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!
So there is an introduction video up on the Gametrailers website for the Harley Quinn character in the upcoming Batman: Arkham Asylum game. Hit the jump and check it out
I have to say, I like this Harley. She's dark, and definitely disturbed as she should be and the look is also hardcore with a touch of femininity that grabs me. Of course, I was head over heels for this game from the first screen I saw... so take my love with a grain of salt.
Reviving beloved storybook tales seems to be the new fallback for the movie industry. Thank GOD! I think when the Cinderella and Lion King franchises have as many movies as the Rocky series things are getting bad.
As King Baby Duck posted, Maurice Sendack's beloved Where the Wild Things Are is being released October 16th, but if you can't wait quite that long you can go watch another favorite kids book as a movie in September. Ron and Judi Barrett's Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs has it's own animated adaption being released September 18th. It looks like a large part of the book has been changed for movie adaption, but the concept of mother nature starting an epic foodfight never gets old.
If kids books aren't your thing maybe you'd prefer to watch what will probably be a terribly written and acted movie, but you'll still love due to sheer awesome/explosive action scenes. GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra hits theaters August 7th.
And if you never read as a child, or played with action figures, maybe a new dose of an old anime will cheer up your fall. Astro Boy flies into theaters October 23rd. I know it's gonna be a busy weekend for me as I double feature Astro Boy with Where the Wild Things Are.
Could this possibly be one of the best movies ever?
The creatures look amazing, and from the looks of it will have that magical indie feel that Spike Jonze (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich) is known for. I loved this book when I was a little kid, and I for one have high hopes for this movie.
I can't believe I missed the release of this trailer!! It just proves that the internet has become too vast for one man to patrol.
For those of you eagerly anticipating Final Fantasy XIII, this trailer (by way of Kotaku) should cause your mouth to salivate even more. The combat looks awesome as well fast-paced. I can't wait to get my mitts on this title.
We seen some awesome fanmade things pop up in 2008. Machinima and AMVs', were at an all-time high, but I've found the ABSOLUTE best of them all. This one definitely is going in my 2008 jewel bag.
Who's not familiar with the Thundercats? It was a very popular cartoon that debuted in 1985 about a handful of half feline, half human warriors that escaped from their dieing planet and were trying to survive on a new one. They each had special abilities that make them great, such as a whip-whielder who could turn invisible and staff expert who could run extremely fast. It's been announced that a CGI-animated feature film is in the works and due for a summer 2010 release and every geek from here to Saskatewan will probably we watching it.
A fellow fan of the show could not wait for an official trailer of the Thundercats movie, so he made is own and it's been blowing minds since it's debut. I could not think of a better way to kick off 2009 other than with this fanmade greatness. You'll probably recognize some the actors and scenes from other movies that have nothing to do with each other, but when brought together like this, I can only hope the official trailer gets me as excited, if not more, than this fake one has. Get your wetnaps ready and enjoy!
I'm sure that the majority of anime fans already know that there's a Dragonball live action movie around the corner.Here's the funny part. The majority of THAT majority is dreading the hell out of it, me included.
With the recent outbreak of comics and cartoons making the jump to the big screen, it was only a matter of time before Dragonball was called to the forefront. The powers that be even managed to procure a couple of my favorite big name actors such as Ernie Hudson, Chow Yun-Fat, and also James Marsters from the Buffy and Angel series. What saddens me is that these guys will forever be attached to what I see as almost a sure flop.
I'll admit that the action looks cool and that alone would probably seal it for me if I wasn't a big fan of the Dragonball anime. Check out the international trailer for Dragonball Evolution coming in 2009 and tell me your initial thoughts. I just hope this doesn't turn out to be a 90-minute movie with Gohan charging his "kamehameha" for 75-minutes of it.
A lot of good trailers came out of Comic Con 08, but this one really caught my attention. Spider-man: Web of Shadows looks like it's going to be amazing! I like the combination of old suit and black suit Spidey. You throw a symbiote Wolverine in there and I'm practically sold.
