Electric Sista Hood :: Video Game Reviews, Tech Gadget Reviews, and Anime Reviews

Dirty Thoughts and Cheating.

posted @ 2/15/2007 01:18:00 AM by Monkey Doo

I used to spend long nights with my WoW, strolling through the Barrens or killing the bosses of Strat again and again. Now... now it's just not the same....

I... I thought indecent thoughts the other night. Alone, in the dark, and on the computer I wondered what other MMo's are out there. I wondered what Vanguard would be like, or Warhammer Online, and even if I should give City of Heroes another try. Me and CoH had started so well together but we just hit a rough patch, maybe I should put my WoW aside and give it another chance.

I felt so dirty afterwards. I felt like I had cheated. But... it's not bad to think impure thoughts is it? It's not like I went out and you know... bought a new game.... I am sure everyone gets those same thoughts and still has a wonderful and healthy relationship with their MMo. I figured I could just lay down, have a good nights sleep, and feel better in the morning.

It didn't work that way though.... When I woke up the next day I still had that same feeling, that same longing to go somewhere else and try something new. I even took it a step further that morning. I got online and looked at all the MMo's, especially the ones that had the first month free and even... even a couple of those whores that are free all the time. I looked them over, wanting, no yearning, to make space on my hard drive for them. I even went so far as to delete some old videos and pictures of mine but I stopped because I had to go to work.

When I got home I... I took it that final step. I downloaded EVE Online. I only played it a little bit! I didn't get to in depth with it or anything. But it was too late, I had crossed that line and I could never go back. I tried to justify it, but it wouldn't work. I even tried going back to WoW and playing it more but it just bored me. Before I knew it I had done it again, this time with Second Life.

I think I am going to leave WoW. After my pay period runs out at the end of this month I am not going to renew. We've had some close moments and some good laughs but I think that it's time to move on to new things. I think what I really want in my life right now is to go out and play the field, sample a little of all the MMo's without having to make any sort of commitment.

I'm sorry WoW.... You'll always have a place in my heart....

Labels: MMORPG, Monkey-Doo, quit, World-of-Warcraft

Finish what you start...

Animal Crossing : Wild World for Nintendo DS

posted @ 12/04/2006 08:08:00 PM by geekwoman

Animal Crossing : Wild World for Nintendo DS by Geek Woman

Animal Crossing for the Nintendo DS is like a tiny milling MMO of ity bity people. There is a large "E" friendly community surrounding it. In addition to being able to connect and play with other DS owners while in the same physical location, the easy to use wifi capability can connect you with other players world wide.

It is an ingenious game in several aspects. The security for keeping identities secret seems to work and it is fairly easy to screen and block out unwanted parties. The exchange of a Friend Code has to be given someplace out side of the DS. It has to be someone that you physically know or meet through numerous Friend Code listing message boards. Once there though how would someone know if they were communicating with a an adult or a kid? They do require a verifiable email address to register at most forums. But that isn't much protection, so wifi chat should be supervised. Also many McDonald's restaurants and other hotspots permit people to play together wirelessly on the DS.

The game has an understandably "E" rating. However it should be specified someplace that a person does need to be able to read fairly well in order to be able to play the game. Maybe at some point in the future suggestions about the age a kid who would enjoy a game could be made on the packaging. Like "for children 5 and up".

Game-play
You would think that game that consists of farming a fruit orchard, fishing and collecting fossils would be relaxing. Not for me. I became obsessed with paying the huge, escalating and continuous morgage(s). Oh no! This is like a nightmare. I suppose it is to teach kids responsibilities but it made me frantic. I picked oranges and gathered shells. I learned how to perfect my fishing skills pretty quickly. In the first day I got it paid off. I thought I would be relieved then. But it was not to be. Tom Nook the owner of the only store in town, extorted me for another mortgage to build me a bigger house, even after I told him I didn't want it. This reminds me of an episode of the Xfiles... At least I could pick a lilac roof. Now I have an even more huge debt! If you do chores for townspeople, dig up some treasure, and discover some of the other secrets hidden in the game you earn lots of gold. There are many little side ‘missions’ in AC:WW.

I consoled myself with fishing. I caught several kinds. Notably I got a Koi and an Octopus. When I returned to the store the next morning they were closed. I am worried that my fish might spoil. I read online that I can time travel and set the time back on the clock to sell the fish. Then I have to reset the clock back to the correct present time so that I don't screw up the game. Heaven forbid that if after you turn the DS on - that you change your mind. A creature pops up and bitches you out with over 30 screens of a harangue about how important it is to save the game before you shut it off. Typing in "Shut up" or other epithets don't help any. I would love to know how to get that dubious feature to quit.

