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

From Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PC game reviews, previews, news, and gushings to audience questions and rumor mill seeding galore you'll find it here at ESH!
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    We less than three manga as well, so peep the manga reviews.

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    Finally A Company That Understands a Girls Needs

    posted @ 1/08/2008 07:12:00 PM by FreeLoader
    When it comes to great looking high fashion tech accessory cases you can have practical but ugly, great design but not really useful or you can get both great design and practicality but you are not going to get both without paying big bucks.

    As a result we end up with mediocre bags that fit are needs but really were made with the supposed "hip" business men in mind... but no more Golla's new spring collection fills our particle side as well as having a mean design sense. They make every thing from bags for your phones and ipods to laptop sleeves and backpacks. The company is based in Finland and all of there products have a great European style to them yet the designers have thought about all the ways people are going to be using there technology.

    Music Bags
    The music bags really stood out to me because while they were design with the mp3 player in mind they really can be for a variety of devices from you phone to camera. There are multiple pockets where you can slip in an ID or metro card and there is even a great zipper pocket on the back so you can put items you want to be really secure. They have also opted to not do a belt clip in favor of a small carabineers which I think will led it's self to be more versatile.

    Backpacks
    Golla also introduced new colors with both males and females in mind for there backpack collection. For anyone who has had to dig through there bag trying to find that one item that you swear you had with you only for it get lost in the dark pit then this is the bag for you. The back compartment is for you laptop but unlike conventional backpacks you load your computer from the side making it so much easier to fit everything. The second compartment where I at lease end to just dump everything else into has see-through zipper compartments so you can put everything into it perspective place. But just in case you forget where you put it you phone those see-though pocket come in handy.

    So the final part where can you get these bags? Depending on what you are looking for there are a variety of places from cellular store like AT&T Wireless for the phone and music bags to Target for the laptop sleeves and backpacks. While the holidays are over and we are all strapped a little for cash now you can think of these are part of your New Years resolution to get organized.

    Posted by FreeLoader Megwin

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    Ebay Etiquette Pt. 2

    posted @ 3/29/2007 08:15:00 PM by Douceswild
    When I last left you guys, I was still waiting for a laptop that I purchased off of EBay to come in. The seller lied about shipping the item and he wasn’t responding to my emails. Well I finally got the situation resolved with a happy ending…for me at least.
    First of all, I want to say thanks for the advice that all of you left on part one of my unfortunate ordeal. I took your advice and filed a grievance with the seller through PayPal. In turn, they setup a forum or message board of sorts where I had to leave a message for the seller and wait for him to respond. So they pretty much want us to try to work things out and come to some sort of agreement before escalating things any further. This next statement goes out to PayPal:

    IF I HAVE TO FILE A DISPUTE THROUGH YOU GUYS THEN THAT PROBABLY MEANS THAT I’VE ALREADY TRIED TO WORK THINGS OUT WITH THE OTHER PARTY AND IT COULDN'T BE DONE.

    Needless to say the seller didn’t respond to my numerous messages on the board. So I escalated the situation to PayPal once again. At this point THEY try to contact the other party and get his/her side of the story. (Anyone else see a ridiculous pattern here?) If there is no response after ten days then the claim would be decided in my favor. Ok, now here’s the best part. If the claim was decided in my favor then PayPal would make every effort to get my money back. This really means, “We’ll do what we can, but we ain’t making no promises…sucka.”

    At this point, I was inclined to agree with the anonymous individual who left the post on part one of my articles stating that I should just go to my bank and have the charges reversed then let PayPal deal with the individual, which is exactly what I did. One day later, I had my money back with no problems. Now if PayPal wants to take their time with the claim process, then by all means, have it. I got paid and that’s all I care about.

    Later that day I get an email from PayPal saying there was something wrong with bank account. I check my funds and everything was in order. I got this message from PayPal because THOSE MOFO’S (PayPal) TRIED TO DO A CHARGEBACK ON MY CHARGEBACK! That’s right. They tried to take the money back from me. How ya like that? Instead of trying to take the money from the crook, they tried to stick their hands in the pockets of the victim. Luckily, my bank said “Woe Bitches…that ain’t happening.”

    I’ve left Webguru_1 (I’m putting you on blast, numbnuts.) a negative feedback and took my money to Best Buy and purchased a much better laptop which I am using to bring you Part 2 of this story. I told you there was a happy ending.

    Good lookin' out for ya boy Douce. Much love to the FrESH peeps!



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    Ebay Etiquette Pt. 1

    posted @ 3/22/2007 03:51:00 PM by Douceswild
    I know that buying and selling items online can be risky but I believe there should be some etiquette involved when doing so. Well I’m about to tell you the tale of my latest Ebay experience.

    Last Tuesday (March 13th, 2007) I purchased a laptop on Ebay from a seller with good feedback. He had twenty-two transactions under his belt with one negative feedback that was classified as a misunderstanding. The seller requested immediate payment after choosing the “Buy It Now” option with no exceptions whatsoever. He also stated that the item would be shipped immediately after payment was made. I was willing to abide by his rules so clicked the button.

    Here’s where my problem begins. I hear nothing from the guy after I make the payment. After a week of requesting the tracking number for my item, which was supposed to be shipped by now according to his listed comment, there was no communication from the guy. Well I figured I got screwed so I sent the seller one final email on March 21st 2007 letting him know that I will began preparations to get my money back through Paypal since I haven’t heard from him. Thirty minutes later he emails me saying that the power cord for the laptop was loose so he purchased another and the laptop was shipped earlier that morning by DHL ground which adds another three to six days. He also stated that he would send me the tracking number the following day.

    Problem 1: If there was a problem with the power cord that should have been listed in the auction so I could have made an informed decision on whether or not I wanted to purchase the laptop.