Game Description: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows immerse players in an all-new action-adventure saga that gives them unprecedented control, never before seen in a Spider-Man game. Armed throughout the battle and confronted by an unrecognizable New York City, players choose to play as a heroic web-slinger or a volatile, destructive anti-hero, fighting with or against a vast number of fan-favorite Marvel heroes and villains, switching instantly between sides, and deciding which missions to undertake to save mankind. An all-new combat system combines web slinging and customizable superpowers to give gamers the freedom to fight and explore in a free-roaming, open-ended environment. Battles blend Spider-Man's speed and agility with the landscape, challenging players to master fast moving acrobatic combat, powerful new web-slinging moves and destructive combo attacks, as they take the fight from the streets, up the sides of buildings and onto rooftops.
Finally a clean version of the Dark Knight teaser trailer shown at Comic Con has shown up online.
In the Dark Knight, Bale reprises his role as Batman and teams up with Oldman's Gordon and Eckhart's Dent in an effort to fight the organized crime mobs that rule Gotham's underworld. After the imprisonment of Carmine Falcone, a psychotic mastermind who goes by the name of "The Joker" (Ledger) assumes control of the criminal cartels.
This is a tentative summary based on what I've heard about the movie. Aside from the known facts that Oldman, Eckhart and Ledger will be playing Gordon, Dent and the Joker it could all be rumour and hearsay.
In other news. I haven't been able to find a clean version of the Iron Man Trailer yet, but I figure you're probably all hot to see it, so I'll give you the rough version. You can check it out here.
If you thought the Transformers were the baddest bots in town, you were wrong. This July 4th, prepare yourself for the coming of truly kick ass robots, prepare yourself for... GOBOTS!
A movie so hardcore even The Punisher might piss himself a little bit. A movie so chock full of lasers, you'll walk out with a completed Lasik eye surgery. The true war is set, and whatever happens, the winners will be GOBOTS! There is nothing more to be said, just feast on the bountiful goods of this trailer....
All ESH fans know by now that at least once a week, I’ll post a video or picture that I’ve found circulating around the net and stamp it as one of my “jewels”. Well I’ve got a jewel that’s just WAY too big for me to keep “tucked” away.
Every diehard World of Warcrafter knows that the much-anticipated expansion, Burning Crusade, is being released on January 16, 2007. Oh! You didn’t know? WELL YOU BETTA CALL SOMEBODYYYY! (Sorry about that. I couldn’t resist inserting an old wrestling warcry.) That’s right. You get two new races and more quests and instances, which bring more phat loot.
I’m going to keep this short, because there’s really no need to write anymore. Ladies and gentlemen, noobs and elite, this is for you. The Douce brings you the official Blizzard World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade cinematic trailer (Wow! That’s a mouthful). I’m simply calling this one Drool Biotch.
Please hold your applause until the end of the video. Thank you.
God of War 3 is a possibility people. I don't want to say "DUH!" but, unless GOW2 relegates the main character Kratos [who gets my vote as baddest bad ass ever, btw] to leader of a knitting circle, the game will do very well. And David Jaffe has said in an interview done by GameTrailers that he's working on ideas for a GOW3 title.
Now, because I couldn't type it nearly as eloquently as Mr. Jaffe put it, I'm just going to post up the video of his interview. Incase you are out in public, or have lil kids around, this video is NSFW. I mean, most of the objectionable stuff is bleeped out... but it's David Jaffe, you know what he's sayin!
So here's the interview:
And Mr. Jaffe, I bleepin' love Kratos! I bleepin' love God of War! And I will keep bleepin' buying your bleepin' games until you bleepin' stop makin' em!
It was bound to happen. It had to happen. And I personally can't wait for it to actually happen.
I have been an SSX game groupie since the first title. I found the courses, characters, boards, and music in SSX, SSX Tricky, and SSX 3 to be some of the most enjoyable I had come across in a racing games in years. Then SSX: On Tour happened, and that all changed... dramatically.
Tour was the worst SSX title I had ever played. The career mode just flat out sucked. They were bland, dark, and generally not fun to race down. They pulled what was the most fun bit [at least for me] that existed in the SSX franchise since Tricky which was the voice work for the individual characters. I loved it in Tricky when I shoved someone or got hit by another character that my character [I am always Zoe, so having Bif Naked be the voice of my player avatar = amesomeness on a high level] would talk smack back to them. It what I would do if I was actually in the game, so I thought it was just a great added touch to the game. Yeah, they ripped that out in Tour which is why it is the only SSX title that I do not own. I refuse to buy it. So needless to say, when I saw the video below for a new SSX title [SSX: Blur] for the Wii, my heart began to flutter as if Prince was standing before me, had looked me deep in the eyes, and started singing his "Call My Name" song to me. Yeah, I have a thing for Prince, get over it.