I was penalized for my trips back to the past by loosing trees. Several of my flower plants also looked as if they had been plant - napped by a neighbor and put in her garden. When I switched my clock to February 14th there was snow on the ground and my plants in that time weren't too happy about this.

Fishing is a tricky but fun pass time. The ocean wave sound effect is almost convincing with ear buds. This is a typical RPG. You build stuff, customize things, plant gardens and weed around the town. But the map is tiny. It suffers for only having one little town area to be in - unless you visit other peoples towns to trade items online. Compared to Pokémon which has many of these tiny towns all on one GBA cartridge this game has only one small one. The moon phases and weather are correct for my area. But this game goes in too many directions and is lacking fundamental basics. If space mattered then some of the odd customization features could have been skipped. Making constellations, or designing umbrellas could have been done without for example - to make the individual single person game experience larger.

Customization gives you the option to decide what you want the interior of your house to look like, along with your clothes, hairstyle, outdoors, museum, constellations, and music playing in your house. Compared to the GameCube version of AC, there are more items and more to do in the new DS version. Online, you can buy items from people. That makes it easier to complete sets you’ve been trying to collect.

To make me even more paranoid the game is still playing even though I am not. For example, if you don’t play the game for a month, your town will have weeds throughout. The weird townspeople will forget who you are, and sometimes move out. There isn’t a big reason beyond obsession to continue playing the game after a few days or so. You would have to pick all the weeds, and talk to everyone in your town again which isn't very interesting. I got crestfallen seeing that my trees and plants died. You can only plant one tree per day so many of my fruit trees died. I am glad I don't have as bad luck with gardening in real life. That would be sad. There’s not much motivating you to play this game in the first place, and the punishing mortgages aren't enough incentive to make you continue playing it. There is a thin line between realistic and engaging and reality check and stressing. AA : WW is more like a sim than a game.

Sound and Music
The background music changes every hour all of the tunes sound boopey and empty. The animals don't talk, they make odd little noises which you can thankfully shut off. It has a rudimentary sound program in it so you can make your own Town song and online you can use that to play songs that people have worked out and posted the tablature for. Also in the coffee shop in the Museum you can watch a coffee bar act and listen to several unlockable songs there if you are into music on the Nintendo there is plenty of it to be found in this game.

Multiplayer
When it comes to networking and people skills the DS is way ahead of the Sony PSP on this so far. Though Microsoft also intends to push Nintendo's hardware out of people's hands, they will be hard pressed to compete with the feel good, goody - good Nintendo. Again another one, a community that springs up like magical mushroom fairy rings around games like this one. There is something about Nintendo characters that make people rabid, and this is one of them.

The game is addictive without being entirely fun. It is an amusing way to kill time. And it will kill lots of time on you in between battery charges. Collecting items can make you crazy. There are several aspects of this game that are vast and endless. Though somehow filling all that empty space sometimes feels daunting rather than exciting. It is all about the grind without really getting anyplace. Skills like fishing have an endcap on them. There is a finite number of kinds of fish that you can catch.

Conclusion

It is a step forward in technology and it plays very stable. It is a solid game and from what I understand kids really like it. There are a number of women playing it. It could be considered a chick game because of the heavy elements of clothing and interior design and the lack of violence. The characters are those cute little badly rendered icons that seem to charm people so much. Not much to complain about here I give it a 4 out of 5

Labels: Games, Microsoft, PlayStation, PSP, quit, Sony, Tech

Finish what you start...

RE:Play

posted @ 11/04/2006 01:53:00 PM by MagicMystic

I was rereading one of my favorite manga for the hundred and second time today, and I decided that you all should enjoy it as much as I have.

The manga is RE:Play by Christy Lijewski, the creator of the runner-up story 'Doors' from Tokyopop's Rising Stars of Manga Vol 3. If you are looking for something great to read, this is it. RE:Play has bands, vampires, homeless guys, cross-dressers, amnesiacs, angry exes, more 'haute couture' than Rail can shake his fork at and it's funny too.

Izsak is your regular everyday homeless amnesiac, which is to say that he's a bit on the strange side. He plays guitar in subway stations for chump change, until one day Cree shows up and drags him home with her. Cree wants Izsak to join her band, Faust, and promises him a home and a bed to sleep in if he agrees. Having nothing better to do Izsak joins up. Char the cross-dressing fashonista drummer takes to Izsak immediately, but not all the band members are quite so accepting. Rail, Cree's adoptive older brother is distrustful of this random bum Cree has brought in off the streets, and he vows to stay close so that Izsak doesn't do anything creepy. Unfortunately, Izsak may not be able to help the fact that he's creepy, considering the fact that he's a vampire. (Maybe, there are strong hints) Add Cree's ex, Ed, the former guitarist and Char's twin brother, some mysterious people following Izsak and some fairly normal band drama and you have an awesome book.

