. We have joined forces with the All Games Radio Network fam and will be giving away one of eight GTAIVlimited edition Xbox 360 Elites to one lucky listener. Wanna know how you can win it? Well here's the lowdown. One of the cornerstones of the GTA series is the in-game radio stations, complete with spoof ads and spoof segments. It's time for you to do that.

    Submit a sound clip no longer than 120 seconds in the style of a GTA4 Radio Station commercial for ESH. It can be a spoof ad, segment, song, whatever.

    It is up to each affiliate if they wish to force the content to pertain directly to their show, be it an ad for the show or something regarding an inside joke from the show, or to allow the submission to just be about gaming in general.

    • THE PARTICIPANTS
    • All Games Interactive
    • Dead Pixel Live
    • The Bobby Blackwolf Show
    • Orange Lounge Radio
    • Superhappyfuntimeshow
    • ElectricSistaHood
    • MediSpective
    • ChatterBox Video Game Radio
    • Video Game Outsiders
    • Ultimate Quest
    • The Video Games Show
    • Platform Nation



    THE RULES

    1. The entry can be in the form of an MP3 emailed to the affiliate show OR as a voicemail left on that show's voicemail line.
    2. Only one entry per affiliate show, however multiple affiliate shows can be entered with unique audio clips. (No sending the same audio to multiple shows.)
    3. Submissions will either be played on the affiliate show or put up on
      the show's website (or forums.allgames.com) and will be voted on via the community in a poll with the results hidden. Winners of these votes advance to the final round.
    4. If one person wins multiple affiliate contests, a coin flip will determine which show he/she wins, the other show chooses the runner-up as their finalist.
    5. The contest is only open to North American residents, as it is an NTSC console.
    6. No copywritten materials are permitted in the entry - parody is okay, just don't use the original.
    7. All submissions become the property of the affiliate show they are submitted to, as they will be used in promotion of that show.
    8. Cast and crew of the participating affiliate shows are not eligible.
    9. The decisions of the judges (affiliate show hosts at the affiliate level, All Games Radio at the final level) is final.


    THE SCHEDULE
    • Sunday, April 20th: Submission period opens
    • Sunday, May 4th: Submission deadline at midnight PT, 3am EST


    You got that? You could win a FREAKING XBox Elite MAN!!!! All you got to do is create a GTAIV style radio ad for ESH or any of the All Games Radio Affiliates and submit it to us as an MP3 with your contact info to this address.


    So fill up yo' cup friends and enjoy ESH podcast episode number 94: NinJa's Dangling Chad Just Lost Her The Game

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    New Podcast Day: Episode 93

    posted @ 4/14/2008 12:27:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Another Monday bears forth another new episode of the ESH podcast, and this one is as entertaining as all the rest.

    Today, Pandalicious takes you through the anime series Bus Gamer based on the short series manga of the same name while NinJaSistah [slow on the update, admittedly] talks about her new Portal/OrangeBox experience. Even though MagicMystic was MIA for this recording, the girls were still able to find a way to off on some interesting tangents.

    Don't believe me? Here are the rejected episode titles:
    • Sitting In The Ooze, Waiting To Respawn
    • The Office Was Empty, But It Wasn't The Weekend
    • My Companion Cube Was Alone On Valentines Day
    • Nobody Ate Anybody In Staying Alive Either
    • Somebody Ought To Put That Morality Chip Into Dick Chaney
    • That Dude In Portal? He's A Chick
    • Dat Cube Gotta Go!
    • Hot Man Candy Has A Gooey Center
    • Walk Softly and Carry A Big Lead Pipe
    • Muppets Singin About Killing Me Scares Me
    • I'm Not Comfortable With A Man Having A Baby
    • It's An Animated World, And I'm An Animated Girl
    • The World Wildlife Fund Has Nothing On Them
    • and
    • I'd Tell You About The Third Episode, But I've Slept Since Then


    So grab another cup o' joe and take a listen to ESH podcast episode 93: You Can't Have Your Cake And Cheat It Too!

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    Microsoft Copiers Strike Again

    posted @ 4/09/2008 09:09:00 AM by evermore
    It's bad enough that Microsoft copies everything that Apple does and calls it its own, but now it appears that the company is trying to strike gold by Wii-ifying the Xbox.

    Normally, I wouldn't consider MTV News to be a venerable source of hard-hitting journalism, but they did manage quite a scoop this week -- a sketch of a new Xbox controller that looks remarkably like a Wiimote.

    I don't want to hear all that guff about Microsoft being the great innovators. They had a decent marketing department, but the real innovation was from companies like Apple and Sun. I could go on all day about Microsoft innovations that were either bought or stolen, like DOS (bought), Windows Media Player (stolen) and the Aero Glass interface (stolen).