    Problem 2: Even if I still decided to purchase the laptop, an email letting me know the shipping would be delayed would have been nice. Instead I got no communication for over a week.

    Problem 3: The seller is already a week behind in shipping when he promised it would be shipped immediately after payment. When he finally does decide to ship it, he tells me it will be shipped by ground. He could have least sent it next day or express to make up for the time and inconvenience.

    I’ve sold many things through Ebay over the years. One thing I strongly believe in is that when someone sends me their money for an item then I am obligated to keep them informed as to what is going on with the product they paid for. I have their money already while they are still waiting for their product. When I receive the payment, I immediately let the buyer know when I will ship the item. When I have shipped it, I let them know and send the tracking number. At no point in the process do I want the buyer to have to wonder what is going on with the product they paid for.

    If you guys feel I’m wrong or just being paranoid, then let me know. Have you had a similar experience with online buying? I’ll keep you posted as to what’s going on with the seller and the laptop. Keep checking the site for further news.


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    Panda Actually Shops at Walmart?

    posted @ 1/17/2007 05:43:00 PM by Pandalicious
    It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Pandalicious going to... Wal-mart?

    Let me explain, dear listeners and readers of ESH. I do no say this to make fun of Walmart...NO! I in fact embrace them for being completely awesome. Why, do you ask? As Any WoWer would know [And if you don't know, now you do!], Burning Crusades has made its way into hands all over the world.

    Pandalicious has a terrific older sister: NinjaSistah. NinjaSistah gave Pandalicious an Amazon.com gift cert. They said that my BC Copy would take longer than they anticipated [YEA -- NO SHIT!] and all that jazz. Pandalicious decides that she isn't very patient and drives at 7 a.m. to the nearest Wal-mart on release day and buys one.

    Please don't think she is a fool, because she is selling the copy she is getting through the mail to a WoWer who is down on their luck.

    This is why, ladies and gentlemen, Pandalicious loves Wal-mart.

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    The Boys of Ouran High School Host Club

    posted @ 12/04/2006 05:18:00 AM by MagicMystic
    The basic plot of Ouran High School Host Club is that Haruhi a studious girl from a middle class family has received a scholarship to Ouran Academy, a high school playground for the rich and bored. One day she wanders into the 3rd music room looking for a quiet place to study, accidentally breaks an expensive vase and becomes a member of the Ouran Host Club by way of indentured servitude. That's not what I want to talk about. Host Club is a harem anime and the gaggle of men make my heart go Doki-Doki.(Japanese sound effect for heartbeats) This post is all about them!

    The Host Club consists of disgustingly rich and influential rich-boys with too much time on their hands. Meet the Boys:

    Tamaki Suou: The President of the Host Club, he drives all of the ideas to try commoner's food, commoner's games and commoner's lifestyle. He is an airheaded drama queen who overreacts to everything and is completely gullible, falling for any sob story he hears. Tamaki is one of the last remaining true romantics, he possesses an unnatural ability to always remain positive and upbeat, even if it means disregarding reality. He does however have a bit of a bipolar disorder that throws him deep into a depression if he is emotionally hurt, fortunately he always bounces back quickly.

    I am a calm, collected pacifist and Tamaki fills me with the intense and totally irrational desire to kill a puppy. I HATE people like this, I just want them to curl up and die. I am the type of person who doesn't like dealing with morons and the overly emotional. I have no problem consoling a friend, acquaintance or random person off the street, so long as they have a good reason to be bawling their eyes out or for looking like someone shot their best friend. If I can't understand why they're sad I get all freaked out and I don't know what to do. If I ever met someone who had Tamaki's personality to the same extreme degree I would probably transform into the worlds biggest bitch and beat the crap out of them verbally and maybe even physically. The only time I have ever been violent with anyone was because a girl just like Tamaki decided she was my best friend and she started following me around EVERYWHERE. Everyone has at least one thing they cannot under any circumstances deal with, well this one's mine.

    Mitsukuni "Hunny" Haninozuka: Honey is the loli-shota character. He is short, cute, addicted to sweets and carries around his stuffed bunny, Bun-Bun. He talks in a high pitched voice and acts like a child, despite the fact that he is the oldest one in the club. Takashi is a permanent fixture at Hunny's side and Hunny can always be found climbing on Takashi as if he were a personal jungle-gym, hugging Takashi or riding on Takashi's shoulders.

    Hunny has almost the same effect on me that Tamaki does. When I see cute, childish little Hunny, I revert to "preschool bully" Magic and I want so badly to torture him and make him cry. I want to pinch him, I want to steal his sweets, I want to hide Bun-Bun... Writing this I feel like a very evil person, but luckily I put these in order from the characters I hate most to the characters I like most, so I'm less evil as I go on.

    Kyouya Ohtori: Now that the loudest and most obnoxious characters are out of the way you'll please notice the guy lurking in the background, scribbling in his notebook. Kyouya is the shadow king of the host club, he manipulates the airheaded Tamaki into decisions, and turns a profit on the club by selling pictures and merchandise of the hosts. Nothing happens without Kyouya knowing and he never does anything that doesn't benefit him in at least some small way. Kyouya is the one who threatened Haruhi into staying with the club to pay her debt. Although his skill at masking his true personality is top notch, he is occasionally revealed as the machinating, slimy and emotionless bastard he is. If you look carefully there are occasional hints in the anime that there is another layer under "Scum-bag" Kyouya that reveals that he is actually a fairly nice guy, but you have to dig really really hard to find it.