I really love Christy's work, of the Rising Stars of Manga stories I have read 'Doors' is by far my favorite. She has the ability to make all of her characters lifelike and cool beyond belief, as I read RE:Play I find myself wishing that I was friends with the band. The storyline is tight, with even amounts fun, drama, character development and flashbacks of sordid pasts. The art is amazing as well. Each character has a distinct style and a variety of outfits are seen for each of them. Christy designs her own clothing and her personal style and design sense comes through loud and clear with the outfits she has put together for the book. There are no school uniform cop-outs or characters that have closets full of one single outfit. Cree, Izsak and company are living breathing Laundromat visiting people.

I give RE:Play a 5/5. It's awesome every time you read it, even the hundred and second time. 2 silver MMs for a band full of piercings and clothed in some cool ass shit, black for dark undertones and vampires, aqua green for some great one liners and jokes, and a dark pink for drama.

Labels: MagicMysticGrl, Manga, quit, Tokyopop

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Daily News: All I Want for Christmas...

posted @ 10/20/2006 11:32:00 PM by evermore

In today's news:

The mother of all shortages
The top 10,000
Out like a Lamb
Just some good ol' boys
Another Case Closed

Want a Wii or PS3 before Christmas? Forget about it: "This is going to be the mother of all shortages," said Larry Haverty, associate portfolio manager of Gabelli Global Multimedia Trust. He and others have told Reuters that purchasing this year's new consoles at the regular retail price before Christmas might be impossible.

The 10,000 most important gamers in the world: Are you part of the Nielsen 10,000? If you are, you're one of the most important gamers in the world. Nielsen, the folks who measure TV viewership, will be measuring videogame usage in its Nielsen GamePlay Metrics. Some 10,000 gamers have been chosen to represent the worldwide audience of videogame fans. "We are not targeting homes of gamers specifically," said Jeff Hermann, VP of Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services. "The panel represents the media consumption habits of the US consumer. Since the panel is statistically representative of all U.S. consumers, the gaming population is a subset of the overall panel and statistically projectable to represent game title and duration of play of the entire gaming population."

Noise of "The Lamb": Tokyopop's animated production of its long-running manga series "Lament of the Lamb" will be spotlighted at the 2006 Tokyo International Film Festival next week. Described in Tokyopop's press release as "a gut-wrenching horror story of a young man who shockingly discovers he may be the last in a bloodline of vampires," the manga version was created by Kei Toume and originally published in Japan by Gentosha. While TOKYOPOP'S popular manga properties, "Priest" and "Pet Shop of Horrors", have been recently acquired for film adaptation by Sony Screen Gems and Focus Features, respectively, "Lament of the Lamb" signals the company's first move into theatrical feature film production.

Why I don't live in Alabama anymore: James Wilson and Lance Borchert, both of Athens, Ala., were playing their favorite teams in a Playstation college football game Sept. 30 -- a game that became a little too serious. With Borchert's Tennessee team leading Wilson's Auburn team, Wilson became upset when Borchert quit the game and went to bed. Wilson, Borchert's wife's cousin, allegedly entered the Borchert's bedroom and stabbed Borchert in the back with a butcher knife. Although the knife punctured Borchert's lung, it did not kill him. Wilson ran from the Borchert home into the nearby woods and was tracked down by dogs from the Limestone Correctional Facility.

Exploding Skyscrapers? Don't Blame Godzilla: The city is in the grip of a crazed bomber in Case Closed: The Time Bombed Skyscraper - The Movie and nobody is safe as a crushing wave of terror washes over the innocent citizens. Planes, trains and massive towers all threaten to light up the night sky -- the sick whims of a brutal lunatic played out in sudden balls of fire. Conan Edogawa finds himself in a desperate race against the clock, an explosive game of cat and mouse with a deviant madman, and every second counts. Can he unravel the maniacal malcontent's scheme before the next timer reaches zero? Awww, probably, but you should check it out anyway.

Labels: Blood, evermore, Manga, Movie, PlayStation, Priest, PS3, quit, Sony, Tokyopop

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Hair Raising Show

posted @ 10/17/2006 08:29:00 PM by MagicMystic

One of the most interesting things about anime is the characters with gravity defying hair. I have known quite a few cosplayers who won't dress as their favorite characters because they can't even begin to get the hair right. Well the Alternative Hair Show in London has proved that it is possible to beat gravity... assuming you have massive amounts of hairspray.