Now, I grabbed this trailer from GameTrailers site and I have to say, watching it gives me the warm fuzzies.
Why? Because it gives me hope. I was really afraid that Tour was going to be the last SSXperience that I was going to have, which is not how EA wants me or the rest of the fanbase to remember the franchise I'm sure. And while details about the game are scarce [GameTrailers doesn't have an expected ship date, and the title doesn't even show up on a search of GameFly] I did find a site that, once translated into English, seems to suggest that the game will be released 29 MAR 07.
As I find out more about Blur I'll be sure to let you know. Until then, give Tricky or SSX 3: Out of Bounds a try. It's a racing game, but it's hella fun at the same time.
Monkey Doo here to lay down a few words on the latest South Park episode. Some of life's greatest questions will be answered within these paragraphs. Things you have always wondered like "When will it be ok to make fun of Steve Irwin?", "Do the underdog teams always triumph in those sports movies?" and "How do I get the rash to go away?" All this and more within this exciting review of South Park! (spoilers within)
This is episode 1014 of South Park and I have to admit, it is one of my favorites. Stan loses his bike and his job. Not knowing what to do he is directed to County Hall to talk to the person in charge of his impounded bike. This man is my favorite South Park character I have ever seen. He likes to pull out a record player and voice movie trailers on the spot. What's more, he has the uncanny ability to pop up just about anywhere. :) This hilarious man informs Stan that the only thing he can do to get some cash is to couch the local Pee Wee Hockey team.
The children are absolutely hilarious. Stan goes through the list, giving each of them positions to play until he gets to the goalie. This kid cracks me up too much. He says, "Coach my doctor says I am not allowed to play goalie. ...Because I have cancer." The whole group freaks out thinking that if they play on the team with him they will get cancer too. XD
The big game is approaching and the kid with cancer is placed in the hospital. His only wish is that the pee wee team can win the game. So Stan makes him that promise. The only problem is that both teams really really suck, so no one scores. It just so happens that the cancer kids fate was tied with the game, so now life and death are tied within him.
The team has another chance to save him during one of the breaks of an Avalanche vs. Redwings game. During a meeting the team answers the oh most sacred question of if it is time to make fun of Steve Irwin or not. While talking about the game one of them says "We're going down like Steve Irwin in a pool full of Manta Rays.
They show up and get a pep talk about how they can't lose because the underdog in sports films always rises to triumph. The only problem is that the other team doesn't show up. The Avalanche, being the nice team that they are, let's the pee wee's play during the third quarter of the their game. The Redwings trounce the hell out of them. One of them actually picks up a kid and begins punching him in the face. Needless to say, the pee wee's lose. The final scene is the cancer kid laying in his bed saying "No hope.... No hope...." before dying.
Funniest quote of the episode:Coach, can we please win so that my daddy won't beat me tonight?" [I'll edit this later with some pics for ya guys. :)]
Well, you can have it for $3.99 with meal purchase that is.
I'm talking about Burger King obvisously. BK is going to be releasing a few BK themed games between November 19th and December 24th for the XB360 that will run you about $3.99 with value meal purchase I believe. You being the savvy gamer/anime fan that you are probably already knew that. I'm sure. But have you seen the trailers for the games?
There's a new .hack game coming out, aren't you excited? I can hear you sighing and shaking your head as I write this. Now I know, just as well as the next person that .hack is getting a little old, what with 4 PS games, 3 novels (and a novel series), 2 anime, 3 OVAs, 2 manga, an online roleplaying game and a collectible card game, but I'm confident that .hack//G.U. will be different from .hack//SIGN, .hack//INFECTION, .hack//MUTATION, .hack//OUTBREAK, .hack//QUARANTINE, .hack//Liminality, .hack//Legend of the Twilight, .hack//DUSK, .hack//AI buster, .hack//AI buster 2, .hack//Another Birth, .hack//GIFT, .hack//ZERO, .hack//ENEMY, .hack//fragment and .hack//XXXX.