    Even just thinking about him to write this, I can feel my hair becoming limp and oily, my skin crawls and itches and I'm shifting uncomfortably in my chair. I wish I could peel my skin off and husk into a new body. I really really wouldn't like Kyouya if I met him. He scares me, creeps me out and pisses me off all at the same time, I think if I ever met him I would mostly feel the intense need to be elsewhere. All the guys have impressive connections but Kyouya is the only one who threatens to use his. He mentions a private army at one point and he is somehow able to keep up to date and extensive bios on everyone, complete to the last detail. No secret is safe with this guy, and he won't hesitate to use your secrets against you. I don't care how nice he is underneath, you can't wear a mask of pure evil all day without it seeping into your true personality.

    Hikaru/Kaoru Hitachiin: The twins are the tricksters of the host club. They are never serious about anything and they view anyone they encounter as their toy. Watching them with Haruhi is like watching two cats with a mouse. Before the host club they had no friends but each other and they tend to define the world as "Us" and "Those who are not us." Under the trickery and fun they feel some measure of disdain for "Those who are not us" and thus they play the Which one is Hikaru? game where they ask people to distinguish between them. The twins feel that as a unit they are better than anyone else and they ridicule those who cannot guess correctly, but they desperately want someone to come along and see them as individuals.

    If they were together, these two would make me cry. I have a scathing sarcastic wit that I picked up from my friends and I can take it as much as I can dish it out, but these two take it to extremes. Having them ganging up together against me would be awfully intimidating, and that's the way they like it. Being outside that frigid, icy wall wouldn't be any fun, but if they let me in and let me get to know them individually it would be a different story. Hikaru is a bit meaner, and much more childish but in his good moment's he can be caring and warm. Kaoru is infinitely more sensitive than his brother and he resorts to childish behaviours only when teamed up with Hikaru against someone. I could easily see myself falling for Kaoru if Hikaru wasn't around.

    Takashi "Mori" Morinozuka: The most taciturn and stoic member of the Host Club. Watching the series, I sometimes wondered what Mori was thinking, standing there in the background watching over the antics of the club. I've got myself convinced it was some Freudian analysis of the rampaging personalities of the club members. Mori is the tallest and strongest of the Hosts, and his age is only exceeded by Hunny (They're both seniors.) Mori always acts on his instincts, coming to the rescue of his friends, specifically Hunny. For generations Mori's family has acted as bodyguards for Hunny's family, and despite the tradition being defunct, Mori still looks out for Hunny with great dedication.

    Out of all the hosts, I love Mori the most. I really don't know how the animators managed it, but even with his monosyllabic conversations I can see that he is a deeply sentimental and emotional person. Who doesn't dream of a big strong man sweeping them off their feet. By big I mean 6'4", other than Kyouya and Tamaki he is the only club member taller than me, the twins are my height and Hunny is only 4'10". I couldn't tell you what about Mori draws me, I've always said that I like guys who can keep up with me in a conversation, but whenever I watch the anime and he shows up I get a huge smile plastered on my face and I ::SIGH:: lovingly. Eh, who said love was rational.

    So, it seems no matter who I choose I have an obstacle in my way (Hikaru/Hunny.) I would love to hear what other people think of the guys even if they like TA-MA-KI ::Said through gritted teeth:: or Kyouya ::ICK::

    If you haven't seen it I give Ouran High School Host Club a 5/5. Normally I dislike harem anime, but this series is funny and touching and all around Fab-Tab-ulous. Within the series there is a theme of roses and each character has their own color, so I'll use those colors for the MMs. Dark Blue for Mori, Light Blue for Kaoru, Orange for Hikaru, Purple for Kyouya, Pink for Hunny and White for Tamaki. Because the twins like being a single unit they each get half an MM. If you're wondering why no one gets the red MM/rose it's because Haruhi gets it, being the main character and all. The pictures in this post are all the characters with their rose colors, except for Tamaki. Let me explain: Tamaki is always manhandling Haruhi, whose rose color is red, so it's appropriate that Tamaki is also always manhandling the roses that symbolize Haruhi.



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    Viva Es Una Fiesta!

    posted @ 12/03/2006 09:04:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    El fiesta en su pantalones! Holy Bob is my spanish bad, good thing for you this game is not... I'm talking about Viva Piñata from Rare [Microsoft Studios] of course. I've been able to sit down with the game for a few weeks now, and I'm ready to share my thoughts on it with you... because you are my friend, you are special to me.

    I'll start by saying that if you don't enjoy games like The Sims or Animal Crossing, this is not the game for you. If you are above the age of 7 and don't relish in the thoughts of how you are going to micro-manage your beings on any given day, you are going to HATE this game. Personally, I LOVE those types of games so Viva Piñata should have been right up my alley... and it is.

    In Viva Piñata, you play the guiding hand in growing a piñata plantation. [It's more like neighborhood building, but I like the way plantation sounds better.] You start out with a crummy shovel and a small plot of land that you have to work into something piñatas in the wild will want to give up their roaming ways for. Sounds easy, and in the beginning it is, but as you progress on in the game gaining new plantation residents you'll start finding out that keeping your new little eco-system in tact will be difficult. For instance, in order to get some piñatas to become residents on your plantation you have to let them eat some of your existing residents. Before you start with the, "hey this is supposed to be a kid friendly game, not violent at all..." crap remember that I said they are piñatas. They get broken open [being paper mache] and their carcass floats off into a bright light towards the sky leaving behind candy which is eaten by the conquering piñata. It's so cute you barely recognize that your plantation residents are happy canabals. ☺

    As I said, Viva Piñata is very much like a Sims game... you have to do a job [tend to your garden planting flowers, trees, grass, digging ponds, etc.,] and meet criteria in order to get wild piñatas to want to visit your garden. Once they have visited you now have to find out what they need to have happen in order to get down to business. Yeah, you heard me correctly. Once you get a couple of the same species of piñata in your garden/plantation you have to figure out how to get them to reproduce. This usually entails having a house for their species built on the plantation and feeding them one of whatever thing it is that they like to eat. The first piñata that you will get to be resident and reproduce will be the "worm" piñata which are called whirlms. The first time you get your piñata to "romance" [that's what it's called in the game] you will have to guide a piñata through a mini game to the other piñata in order to get them to do the mating dance and make a baby! And when it is the first time that you have gotten a species to "romance" you actually get to watch them do it. The mating dance you perv, not "it" it. Every species has a different dance. Once the dance is completed the piñata leave the house and wait for Storkos to bring their baby egg. It is at this point that the game is nearly too adorable for words. I'm not kidding. It is the most cute thing I've played I think ever. This game is MORE adorable than Animal Crossing... and that's a HUGE statement coming from me. I used to play that game for 8 or more hours a day man! Moving on.