The 24th annual Alternative Hair Show was put on in London this Sunday. Each year the Alternative Hair Show raises hundreds of 'dollars' (pounds sounded wrong) for Leukemia Research. 3 Shows were run over the course of the day to maximize the fundraising. This year 18 hairstylists from all over the world came together to raise over 300 thousand dollars.

Check out the official site

Videos of this and past Alternative Hair Shows are available here, here, and here

Labels: Anime, MagicMysticGrl, quit

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EA Micropayment Advancement

posted @ 10/17/2006 04:40:00 PM by Ninjasistah

After I read this article I wasn't sure if I should be pleased or pissed. Even after the clarifying of the micropayment system, I'm still on the fence.

I have to state up front that I am a huge supporter of cheating. I have a Code Breaker disc that allows me to have the coveted infinite double jump [Helmofawe that's for you baby!] in god of War which makes the Hades level MUCH easier to deal with. I have spent hours entering codes for individual characters in the Dynasty Warriors game ok? I am a big cheater. I'm proud of the lengths I'll go to in order to cheat. I feel truly American when I do successfully cheat in a game. I think it has something to do with the whole "getting over on the system" feeling that I get.

So on the face of things I should be happy with EA's micropayment unlocks content for you system. Don't have enough time unlock all the content of a game? Pony up a few bucks for points to purchase it. A mere 200pts will get you a maxed out character in a game, 100pts might get you all the alternate outfits, possibilities are endless. I should be jumping for joy. This would make many more EA titles, and other developers who adopt this kind of system playable for me. It should level the playing field for the working professional who doesn't have 60 hours to max out their player character against those that do, right? I mean, it would be great to be able to buy bad ass keyblades in Kingdom Hearts 2 or max out all of Sora's abilities so that I might stand a chance against Sephiroth. [Who am I kidding, that would be awesome as hell] But somehow the announcement and subsequent clarification of it's future implementation leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Again, I'm not adverse to the cheating, nor am I against pay for cheating. That Code Breaker disc that I have cost me money. Not that I would do it, but mod-chips are not free either. [And mod-chips are naughty naughty bad bad] I have no objection to Game Sharks or any cheat code enabling device, but I think that this "just hand me money and here's your final level availability" think is kinda cheap and degrading. It's just too easy. If I can just buy a game and then pay an extra $20 bucks and have everything unlocked that I would have to work for in the game to get, why get the game? Before you get pissy and say, "well aren't you doing the same thing buy using that Code Breaker thingie?" I'll have to disagree with you.

In order to take advantage of the Code Breaker, I have to track down the codes for the game that I want, and enter those in. Sure the discs come pre-loaded with a lot of games, but usually the game that you want cheats is a newly released game that will not be on the disc. There's a lot of trial and error involved as some codes do not work, or having too many turned on at a time will freeze you game, or you've entered a character incorrectly and have to track down the mistake and fix it. So even with the cheat disc, there is a fair amount of work you have to do in order to get your infinite ammo or infinite double jump. For me, it's just taking the up, down, up, down, up, up, left, right, start code entering to another level. But somehow the idea of just trading in points [which I have to pay money for] to immediately get the next five levels unlocked, or all characters unlocked without any effort. I guess that's why I'm on the fence.

A part of me thinks it's a move in the right direction because it proves that developers are aware that not all of the gaming audience can fully enjoy their products as they are not getting full access to it, but the lack of effort that you may be able to use in order to achieve things in a game still isn't quite sitting right with me.

What do you think?

Labels: Games, God-of-War, Ninjasistah, quit

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Ladies the Lioness Share of the Gaming Market?

posted @ 10/11/2006 09:29:00 AM by Ninjasistah

I saw this article first on John Dvorak's blog and thought to myself, "Self, maybe the world is catching on to what you've been thinking for a while..."

There are a lot more girls/women/ladies/chicas [whatever word you want to use... I don't find referring to myself as a girl demeaning in any way] playing video games than most people know or think. I'm not sure if the Nielson numbers reflect what most people think of as "video gaming" at all. I don't think these are PC and console title alone. I am quite sure they are factoring in mobile gaming as well, which is extremely popular with the ladies. ;) Every time I am on a train, or bus, I end up hearing some chick playing Bejeweled or Tetris on her cellphone while yet another young lady is playing some Metroid game on her DS Lite. The girl gamers are out there people, you just have to look.