    In fact, I defy you to point out a Microsoft innovation that didn't appear earlier in Unix, Linux, the Amiga or the Macintosh. If you don't believe me, just Google the phrase "Microsoft steals."

    Oh, and if you haven't seen it for a while, here's a representative scene from Pirates of Silicon Valley.

    And now here's something that's gotta be really embarassing. It's from the January 2007 launch of Vista Office. Mike Sievert, the corporate vice president of Microsoft, shows off the online gaming capabilities of Vista, as he challenges his son, who is at home on his Xbox 360, playing (wait for it) UNO!

    "And, of course, this is my Games Explorer. This is what Windows Vista does to make my gaming experience easier than it's ever been, because all of my games are here in one place where I can manage them the same way.

    "I'm going to step into an upcoming release of Uno for Windows Vista, and I'm going to use my Xbox 360 controller plugged right into my Windows Vista machine, and I'm going to pull up a multiplayer game. Because what Uno for Windows Vista can do is something that games before have never been able to do, and that's cross-platform play. You're going to see the familiar Xbox 360 set of settings, and I'm going to use the Microsoft Live gaming platform to see if I can find my 10-year old son Jonathan at home in Seattle, Washington on his Xbox.

    "Now, he goes by the alias, Ice Monkey, and you can see that he's online. That's good because I'm on stage, and this would be important at this point. (Laughter.) And I'm going to go ahead and select him and invite him to play this game of Uno with me.

    "Now, you know, I travel quite a bit, and maybe I'm in a hotel room in Tokyo with my Windows Vista laptop, and it's really important that I'm able to have connections with my family when I'm gone. And this scenario is fantastic because it allows me to steal away a few minutes to play a game with Jonathan across thousands of miles, eight time zones, and two gaming platforms.

    "Take a look at this as I press Start. We launch into a game together and in just a moment across all those times we'll be playing cross-platform game play.

    "There it is. Now you need to applaud that, because I had to wait a minute. All right. (Applause.) And there it is, we're all in this game playing across the thousands of miles, me on my Windows Vista machine, and Jonathan on his Xbox."

    The guy even has to beg for applause.

    Sievert left Microsoft in February of this year. I guess you can take only so much UNO.


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    XBLive Wednesday: Mr. Driller

    posted @ 4/01/2008 09:58:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    He's coming to an XB360 near you tomorrow. Namco Bandai is releasing this Mr. Driller on the XBLive arcade April 2nd [tomorrow] and you know you know what that means: time to get you some more Marketplace points.

    Mr. Driller is a crazy addictive puzzle game that will have you avoiding falling blocks whilst trying to keep your air supply from running out. And not this Air Supply

    So make sure you have at least 800 MS points saved up on the XBLive, because Mr. Driller is coming!

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    New Podcast Day: Episode 87

    posted @ 2/25/2008 12:10:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Another new Monday equals another new episode of the ESH podcast. And this one gets, well, kinda girlie.

    In this episode of the podcast Pandalicious brings up the demise of the NewType magazine and notes the decline in printed review media focusing on anime or manga here in the US. Then MagicMystic chimes in with her thoughts on the very, very sugary anime series Shugo Chara by TV Tokyo. Not to be left out, NinJaSistah chimes in with some gaming news updates and continues on the sugary sweet anime series Sorcerer Hunters.

    It's a fun episode, but don't take my word for it. Let these rejected episode titles tell reveal the fun-ness of it all...

    • Don't Choke On Microsoft's Wad
    • This Is A Pimpless Podcast
    • Twelve F-Words Makes It Extra Explicit
    • NewType Has Contracted Magazine Cancer
    • MagicMystic Fives The Ultimate Spoiler
    • Panda Puts Out For Published Writers
    • Harry Potter Jumped The Shark At Book Four
    • Sporty Spice Is A Version of Me? Egg-zactly!
    • Yeah, But Can She Transform Into A Camaro?
    • Just Another Manic Chara
    • A Black Egg With An "X" On It? The EAster Bunny's Not Gonna Like That
    • When The Keymaster Met The Gatekeeper
    • You Gotta Be Sick To Watch Sorcerer Hunters
    • These Suspenders Defy All Laws of Physics
    • This Series Puts The "Con" in Necronomicon
    • You'll Be Like That's What Panda Was Talking About
    • Getting Guys Off In 30 Minutes Or Less
    • Panda's Got Too Much Blood In Her Alcohol System
    • I Ain't 'Fraid Of No Toast
    • NewType Kicks It's Own Bucket
    • and
    • Slow Entropy Sucks


    So, grab you a new cuppajoe and settle in to enjoy Episode 87: That's The Problem With Theology, Too Much Math

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    New Podcast Day: Episode 86

    posted @ 2/17/2008 10:48:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    With Monday nearly here, you know we had to drop a new episode of the podcast on ya! This week's episode is all about the DMC4 XB360 experience.