    Viva Piñata is actually a challenging game. As night falls you have to defend your plantation resident from wild poacher piñatas by whacking the invaders with a shovel or sprinkling them with water. You also have to break up fights between your residents from time to time, else they may get injured and require you to spend money on having a doctor come and make them better. I'm not kidding. There is a little dude that wears a monkey mask that drives out in a shrinermobile to the aid of your nearly dead piñata. How do you make money to pay for these doctor visits? You can sell the fruit from plants you grow, seeds, flowers, pick up coins during the "romancing" mini-games, or just sell your piñatas that are residents. I recommend breeding the hell out of your "bee" piñata as you get over a grand per bee you sell, and the only things they need in order to get busy are a bee house and any piece of fruit. This is why I refer to the garden as a plantation, because you spend most of your time breeding and selling piñata in order to be able to attract other piñata to your land in hopes of ensaring, I mean, encouraging them to live on your land.

    This game is damned addictive. I can't stop playing it. The textures are gorgeous. When piñata come into view and move around their paper hair moves [i.e. rises and falls] in a way that seems natural, but it looks sooo good. I love that all the helper characters that speak in the game have an English accent. It makes it seem like it really is a "goodnight" story that someone is reading to your kid... even if that kid happens to be 27 yr old me. But what I like most about Viva Piñata is that it's a game that parents can actually enjoy playing with their kid or at very least enjoy watching their young kid play. It's light hearted, it teaches your kids how to manage money, and take care of things. All this, and it looks good too!

    All things considered I'm going to give Viva Piñata a 4 out of 5. I'm giving it two aqua-green candies because it's definitely a kawaii overdose waiting to happen. One green candy for helping to educate our young kids on the importance of having money and spending it wisely. [No money = no house. No house = no nooky. No nooky = unhappy piñatas.] And one orange one for just being some adorable, yet odd fun. If you have young kids, or are a young kid at heart with an XB360 system you really ought to pick this title up.

    Have I steered you wrong yet?

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    .Hackers of "The World" Unite!

    posted @ 11/23/2006 07:19:00 PM by Douceswild
    “Prepare to charge! Scroll over him with your mouse cursors…and…RIGHT CLICK!” The Douce has an anime that is all about you and your addiction to online gaming. Many of you may have heard of it or watched it already and there’s no denying that we (myself included) see ourselves somewhere in this anime.

    The anime that encompasses just about every aspect of a typical MMORPG is .hack//Roots. The popular online game called “The World” from the previous .hack series has been destroyed, revamped, and re-released as "The World R:2". The new version of the game has been overrun by pk’ers (player killers). Logging onto the game and venturing outside of root town comes with the risk of getting your character pk’ed.

    Haseo logs into The World for the first time as a newbie only to be nearly pk’ed by two players who pretend to be his friends while helping him learn the ropes of the game. He’s saved by a mysterious player named Ovan, who tells him there is a hidden power inside of his character and invites him to join his guild. Haseo begins his grind to level up and in the process, befriends a guild mate named Shino. One day, he witnesses Shino being pk’ed by the mysterious avatar known only as Tri-Edge. It’s said that those killed by this avatar are called the Lost Ones because they never log back in to the game.

    The loss of Shino sends Haseo into a rage as he tries to track down Tri-Edge and discover what happened to his friend. In his search for power and answers, he becomes a pkk’er (player killer killer) as he eliminates any player that refuses or is unable to point him towards the mysterious avatar. Haseo is dubbed "The Terror of Death" because of his rampage and also earns the reputation of “the player who killed 100 pk’ers” after being ambushed by and killing 100 pk’ers in a single battle.
    Roots deals with almost every situation you’ll find in online gaming. Account selling, corrupt GMs’, and guild drama is touched on throughout the series. Friendships are strained online and offline as Haseo tries to find the balance between high-level power and online respectful gameplay. He is still unsure of the hidden power Ovan spoke of and how to summon and control it.

    I’m giving this anime one dark M&M because some of the events that take place are dark as well as the mood of the series at times. We’ll throw in two dark blue tasties due to the sadness of seeing the change in Haseo’s attitude and gameplay as well as friendships being torn apart as people are pk’ed and/or leave the game. Let’s go with one maroon M’er for having a good story and plot that references events and characters from the previous series and sets the stage nicely for the .hack//G.U. Playstation2 game. I’ll put this baby to bed with a purple M&M because .hack//Roots is just plain friggin’ good. Pick it up if you’re a online gaming fan. If you’re not, then watch it anyway so you’ll finally understand the hardships that we go through every time we log in.



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    The Sexiest Saleswomen in the World

    posted @ 11/20/2006 01:20:00 AM by evermore
    The Sony and Nintendo fangirls and boys already know which new console is better. So the only question that remains is this: Which group is sexier -- girls selling PlayStation 3's or girls selling Nintendo Wii's?