Now, just when I was feeling all warm and tingly [in the good, non-sexual way] I come across this version of the aforementioned story on the 1up website, and I got pissed off. Why? Because the author was so sure and quick to point out that Nielson must be counting web based flash games and game sites like pogo.com in the study to get numbers that high. I don't know what exactly the Nielson research criteria was, but I was really offended by the idea that the only way female gamers could number that high would be if grandmas' in pajamas playing bingo were counted. [nothing against nanas' in pajamas, or bingo... I have love for both] But it's this kind of mentality that keeps many a girl gamer hiding her identity while playing on or offline. Who needs or wants the hassle of some dude belittling you before you even play a frame of a game because you don't have the same kind of "joystick" that he does? How childish is that? Why would you want to volunteer the information that will open you up for that kind of bullshit?

When I play online, unless I am playing with friends that I know, I don't turn my mic on. I don't want to have to explain why I'm playing the game, be asked constantly how big my boobs are, if I have on panties, if I have a man, if I need some dick in my life, or if I could just grunt into the mic a few times... just for fun. These are not exaggerations. From the first time I got online to play a video game until the moment I started writing this article I have been asked all those questions [and more] by other male players. And during that time I've run across about 25 females that acknowledged they were girls to me playing online. The one thing I noticed about all of these girl gamers was even though their mics were on, few of them spoke very often. Many were focused on the task at hand, but even in relaxed moments, few actively engaged in deep conversation or even instigated conversation. I've even noticed that on the odd occasion I'll do the same thing. I'll go online to play other people, but rarely turn my mic on... and if I do turn my mic on it's to let out a "dude, you fucking suck" here or a laugh there. Short and sweet, to keep the dipshits at bay. And even that isn't foolproof.

In any case, my point is girl gamers make up a large chunk of the gaming community, and come from many backgrounds... and there are way too many girl gaming clans that play Halo, GRAW, and DOA for me to believe that they are all on pogo!

Labels: Boobs, Games, Ninjasistah, quit, Videogames

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Boobies, Boobies, BOOBIES

posted @ 10/05/2006 01:06:00 PM by Pandalicious

Lets talk about...big, bouncy, boobies

Ever notice that boobies will catch the attention of even straight women? In anime more than anything this is an unavoidable truth. I have been observing this trend for a good while [ahem]... and my conclusion is...

They are large and in charge!
We are being hypnotized by their tempting nature!
BEWARE OF THE BOOBIES THEY WILL HURT YOU IN THE END!!!

Distraction, attraction, or fun-time wobbly action, boobies in anime vary in size from pre-teen developmental stage [also known as the "mosquito bite"] to early teen development ["itty bitty titty committee"... reserved for characters who are supposed to be cute, but not seen as sexual beings] the "double d's of desire" for the characters that just really need no explanation. These are the vixens, goddesses, babes with more than junk in the trunk.

I could stop here, but there is yet another level of bodacious booby class that I would be derelict in my duties if I were to forego mentioning them... the super deformed unbelievably endowed female, or simply put: the mega booby. Yes this creature abounds in many of your Hentai series and makes spot appearances in some of your kawaii series as well. She's got a rack that defies the laws of physics, but no one seems to really give a damn about that... just look at those boobs!

I will develop a list that will provide for you a barrier towards the corruption that these bouncing bodacious boobies will do to your soul. It is out of concern for our mutual safety that I will do this. This is the depth of my caring for you...

Look for the list soon!

Labels: Anime, Boobs, Kawaii, Pandalicious, quit

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Another NinJaMix Tuesday

posted @ 10/04/2006 04:19:00 PM by Ninjasistah

Yeah, I think I'm going to drop these "suggested listening for your soul's sake" articles every other Tuesday.

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, a short while back I put up a post linking to an iTunes iMix that created mostly to see if the linking thing would work, and secondly I thought it might be cool to share some of the music stuff that I enjoy with you guys. I figure if I subject you to my opinions and speculations, the least I can do is reward you with some musical enjoyment. [And getting a cut of the sales if you buy anything... c'mon, you know you want to help me quit my day job ;)]

So in continuing with the newly started Alternating Tuesday Audio Tradition, I give you: NinJaSistah Mix: Volume Too! I love this mix because it's just what I need to get my adrenaline pumping! I recently got turned on to Imogen Heap and Brazilian Girls, so they made the cut for this mix obviously, but if you like a little trance, dance, pop, and rock this is a mix that you can't pass up. Some of the tracks featured in this mix include:

Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack
Koko by Goldfrapp
Work Me Goddamit by Armand Van Helden
Wanna Love You Girl by Robin Thicke
Signs by Morpheus
Daylight Robbery by Imogen Heap
My My My (StoneBridge Remix) by Armand Van Helden
Back to the Roots by DJ Halperin
Rick Rubin by Spank Rock
P***y by Brazilian Girls
Ayo by Mya
Smack That by Akon
I Need Some Fine Wine and You, You Need to Be Nicer by The Cardigans
Cocaine by Robin Thicke
- and -
So Excited by Janet featuring Khia

All you need to see the rest of the tracks or buy them is to have a current version of the Apple iTunes application, a valid iTunes account, and the ability to appreciate some kick ass music. Just click on the image of the cover art above or on this link and grab the tracks now.