I'll start with a little introduction for those of you who are reclusive, blind, deaf hermits who live under rocks in a remote area of the moon and have managed to avoid encountering any of the .hack franchise. The basic plot is that due to a worldwide computer virus epidemic, there is only one OS that anyone uses, Altima OS. Altima has created the largest MMORPG in history, creatively called 'The World.' The game is hugely popular, with over 4 million users signing up at its launch. Each of the .Hack titles focuses on a series of bizarre events known as the Twilight Incident, in which players actually sustained RL (real life) damage when their characters were hurt. Multiple users are put into comas while playing the game. Most of the .hack storylines focus on a group of anomalous AI including Aura, Morganna and Aura's daughter Zefie as well as the system errors and bizarre occurrences in "The World".
In the original 4 title game series, you play Kite and Black Rose, two typical snot-nosed school kids as they investigate the net. Kite accidentally dies when a data error causes a high level monster to spawn in a low level area. Aura appears, revives him and when he wakes up he is wearing a bracelet that allows him to 'Data Drain' enemies (basically hacking the program to reset the level of the enemy.) Kite and Black Rose run around trying to find Aura, figure out what has happened to the unconscious players and defeat what I call 'glitch monsters' or monsters that have infinite HP and can only be defeated with the data drain. That is also what most of the other .hack titles involve, little kids trying to save 'the world.' Urg, Retch! Uh, that is... I mean, yay!
The game .hack//G.U. is much darker, and from what I've read, it sounds awesome. Basically it's 2017, 7 years have passed since the end of the original .hack games. ALTIMIT OS has been replaced by ALTIMIT MINE OS and The World is now The World R:2 (WHOO, now those are some Big Changes.) After a group of players set off a Cataclysm (oops) the game lost most of its data and was shut down, until R:2 came along. Because the original "The World" accounts couldn't be recovered the RPG lost many of its origional players, and a new population took over. Ok, in order to understand R:2 here's a reference: Take WoW (which was recently recorded as having 6.6 million paying subscribers) and double it, make all the servers PVP without the aid of alliance and horde groupings, and you've got The World R:2.
It is a bit post apocalyptic, think Mad Max. Instead of players helping each other explore the endless litany of dungeons, the players are busy killing each other and competing to survive. PK (player killers) abound and it's damn hard for an honest gamer to survive. The worst of all is Tri-Edge, a notorious PK who will unhesitatingly and wordlessly destroy any player that crosses his path. However, one day one of his victims falls into a RL coma just after getting PKed, and Tri-Edge draws the attention of Haseo, a famous PKK (Player killer killer.) Unfortunately, not even Haseo can't defeat Tri-Edge and his level 133 character is data drained to level 1 and stripped of all equipment. You heard me right, the bad guy, who looks like an evil twin of Kite, is the one who wields the all powerful Data Drain. Bit of a turn around from the original. So what does it mean to The World that Kite, Shugo and Tri-Edge all have the same character design and all three are chosen to wield the data draining bracelet?
What G.U. stands for is never officially and definitively declared, but supposedly there are 12 or more refrences to things that could be G.U. within the game. True to .hack form //G.U. will not be a single game, but is a trilogy that will be completed over the course of 2007. Also true to form there will be an accompanying anime. According to Newtype
"...the entire experience is more online RPG-like with more action-focused battles, a more robust skills set, and group attacks that get your entire party involved... just pop into a town area or designated battle area out in the field and you'll find scads of PKs for Haseo to hunt down... not to mention an almost startling graphical upgrade."
The first volume is being released this October from Namco Bandai Games for the PS2. If you are too lazy to play the game you can still get to know the characters by watching .hack//Roots an anime currently airing in Japan that covers Haseo's exploits prior to being downgraded.
Ok, now you might think that what I am about to say won't carry much credence because I haven't really played Halo all that much...
"Blasphemy" says you, and I know you are on to something there, I won't fight you on that. Well, actually I won't fight you on that because from what I've seen of the forthcoming game title Halo Wars I just may have to change that.