    On Friday we presented a slideshow of females hawking the PlayStation 3 on eBay -- some of them showing a distinct lack of clothing. Well, it seems that the moment people got their hands on the Wii on Sunday morning, girls started stripping for the cameras again in order to gain a little bit of advantage while trying to sell the Wii on eBay.

    Here's your chance to compare for yourself. Click the links below to check out each gallery of game-sellin' girls and let us know which camp you think has the sexier girls:

    Click here for The Girls of the Wii

    Click here for The Girls of the PS3

    If you've previously viewed the PS3 girls, we've added a dozen more photos to the gallery today, so please visit it again.


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    Show Me the Violence!

    posted @ 11/19/2006 10:15:00 AM by Douceswild
    The release date of the controversial PS3 title Bully has come and gone. Many individuals and organizations which will remain nameless (mainly because we’ve called them out on numerous past occasions) tried to have the release halted because of its “excessive violence against classmates and teachers”. So after having played the game, I’m here to ask you, how violent do you feel?

    I’m pretty sure that any gamer worth his achievement points already knows what the game is about. If you’ve been hiding in a cave somewhere or frozen in a block of ice, then I’ll summarize it…and then slap you with a minus 50 dkp! You’re a delinquent named Jimmy Hopkins who has been kick out of numerous schools and now Bullworth Academy is your destination. After being dropped off by your mother on her way out of town with her new husband, you start your semester avoiding and/or taking a stand against bullies and performing tasks/errands to work your way up the social ladder in between going to classes AND taking exams in the form of mini-games.

    Now let’s get back to the topic. Before the release of Bully, we were pounded with warnings and rants from, again, those who shall remain nameless, about the game advocating violence against other students and teachers and BLAH BLAH BLAH! I’ve completed the entire game and the level of violence is so minimal that it can hardly even be classified as an action title. The whole “violence against teachers” thing is kind of ironic because most of your interaction with the teachers is centered around getting THEM out of trouble like covering up their inner-staff affairs and drinking problem. There’s a part of the game that even requires you to expose a teacher’s test answer-selling scam. Help me to understand this. How is any of this supposed to make me violent? Does retrieving a classmate’s stolen diary or helping a bunch of geeks find their trading cards put you in a killer frame of mind?

    I’ve played my fair share of violent games and Bully is everything but violent. There are no pimps or prostitutes and your “deadly arsenal” consists of things like a slingshot and firecrackers. I’m no expert gangsta but I doubt that would be too effective in a drive-by. So I have a message for our favorite group of protesters and anyone who said Bully would cause riots and misbehavior in youths:

    Until someone discovers a Hot Cappuccino mod that enables me to get it on with the head cheerleader or the school skank, YOUR CLAIM IS BANANAS, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!


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    UT OH! May Be A No!

    posted @ 11/13/2006 07:13:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Proving that [1] Microsoft's paper is LONG son and [2] never say never, there is a rumor going around that MS may be purchasing the game house that is Capcom.

    You read that correctly. It's not a typo, though I do make those on the odd occasion. According to this post from GoNext and evidently an article in EGM hinting that MS was interested in buying Capcom in order to make them a 1st party developer. And while I have my doubt about this actually coming into being, I can't just brush it off as not possible... they did buy Rare and Bungie, and I sure didn't see either of those coming when they happened.

    And before you go off about a Japanese company never "selling out" to a western one, remember that we are talking business here, not individuals. Capcom has a stockholders that hold them accountable for turning a profit on their investment. If an opportunity to increase profits, passing by it solely based on where the offer comes from geographically will not be accepted. And while I visited the newly re-designed Capcom website, I was unable to find much of anything there. Their support, press, and contact us pages are all "coming soon" as they have been since the relaunch.

    On a personally note, the idea of MS buying Capcom excites me and also scares the hell out of me. I'm excited because I really would like to see more Capcom titles on the XB360 system, but not like this... not like this. I think Onimusha and Okami would benefit from being on the XB360 system, as would God Hand... especially with a new online component. But the idea of DMC4 being an XB360 exclusive does really bad things to my tummy.

    Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

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    Daily News: Circuit City Giving Away 10 Ultimate Game Packages

    posted @ 10/30/2006 12:25:00 AM by evermore
    In today's news:
    • Become the ultimate fanboy/girl
    • Here are 22 PS3 launch titles
    • Nintendo entering Russia
    • Anime Tour goes to Seattle, Vegas
    • New Guyver series hits stores


    10 winners will have it all! You can become the ultimate fanboy or fangirl by being one of 10 winners in Circuit City's Ultimate Gaming Giveaway. Winner will get a prize package that includes a 60GB PS3, Xbox 360 Pro, Nintendo Wii, a home theater setup, two Xbox games, two PS3 games and a Wii game and wireless controllers for all three consoles -- a package valued at $2299.88. You have only until Nov. 4 to enter and you can enter only once. Go to www.circuitcity.com and follow the prompts. Here are the official rules.

    PS3 to have 22 games at debut: The list of games available at the launch of the PS3 (according to NamHuy.org) will be: NBA 07, Resistance: Fall of Man, Genji: Days of the Blade, Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII, Call of Duty 3, EA Sports Fight Night Round 3, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, F.E.A.R., Full Auto 2: Battlelines, Madden NFL 07, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire, NBA 2K7, Need For Speed Carbon, NHL 2K7, Ridge Racer 7, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas, Tony Hawk's Project 8 and Untold Legends Dark Kingdom.

    Nintendo to compete in Russia: Japanese business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports that Nintendo's European unit has already appointed an agency to start selling its hardware and software in November, according to a story carried by Reuters.

    Anime Tour for the Cure announced: A nonprofit convention to help raise up to $250,000 for the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Anime Tour for the Cure has announced tour stops at Seattle, Wash., Jan. 6-7, and in Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 13-14. For more information, go to animeff.com.