If you like any of the tracks, let me know... I like talking music in addition to gaming and anime. I'm a multi-tasker. [or a reformed over-achiever... but multi-tasker is nicer sounding]

Labels: Anime, Apple, iTunes, Ninjasistah, quit

Finish what you start...

Another NinJaMix Tuesday

posted @ 10/03/2006 04:19:00 PM by Ninjasistah

Yeah, I think I'm going to drop these "suggested listening for your soul's sake" articles every other Tuesday.

Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack
Koko by Goldfrapp
Work Me Goddamit by Armand Van Helden
Wanna Love You Girl by Robin Thicke
Signs by Morpheus
Daylight Robbery by Imogen Heap
My My My (StoneBridge Remix) by Armand Van Helden
Back to the Roots by DJ Halperin
Rick Rubin by Spank Rock
P***y by Brazilian Girls
Ayo by Mya
Smack That by Akon
I Need Some Fine Wine and You, You Need to Be Nicer by The Cardigans
Cocaine by Robin Thicke
- and -
So Excited by Janet featuring Khia

Labels: Anime, Apple, iTunes, Ninjasistah, quit

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Computer Gaming: Am I Really Missing Out?

posted @ 9/23/2006 08:20:00 PM by Ninjasistah

A short while ago I was talking with Pandalicious about gaming and the conversation got very interesting. By the end, we were both in agreement that gaming [on the whole] is incredibly enjoyable and should be a national past-time type of thing. But something from that conversation always nagged at me... it was a question that would bubble up to the front of my mind from time to time, making me question my own gamer-geekdom:

Am I missing out on something huge because I do not play games on the PC?

I need to give you just a little bit of history in order for you to appreciate the question... all of my life I have been a console gamer. The first system I remember owning was an Intellivision and ever since then it's been one console or another... from NES to XB360 [and damn near everything in between] I've always relegated my video gaming to a console machine. This is not because I hate PC's [I don't] but I've always thought or had the mind set that a personal computer is for work and a console is for gaming. I have several computers in my home and they are all production machines. By production I mean they are machines that I use for design work or video editing. While all of my machines are powerful enough to play games I do not have the luxury of allotting hard disk space, memory resources, or updates to games that may interfere with my machines running at top speed. I can't let anything mess with my money, or ability to make money to be more specific, so I do not game on any of them.

Pandalicious will tell you that there are a lot of PC games that she owns, plays, and enjoys on a regular basis. Many of these titles are games I have never played... I wouldn't be able to pick out a screenshot of Diablo if you paid me to, nor would I be able to isolate out from a group of screenshots which Civilization game was which. But as our video gaming conversation went on, I started thinking to myself that maybe I was missing out on a good gaming experience. There have been a bunch of titles that I have seen on the PC that I think are interesting, so lack of content hasn't kept me away... PC titles are no more expensive than their console counterparts, so I don't think that has anything to do with my non-pc-gaming-ness either. I think it's partly fear of the unknown and lack of a gaming machine that keeps me away from PC gaming.

I say fear of the unknown because I don't really know much about PC video gaming at all. The people that I do know that play these games usually only share with me their horror stories... some patch install gone horrendously wrong, or game saves corrupting or disappearing, not stuff to get me all excited about getting in on the scene that's for sure. So fear of getting into software that I have no previous experience with is unsettling... if I get that Guild Wars game will I really be able to find the help I need if I get lost somehow?

I think not knowing the answer to that or at least not having an idea about the answer to that makes it easier for me to justify staying away from PC gaming altogether. Add to that the fact that I would still have to keep my production machines clean and the idea of bringing in another machine just for gaming becomes a hard pill to swallow because I couldn't just get a run of the mill machine... I would have to get a supped-up boom-phatty of a laptop to game on.

I say laptop because I like being mobile with entertainment, but from the things I've read [from places like EGM, IGN, or CGM] to really have an enjoyable computer gaming experience you need a bad-assed machine... this means heavy hitting processor chips, high, high-end graphics card with lots of onboard memory, a couple of gigs of the high end computer ram, and a big ol' 7200rpm hard drive. My heart start palpitating when I start thinking about getting a mobile machine that can meet those specs... coming up with that extra cash, just for a gaming machine, just never seems to make enough sense to me. I try and I try, but I guess because I just have never had an all consuming "this is the greatest thing ever" experience previously on a PC with gaming [which I freely admit was waaay back in the day] I end up convincing myself to not get into it... one of those "better the devil you know..." kind of deals I guess.