    Pandalicious and NinJaSistah jaw over the likes, loves, and WTS moments from Capcom's newest release in the DMC franchise. I'll keep this summary short and let the episode speak for itself... well almost. Here are the titles we didn't use:

    • When Panda's Horny, She Remembers Guy's Names
    • The Newest Character In Devil May Cry? Porky Pig!
    • Hey Mr. Talisman, Tally Me Banana
    • Dante Has A Perfectly Good Reason For Killing That Guy
    • I Was Playing Devil May Cry When Dante Suddenly Became Ricky Ricardo
    • Sparda's Last Name Must Be Johnson
    • Sparda's First Name Must Be Willy
    • They Gave The Girls Really Big Bazookas This Time
    • Trish in Blackface? What Is This? A Minstrel Show?
    • Pandalicious Can't Get Her Mind Off The Pickle
    • Panda Goes Gay-Mer
    • and finally
    • Don't Throw Your Kids At Pandalicious


    Yep, it's a good one indeedy. Join the sistah's in Episode 86: Devil May Cry, and I'm Sobbing A Little Bit Myself

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    One Million Downloads Strong

    posted @ 2/11/2008 09:42:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    So I've gotten this email from the fine folks over at Capcom touting the amount of downloads the DMC4 demo off of XBLive.

    Well duh!

    It shouldn't surprise anyone that the DMC4 demo has been downloaded so much. First off, remember all the n00bs that got Xboxes [Xboxi?] for Christmas? Well they gotta have stuff to play, and I'm sure they haven't run off to the local game emporium to fill their little collection with $60 titles yet, so free demos and cheap Arcade games are welcome features of their new toy. Secondly, DMC fans are, well, fanatical. We love the franchise. We love the franchise enough to suck up the suck ass DMC2 to wait for DMC3 and DMC4. Give us the opportunity to play DMC on a new platform, with a new character, and we will flock to it like alcoholics to a happy hour.

    Yeah, DMC4 "el demo gigante" dropped into the XBLive Marketplace nearly predestined for greatness. Here's what the email to me said:
    Capcom's Devil May Cry 4 demo on the Xbox LIVE service passed its one millionth download, and is still going!
    According to Microsoft, not only is this the first demo of the year to hit a million downloads, but it’s also one of the fastest downloads to hit the one million mark in the history of the LIVE service. The demo appeared on the network January 24, and has been averaging over 25,000 downloads a day ever since. Additionally, the game has been a huge hit at retail, with reorders coming from major retailers within days of the game's release.


    I'll hold my judgement of whether or not the game is fun to play until I get it. But if you haven't downloaded the demo yet and you have an XBox, get thee to the Marketplace and join the million of people that have been playing the hell outta this demo.

    You can try to fight Berial!

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    New Podcast Day: Episode 84

    posted @ 1/28/2008 12:01:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Monday brings with it yet another new episode of the ESH podcast, and we have another solid one for you guys.

    In this episode, the gals get together to talk about, well, a little bit of everything. From Pandalicious sharing some of her thoughts on the anime Paradise Kiss, then on to MagicMystic exposing us to the Persona: Trinity Soul anime, and then NinJaSistah talking about sex in video games, Devil May Cry 4 and the passing of actor Heath Ledger.

    It is a rollercoaster ride of an episode this week; lots of highs and lows, lots of tangents. If you don't believe me, just take a look at the titles we rejected:

    • It's What ESH Mom Wants Everyone To Know
    • Anime Dude Looks Like A Lady
    • There's Angst Everywhere
    • The Writers Laughed In My Face-They Can Stay On Strike
    • Franz Ferdinand? Didn't He Pay For Columbus' Boat Trip?
    • Plan B's Not That Shabby
    • The Jeopardy Answer: You Can Unscrew A Light bulb
    • It's Never Good To Shoot Yourself In the Head
    • There's No Racism In Reverse World, Everybody's Pink
    • That Crack/Mother's Back Thing Just Ain't True
    • Personas Can Leap Tall Buildings In A Single Bound
    • Everybody Hates Captain Planet
    • Magic Likes Her Anime Bipolar
    • Alien Sex: Now With Lesbians
    • Getting It On With Marvin The Martian
    • His Name's Shepherd-Not Johnson
    • Space Makes You Horny
    • Devil May Cry All The Way To The Bank
    • Bow-Chicka-Wow-Wow+Force=Bad
    • Don't Make Me Sex Slap You
    • and
    • Blowing Persona Chunks


    So as you can see, you need to get a good cup of coffee and commence to listening to episode 84:Sparda Got Busy In A Burger King Bathroom

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    Tonight only special!

    posted @ 1/27/2008 04:22:00 PM by Monkey Doo
    To make up for how messed up X-box Live was, Microsoft is offering Undertow for free. There is just one catch though.