    Guyver, Vol. 1: Days of Future Past: The original Guyver is one of the first big anime series to become a hit in North America, and it helped create anime fandom as we know it today. Now we have a brand new Guyver with all the bells and whistles and mayhem that otaku have come to expect from an A-list title! Featuring electric action sequences, this timeless tale of a boy who discovers an otherworldly suit of armor and becomes caught in the crossfire of an interstellar war comes to life as you've never seen it before. Or maybe you have.


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    Daily News: WoW Expansion Pack Delayed

    posted @ 10/24/2006 11:06:00 PM by evermore
    In today's news:
    • Gamers in a World of Hurt
    • There's a sale at Penney's Toys"R"Us!
    • Old School comes roaring back
    • Sony Reader gets thumbs up
    • Monsters, demons and detectives, oh my!


    WoW expansion pack misses holiday selling season: Testing on the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion pack got started only this month, and as a result the package won't be available for sale until after the first of the year. According to an Associated Press story, "Gamers will instead have to wait until January to plumb the depths of Outland in The Burning Crusade..."

    It's 3-for-2 time at Toys"R"Us: Through Saturday Oct. 28 at Toys"R"Us, buy two in-stock video games, get the third one free! Here are the weasel words: Free video game must be of equal or lesser value to the lowest priced item purchased. Limited quantities available. Sorry, no rain checks. Here are the online promotion rules.

    Some gamers putting warp drive in reverse: In an age where a new video game system is close to breaking the $600 mark, some gamers are reliving the good ol' days, buying old game machines in pawn shops for a $20 bill and buying old games for a five-spot. "Maybe it's because they grew up on them," Jim McCauley, owner of JimmyJams Comics and Games in Winona, Minn., told the Winona Daily News. "A lot of college-age guys look at all the new games, but also the old Nintendo games. I see a lot of that. There's a lot of nostalgia going on." The big sellers? Games with Mario and Luigi. One customer says, "They're chick magnets."

    Is the Sony Portable Reader squint-worthy? That's the question answered by Tony Salvaggio for Comic Book Resources in his review of the new portable device. Specifically, Salvaggio checked out the Reader for its ability to display manga titles. "Tokyopop has committed to releasing a collection of their Global Manga lineup for release at the launch of the Sony Reader (in fact, an excerpt of 'Peach Fuzz' should come pre-loaded with the Reader)," Salvaggio writes, "and I was able to take a sneak peak at the results."

    Tactics, Vol. 2: Supernatural detective Kantaro Ichinomiya and his band of monsters and demons are back! This time, the team travels to Bride Island, Suzuku Temple and Asakusa in search of adventures, monsters and interesting journal articles. Sounds... like... fun.


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    Lik-Sunk

    posted @ 10/24/2006 04:30:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    The gamers best buddy and pal Sony has effectively put the best place on the web for getting your grubby little hands on imports Lik-Sang.

    Sony says, it's for our own good. The British don't need Japanese PSP's or video games that will never be ported to England for the English, so places like Lik-Sang don't need to exist, right?

    Wrong. Here's why. Sony pushed back the roll out of it's PS3 system in Europe to 07. [March of if'n I remember correctly] so the only way for many people in Europe to get there hands on the system before then would be to grab an import from someplace like Lik-Sang... which had already taken pre-orders for the PS3 before the Gamestop shenanigans. Yeah, you heard me, I said shenanigans! Hundred non-refundable bucks for a pre-order that won't even put a box in my hand launch day deserves no other name. But it's not just PS3, but our European sister and brother gamers were also getting boned on the price of their console and hand held systems. As much as I bitch and moan about the price of the high end PS3 box here in the states, that 599 euro box in Europe would run you nearly 752.12 USD. I shall cease my bitching for a bit on that one. OUCHIES!

    But why now, and what really is the deal? Well Sony claims it filled the lawsuit against Lik-Sang arguing economic harm to itself and dishonest selling tactics. Now, I'm not sure exactly what "economic harm" defenseless lil Lik-Sang had [they didn't even have representation during the hearings, poor lil guys...] but I'm not sure how you can claim dishonesty. There was an adapter that was listed on the Lik-Sang site that was supposed to be auto-sensing as far as power wattage went, and I haven't been able to tell if that product was bunk or not, but still... there are a lot of sites that list a lot of products that don't actually do all of what they promise.Oh, by the way, isn't this "dishonest selling tactics" the pot calling the kettle black coming from Sony? Didn't they make that next-gen console comparison sheet that in all "honesty" to label as "bullshit" a fair statement?

    Now look, I never actually bought anything through Lik-Sang. Not because I felt they couldn't be trusted, or were overpriced, but because I personally didn't have much want or need for an import game or gaming system. However, I always thought it was a good idea to have a source like Lik-Sang out there for the people who did not have as many options or choices as I've had here in the US. There are a bunch of games each year that ship in Japan and in the US and Canada, but never make the distribution cut for Europe. I didn't like that idea, but at least places like Lik-Sang helped level the playing field for gamers in Europe. I liked that. I'm almost 100 percent sure that this maneuver by Sony had less to do with protecting the "hordes" of folks clamoring for the PSP in Europe and more to do with the [eventual] roll out of the PS3 in Europe.

    I do feel for you poor bastards in Europe, not even having a shot at a PS3 until waaaaay into 2007. You gotta wait until after us Americans and Japanese have all our fun before you can even think about joining the party.

    Y'all have been fucked, and I do mean proper fucked, by Sony. The only difference between us and you, is that Sony took us out to dinner first.