But every so often, the conversation and question pop back into my mind because I feel like I might be missing out on something. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I feel like there are people getting to experience some things in a way I can't which makes it hard for me to relate to them. I've only ever been to one LAN party, and I didn't even play, I just watch other people play because I didn't know the game... and it makes me a little sad. But I just don't have enough of a "sad feeling" to justify getting a PC just so I can play games.

What do you think?

Labels: Computers, Games, Geekdom, Guild, Ninjasistah, Pandalicious, PC-Games, quit

Finish what you start...

Pick and Choose Your Filler Arcs

posted @ 9/22/2006 07:28:00 PM by MagicMystic

As I said in the "God Save this Podcast" episode there are quite a few Naruto filler story arcs. Some of them are decent, some are downright terrible. I've decided to make a story arc catalogue for Naruto.

I'll list the episodes for each arc, the basic storyline and whether I think it's worth watching.

Introduction (1-5): The introduction to Konoha, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi and the formation of Team 7. This is the painfully typical, but required introductory segment. There just doesn't seem to be any good way to jam all the information about the characters in the first few episodes.

Country of the Wave (6-19): Team 7's first large mission is the protection and escort of a bridge architect to the Land of Waves. This arc has the first big fights and cool techniques as well as the first powerful enemy ninja, Zabuza and Haku. I like this segment because Team 7 is finally starting to gel and work together.

Chuunin Exam (20-67): Naruto and friends are all genins, in order to advance to the next ninja level they must pass an exam. The exam has three parts the written exam, a survival test and a ninja vs. ninja competition. There are introductions to Orochimaru, Kabuto, Gaara, and the Rookie Nine (Naruto's classmates.) I love the mental torture the genins have to go through during the written exam, and I am crazy about Orochimaru and Gaara.

Invasion of Konoha (68-80): This arc covers Orochimaru's invasion of Konoha. Because of the lack of a pause after the last arc, this arc is often considered the second half to the Chuunin Exam arc. This storyline was alright, but there was much more running around and dialogue than there was actual fighting. The stalemate between the Hokage and Orochimaru took way too long.

Itachi's Return (81-85): This arc covers the short visit Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, makes to Konoha in search of Naruto. This arc has an introduction to Akatsuki, the group Itachi is working with, and indicates their interest in Naruto as one of the tailed beasts. This arc also has insight into Sasuke's past and his relationship with Itachi. I loved this arc because it showed why Sasuke was so surly and antisocial.

Tsunade's Decision (86-100): After the attack on Konoha it is deemed a first priority mission to find Tsunade, the woman who was elected as the 5th Hokage so that Konoha won't be left leaderless. Orochimaru also searches for Tsunade in order to heal the wounds he received in his attack. Naruto learns a cool new move, Rasengan. It was cool to see the fight between the giant frog, slug and snake in this segment. "Old Lady" Tsunade rocks!

Kakashi's Lips (101) For some reason this episode is considered a 'special' and not a filler. It is an entire episode devoted to imagining what Kakashi is hiding under his face mask and several attempts to make him remove it. This was almost painful to watch, and has no bearing on the rest of the series. I recommend you skip this one.

Race in the Land of Tea (102-106) Filler 1: The first official filler arc. Team 7 is sent on a mission to protect a runner from the machinations of a cut throat competition. Racers often hire ninja in order to hurt the other runners and remove them from the race. Although this arc is considered a filler I think it feeds directly into "Sasuke Retrieval" in that it helps Sasuke make up his mind to leave.

Sasuke Retrieval (107-135): Sasuke leaves the village searching for the power to defeat his brother. Naruto, Chouji, Shikamaru, Kiba and Neji go after him, but are detained by Oroshimaru's minions. Each of the characters has a chance to show off their repertoire of techniques. The arc ends with a huge showdown between Sasuke and Naruto with each using all of his abilities. This is officially my favorite arc so far. It's just a shame that the art during the big fight was so sketchy.

Infiltrating Orochimaru's Lair (136-141) Filler 2: In search of Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura and Jiraiya track down Orochimaru's lair in the Country of Sand. I liked this arc. It really solidifies the feeling that Sasuke may never return.

Mizuki Strikes Back (142-147) Filler 3: A minor villain from the first episode Mizuki is back and is determined to get his revenge on Naruto. This isn't a very good arc, it's not terrible, but I didn't enjoy it overly much either.