    It's only free until 11:59 pacific time tonight. So hurry up and start downloading. It seems kinda cool but I haven't even finished getting it myself. It's got 16 person multi player though. After I get it done, the multiplayer brawl is so on!

    The game is basically an underwater brawl for control of the ocean with three different races and four different units for them. It looks really shiny and cool. Check out the screen shots right here.

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    Get Thee To XBLive

    posted @ 1/24/2008 01:35:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Seriously, log into XBLive right now and get the DMC 4 demo goodness.

    Oh yeah, there is also an Army of Two demo up there and some car thing called Burnout Paradise, but you should just go and get the DMC4 demo and marvel at the beauty that the 678mb file brings.

    It's yummy, and will have to hold you over until the game ships on February 5th.

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    XBLive Demo Alert!

    posted @ 1/22/2008 02:24:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    SEGA of America announced a demo for their new shooter, The Club is now available via download across North America on XBLive and will be available via the PlayStation Network on Thursday, January 24.

    Developed by the fine folks over at Bizarre Creations, The Club mixes
    "cutting edge high definition visuals with hyper-addictive score based challenges to deliver the most intriguing and innovative shooter of early 2008."


    You play one of eight "misfit" gladiators and fight in a shadowy underground blood-sport a la, well, Bloodsport. Wanna know more? Click Here

    The final game will ship nationwide on Tuesday, February 19 for the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 and PC.

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    New Podcast Day: Episode 83

    posted @ 1/21/2008 12:34:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    New Monday, new podcast episode.

    In this new episode of the ESH podcast MagicMystic returns to the show [finally] to add a little manwa up in this piece with Banya: The Explosive Delivery Man. Pandalicious pokes her nose into the show and shares her experiences with Scene It: Lights, Camera, Action on the XB360, and NinJaSistah rounds out the hour with the affect Mass Effect has had on her while she's been playing it.

    To get an idea of what's going on in this episode, here are the titles we didn't use:
    • Math Drives Me Insane
    • Pandas Don't Read (Unless They Have To)
    • Panda Needs Scene It: Star Trek TNG
    • MagicMystic Returns To Find Nothing's Changed
    • and finallyl
    • D&D Do's & Don'ts


    It's a full show with the full ESH crew at the helm folks. So sync your ipod, go out to lunch, and listen to Episode 83: Don't Let Nature Go To Voicemail.

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    Condemned to Repeat the Same Horrors?

    posted @ 1/18/2008 08:12:00 PM by Douceswild
    There's a new trailer up for Condemned 2: Bloodshot and it definitely keeps in line with its predecessor.

    Not only does the trailer bring you a grim and creepy feeling, but it's got the whole "WTF is going on vibe". That was an all to familiar feeling that came with the first game in the series, Condemned: Criminal Origins.

    The new game picks up where the first left off, with the main character, Ethan Thomas, who has degenerated into a depressed alcoholic. I can't say I wouldn't have a similar fate if I'd gone through what he did. Despite this, he gets pulled back into the police force to investigate another series of bizarre happenings.

    Check out the trailer here to see if you're up for another hellish ride. (Age verification may be required.)


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    Who Did Xerox Copy? Everyone, It Seems

    posted @ 1/07/2008 02:33:00 PM by evermore
    One of the big announcements from CES today was that Xerox was going to do a wholesale overhaul of its branding effort -- and that includes changing its venerable logo. In addition to changing the typeface of the logo from all caps to lower case, Xerox is adding a graphical logo (seen here). But it looks mighty familiar doesn't it?


    That's because it is too familiar. Just look at the Xbox 360 logo shown here. Other than color and angle differences, it would be difficult to tell it from the new Xerox logo, now wouldn't it?


    But the copying doesn't end there. It seems that the Xbox 360 logo is, itself, a copy -- a copy of the Phillips screw.


    Of course, it's not surprising to see Xerox borrow the design for its new logo. Xerox is, after all, a copier company.


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    Don't Forget About Guitar Hero 3

    posted @ 12/22/2007 12:20:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Activision really would really appreciate it if you stopped being obsessed with RockBand long enough to remember that Guitar Hero 3 does, you know, still exist.

    So to remind you of that, from December 20th, you will be able to download an original rendition of "We Three Kings" for your Xb360 or PS3 by Steve Ouimette. Best part, they are absolutely free!

    If you are looking to expand your GH3 song list have no fear: a new track pack featuring songs by Linkin Park, The Used, and some group called Mastodonas well as single tracks "So Payaso" by Extremoduro, "Antisocial" by Trust, and "Ernten Was Wir Säen" by Die Fantastischen Vier.


    And if that wasn't enough, the "13 Days of Holly Rock" tournament for signed by former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash GH3 gear and other prizes is still going on.

    Remember people, Activision still totally hearts you.

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