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    Girl Gamers: REALLY?!?!

    posted @ 10/23/2006 12:16:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    This is a picture of Kathryn Marie Holt. Kathryn is HOT! Looking at this picture makes me thirsty... I'm secure enough in my femininity to say that. I have no beef with hot women, make no mistake about that. My problem is that according to JoystickWidow, Kathryn is a gamer... I find this highly suspect.

    Not because I think that girl gamers can't be hot, I KNOW that can be and are in many, many, many cases. I find it suspect because my personal experience has told me that many models spend more time working and trying to get work than on gaming. A trip to this website only confirms my suspicions that the site is mainly setup for guy gamers, not girl ones.

    When you first visit the website, you will notice that their banner graphic is neat looking, until you look at the right side which has "Your Slogan Here" in big white letters. Whoops, forgot to adjust that template before we posted it to server eh? Oh well, accidents happen. Over all it's a good looking site. And there are some game image galleries and news bits from other sites and sources. [I found this site because it actually linked to one of our articles, else I would have never know a gem like this existed.] So I bopped around the site until I got to the widows section which has little profiles of GREAT looking dames who are all supposed gamers. Most of the ladies on this page have gamertags and one of the questions they have to answer is "what is your favorite game." While nearly every babe on this hottie roster of hawtness answers the fav game question naming a game or two along with her gamertag and a link to her personal website, I still found myself questioning their gamer cred. Awful of me I know, almost hatin' on these babes because I felt that something with the stats I was reading were off. A couple of the ladies just didn't look like Halo or Mortal Kombat fans. I know I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover... but when the cover looks like belongs on the front of FHM magazine instead of a "Brady Games" guide book. This brings me back to Kathryn.

    Kathryn's gamertag is Kitty. Being on XBLive myself, I thought I'd look her up and see what games she plays and what her gamerscore is like. Imagine my surprise when I saw that Kitty had no profile image, no achievements unlocked, no profile really... because she hadn't played any games. I told myself that Kitty, er, Kathryn just has been busy and must not have had any real time to settle in and get her game on. [You can click on the image above to see a larger view of the screenshot I took of Kitty's gamer profile on xbox.com] Yeah, that's it, or at least that was the thought until I checked out the gamertags of all the other hotties on the page.

    After going through all of the widows, most of the gamertags were completely bogus, of the ones that were actually found on Xbox.com community, only one actually had a gamerscore of 10. Now my gamerscore is nearly non-existent itself [it's only 520] but it's mostly because I don't have a lot of XB360 games [only own two] or time to really play like I'd LIKE to. But this site just pisses me off. Not because it's using sex to sell whatever it is that this site is selling [I'm all for that] but because it's selling you guys short. I doubt any dude visiting this site wouldn't guess that none of the chicks featured on the site are actual gamers, or could even tell you what system Halo is on, so why even try.

    For all the issues that I have with the PMS Clan, most of the member have gamerscores and records that you can honestly say, "OH HELL YEAH! She's definitely a gamer!" One does not rank up a gamerscore of over 20,000 lightly, and I have a lot of respect for anyone that can game on like that. But I think sites like JoystickWidow do more harm than good. I think they help guys not take girl gamers seriously, and pisses me off. It has taken me so long to get respect from the guy gamers I know and the ones I play online that the idea of stuff like JoystickWidow being out there and in some way helping to detract from that pisses me off.

    Don't get pissy with me about this, I'm not hatin' on these pretty girl gamers. They AREN'T gamers, they're posers... and I can hatin' on a fucking poser all I like!

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    PS3 Online Details

    posted @ 10/15/2006 01:43:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Back from New York, with a few tidbits to share with you.

    First off, I found some details on the net about the PS3's online capabilities. You may already know about this stuff, but I did not, and was pleased [finally] to see all of this stuff.

    So here's the list of stuffs:
    • Multiple User Profiles
    • Master Accounts
    • Web 2.0 Compliant Web Browser
    • The majority of the online experience is free!


    Now lets examine these talking points.

    Multiple User Profiles
    For anyone that will be sharing a system [like a frat/sorority house, roommates, family homes, this is going to come in handy. The PS3 will support multiple user profiles on the system [saved to the hard drive] so each individual user can sign in to their profile and have their account settings and preferences on hand. No worries about saving stuff over on other people's profiles by accident here. Oh joy!

    Master Accounts
    Tied in with the multiple user accounts above, you will be able to set a master account on the PS3 when you get it. Think of the master account as root [geeksters only] the master account gets to set boundaries and admin all sub or associated accounts. This will be a big help to parents as they can set themselves up as the Master Account and allow their kids to setup associated accounts. With their Master Account, parents can limit the amount of time an associated account can spend in the Online Store, or even online I would imagine. This may be a big selling point on the PS3 for families in this day and age of shielding the chillrens from the world and whatnot.


    Web 2.0 Compliant Browser
    This was an interested one to see, a full blown web browser. No crippled browsing capabilities here folks, which is long over due I think. Read your GMail, check out what's going on here at ESH, watch some viral videos, it's all here. I think this feature will prove to be invaluable if Bluetooth keyboards can be used easily with the system. Give me a box that I can game on and take time out to check my email, Myspace, and update this site all at the same time, and I'll be spending a LOT of time in front of the tube on the regular.
    - and finally, my fav -

    The Majority of the Online Experience is Free!
    Yes, I'm not stuttering... it's free... well most of it is, anyway. All of the online services [which include voice/video chat and normal multiplayer gaming] are free once you sign up. The only things you have to fork over some dollahs are when you decided to buy items from the Playstation Store, downloadable content crap or subscriptions to MMO games, which, I think is fair.