Bikochu (148-151) Filler 4: Naruto, Hinata, Kiba and Shino go on a mission to search for the rare scent bug. This arc shows Hinata's kick ass new techniques. I love this arc just for Hinata.

Curry of Life (152-157) Filler 5: Naruto and Team Guy (Neji, Tenten, Lee) travel to a small town to defeat Raiga, a ninja that has been terrorizing the town. This was a very goofy arc, painfully so at times.

Survival Training (158) Filler 6: Each of the Rookie Nine takes a group of three younger ninja out in order to train them to survive while on missions. I like this episode, Naruto in charge of a mission, how could that not be funny.

Bounty Hunter (159-160) Filler 7: Naruto, Kiba and Hinata are sent out after a thief, only to discover that he is a hardened killer. They are put at odds against a bounty hunter by the name Sazanami, who is also seeking the thief. This arc is pretty good, but there aren't any cool fights, which I had expected.

Green Beasts (161) Filler 8: Two unknown men try to infiltrate Konoha by disguising themselves as Lee and Guy. This episode is hilarious. Everyone teams up to torture these poor guys. It's a must see.

Land of Birds (162-167) Filler 9: A vengeful samurai ghost has been seen lurking around in the Country of Bird. Naruto, Tenten and Neji are sent in as ghostbusters. I really liked this arc. The art and storyline were well done, and the parallels between Sagi and Sasuke's missions of revenge were tastefully done.

As I finish this post up I am watching the episode 166/167 hour long special. I haven't seen any more of the fillers, but they continue on to 199, so far. There are rumors that 200 starts the storyline up again, but there is also information stating that there will be a storyline focusing on Kakashi's history before the second section starts. The Wikipedia article on Naruto says that the Kakashi segment will run from 239-244 and then at 245 a reintroduction will start. According to rumors Naruto II, whenever it starts, will take place 3 years after Sasuke left, so the first few episodes will explain what has happened in the interim.

According to Wikipedia the storyline goes like this:
Naruto I (1-135)
Filler Segment (136-238)
Kakashi Gaiden (239-244)
Naruto II (245-???)

However, this may all be speculation because only 199 episodes have been released.

Labels: MagicMysticGrl, Ninja, Podcast, quit, Tech

Finish what you start...

A Shopping Wii Will Go

posted @ 9/14/2006 09:35:00 AM by Ninjasistah

Well, it's official: November 19th is "Give us, us Wii" day!

According to the Destructoid website [whom I trust because they are teh b0mb] the Wii drops November 19th for $250. [Well $249, but you know the deal] and will include a Wiimote, nunchaku, batteries, console, and a copy of Wii Sports. Holy crap dood, they are shipping the system with a game...like consoles should be sold. It's funtime playtime right out of the box. Nintendo wanted to make one thing clear with today's announcement: Keep It Simple Stupid.

That doesn't mean that Nintendo is stupid, [they are quite brilliant actually] it just means the realize that keeping things simple often yields better results. Offering One system configuration means no buying confusion on launch day. No one will be standing in front of a sales person asking what the difference is between the core system and the premium one, or how those differences translate for them. Nope, on launch day you just, and knowing now that new first party games are going to be $50 [no more than new GameCube titles today and $10 less than current XB360 titles] If you think about it, that puts the price of the Wii console [by itself] at the predicted sub $200 value.

If you want more details about the customizable avatar stuff, Wii channels, and all that jazz, check out the Destructoid article...just keep a few things in mind while you are doing that:

Nintendo says they will ship 4 million units between launch day and Dec. 31st
the US is getting the bulk of those units
The Wii won't make it's Japanese debut until December, so the bulk of those 4 million units will be directed toward North America

Thumbs up to Nintendo for getting this launch thing right on the first try.

Labels: Games, Ninjasistah, Nintendo, quit, Wii, Wiimote

Finish what you start...

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Animal Crossing : Wild World for Nintendo DS

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RE:Play

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EA Micropayment Advancement

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Ladies the Lioness Share of the Gaming Market?

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Boobies, Boobies, BOOBIES

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Another NinJaMix Tuesday

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Another NinJaMix Tuesday

posted @ 10/03/2006 04:19:00 PM by Ninjasistah

Computer Gaming: Am I Really Missing Out?

posted @ 9/23/2006 08:20:00 PM by Ninjasistah

Pick and Choose Your Filler Arcs

posted @ 9/22/2006 07:28:00 PM by MagicMystic

A Shopping Wii Will Go

posted @ 9/14/2006 09:35:00 AM by Ninjasistah