    Now, there's a lot more going on in the article I read that mentioned these nuggets of info from, but I found these things to be the most interesting to me because if implemented well these elements will make the PS3 box a strong entertainment box. What? Surprised I said that? You shouldn't be, I'm a gamer first and foremost... so any news on tech implementations that will make my experience as a gamer more enjoyable or easy to manage will get my positive attention. My objections or negative opinions of the PS3 box have always been on Sony's attitude towards the consumer, the price point, and lack of forethought on the launch. I think once the lasers are fixed and working properly, box production is up, development for the box becomes a little easier for game developers, and the price comes down a bit, that the PS3 will be a strong gaming box... just not before then.

    Seeing these few facts about the online aspect of the box gives me hope that at least some forethought and conversation about making the gaming experience better for gamers has been going on at Sony in some marginal way. It doesn't wipe out all the previous condescending comments, or superiority complex things that Sony has been inflicting on the gaming community of late, but it's a step toward mending that bridge.

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    Daily News: Nintendo -- No. 1 With a Bullet?

    posted @ 10/10/2006 11:11:00 PM by evermore
    In today's news:
    -- Nintendo's heading back to the top
    -- Live a little behind the videogame counter
    -- There's lots of rumbling, but not from the Sony camp
    -- A new Ghost volume is crawling out of its Shell

    Will Nintendo Win the Next Gen Wars? It's been generally accepted that Microsoft will win the next-generation console wars for 2006, selling about 10 million by years' end, compared with about 4 million sold by Nintendo and fewer than 2 million sold by Sony. But according to UBS analysts Alex Gauna and Steven Chin, Nintendo will have as many as 9 million Wii consoles available for sale before the end of 2006, which could vault Nintendo to the top of the next gen heap this year.

    Life Behind the Counter: I always hate going into record stores. The people who work there always act like they're the rock stars. Videogame stores always seemed a little different, though. And now you can find out why in the DayintheLifeofVideogames blog. One of the site's bloggers, Postman, describes a fight in the store that spilled out into the street: "It was over pretty quick, and the leader came back to grab his CD's that fell, and apologized for what happened. I watched as they left, and here's the kicker -- they all get in the same car and drive away together!" Perhaps Kevin Smith is already checking out the site and taking notes for Clerks III.

    Let's Get Ready to TILT!: To rumble or not to rumble -- that's the big question about Sony's PlayStation 3 controllers. Sony Computer Entertainment America president Kaz Hirai is quoted as saying, "If we have to come up with technology... to isolate the vibration from the sensing, but if that means that the controllers are going to be so expensive, then we're doing the consumer a huge disservice by coming up with a controller that is not very affordable." Meanwhile, Victor Veigas of Immersion Corporation, the company that holds the patent on the rumble technology, insists, "I'm ready to meet with them and try to work out this issue because at the end of the day it's the gamer that really seems to be suffering."

    Friendly Ghost in the Shell: The release of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, 2nd Gig, Vol. 7 marks the end of the second season. According to the synopsis, "Things are starting to go Section 9's way, but the nuclear missile is still being prepared for launch!" This version includes the collectible tin cast, music soundtrack CD and collectible GITS toy, er, action figure.


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    Does They? Or Doesn't They?

    posted @ 9/21/2006 11:48:00 PM by evermore
    The problem with being a video game analyst is that sometimes you have to read between the lines. That task is harder when the lines are written in Kanji.

    That was the task when the news came across the ol' wire about the surprising price reduction in the Sony PlayStation 3. Price reduction, you ask?

    Price reduction is right. Apparently, Sony announced a price reduction in the lower-end model of the Playstation 3 for Japanese customers -- a 10,000 Yen price reduction. That's $85 to us folks in America.

    It sure looks true. But if you go to the page where it was announced, you have to do a little extra-hard reading to divine the information. Click here to see for yourself.

    The page is written in Kanji, the simpler of many Japanese languages. There are just enough English characters on the page to pull the high points out of the page:

    PLAYSTATION®3 HDD 20GB HDMI 49,980

    The original price announced for the PS3 at E3 in May was nearly 60,000 Yen. That means Sony lopped off a full 10,000 Yen off the price. The 20GB model is the low-end model, which was announced to be selling for $499.99 in the U.S. come November.

    We had to learn more, so we sicced Babelfish on the page. Here's the translation verbatim:

    PLAYSTATION®3 HDD 20GB
    HDMI standard loading
    The Japanese domestic desired retail price 49 and 980 Yen (including tax)


    Corporation SONY computer entertainment (SCEI), next generation computer entertainment system "place t Shaun 3" (PS3) HDMI* (Ver. 3 Deep Color correspondence) standard we load the output terminal in HDD20GB. In addition, desired retail price 49 and 980 Yen (including tax) we set the Japanese domestic price of the same type.

    Announcing the specification of PS3 2005 May E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) in, from the fact that later, flat display of the full HD correspondence which loads HDMI is thrown by the market accelerating, high picture quality image and the appearance impression due to HDMI the demand for the digital sound which overflows exceeding expectation, has increased, we decided that standard it loads HDMI in the PS3 all type.

    The software manufacturer each company way while receiving the cooperation, it starts propelling SCEI, at a stroke with the attractive only of PS3 and advancing the development of original title powerfully, PS3 as an entertainment platform of the next generation.

    * High-Definition Multimedia Interface

    Once you get beyond the funny Pidgin English, there's something that you realize about the release. Not only is Sony reducing the price of the low-end PS3, they are also including an HDMI port on the thing.

    Originally, the HDMI port was supposed to be included only on the $599.99 high end model. Now, by putting the HDMI port on the low-end model, it suddenly makes the low-end model a viable competitor to the high-end Microsoft XBox 360.

    And then you stop dead in your tracks. Sure, the Japanese get an $85 price reduction and an HDMI port on the low-end PS3, but what about America? Will we see similar changes?

    The next few weeks should be very interesting.

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