Now before you go and label a sistah a Sony or Nintendo fangirl [which would be the complete opposite of what the people who read Evermore's article earlier this week have said, or yelled at us. LOL] I've only ever stayed away from Halo because I just didn't think that I would have any fun playing the game because I usually just suck out loud with these types of titles. I always enjoy watching other people play the Halo game, but for me that was the extent of my involvement. It might be shallow, but if I find that I don't have any skill or aptitude to play a game, I will lose interest in it or just not want to play it at all. That's what happened with Halo for me.
Again, didn't hate it, it just wasn't for me. All was well with my world until I found out about Halo Wars today. I raced over to the IGN website to read this article on the game and watch this trailer from the game. Microsoft announced the game [along with a couple of other Halo titles that apparently stole the thunder of some other games being featured] at this years X06 event in Barcelona, Spain.
Why the about face on the Halo gamefront? Well, besides the fact that the trailer looks phenomenal, but Halo Wars is an RTS game... a genre of gaming that I'm getting more curious about these days more so because I'm really starting to enjoy online gaming and I think that RTS games and MMO [possibly MMORPG... just give me some time to warm up to it] could be damned entertaining.
What's even more interesting is that Bungie isn't developing the game but another company called Ensemble Studios makers of the very popular Age of Empires franchise.
What do you guys think about Halo Wars? Must or Bust?
Do you have love in your soul for Dante from the Devil May Cry video game series from Capcom?
You do? Well then you will be happy to know that Capcom along with two other partners announced that a new 12 episode Devil May Cry anime series is in the works. I'm not sure what is actually being said in this video from Kotaku, but I'm down for a DMC anime series. Dante is hot! I'd love to know more about him.
Oh yeah, Capcom launched the official DMC4 website so you should skirt yourself over there and check it out. The TGS DMC4 trailer looks great. I want to play this game, NOW! I have gone too long without the pithy one liners and letter grading combo comments that run rampant in the DMC series.
I am a huge fan of the game Ninja Gaiden. If you've listened to my top 5 replay games podcast episode you know that Ninja Gaiden Black made the cut.And now, Team Ninja is bringing a "more complete" version of the Ninja Gaiden game to the PS3 according to this article on IGN. The announcement came during the Tokyo Game Show and while the game development is only at 25% if looking at the screens and trailer that IGN has to offer is any indication of what the game will really look and feel like, I'll have to say it looks pretty good.
The fact that Rachael is going to be a playable character with the story unfolding from her perspective when you use her makes me want this game badly. I always felt like Rachels storyline deserved a little more focus in the game. As I played through the two previous Ninja games I found myself more and more curious about the Rachel/Alma back story and whatnot. So being able to finally cure that curiosity will be a good thing.
The only thing that gives me any kind of pause in my excitement over this announcement is that it seems like a few parts of the previous Ninja story structure have changed. In any event, more pro-ninja stuff out in the world... what more could I ask for?
*note: if you get the title reference give yourself a pat on the back...you are a kindred spirit.
Amazon.com has put a halt on taking Wii pre-orders...all long before they could send out their "we are now taking pre-orders for the Wii" email. Yeah, I signed up for that email and didn't get messaged...I'm STILL pretty pissed about missing out on getting my pre-order in, but what can you do? They said they were sorry.
Still doesn't get me a Wii on launch day now does it?
Anywho, I know you've been patient, and I applaud you...you made it this far without complaining. Hurray for you! Wthout further adieu, I bring you my top three reasons to buy a Nintendo Wii!
Reason No.3: Virtual Console You want to play Streets of Rage or Mike Tyson Boxing? Well, using the Wii Virtual Console now [well pretty soon] you can! NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, even Turbo Graffix 16 games will be on deck for your game-time enjoyment. Why is this a big deal? Well the NES games will be $5 bucks a piece, SNES games will be $8 a piece, and N64 games should run you about $10 a piece...all to be downloaded to your Wii...at which point you will own them for as long as you like. Altered Beast, Castlevania, Shinobi, Double Dragon, and the original Zelda game all available on the same console as Super Mario Galaxy and Spore. Dig it!
Reason No.2: Red Steel - The Game That Sold Me on the Console During E3 I had my doubts about the Wii like most gamers that is, or was, until I saw the demo for the game Red Steel. As I watched the player title the Wiimote and the player characters hand mimicking the same movement [which resulted in the player character tilting their hand holding a gun to the side a la gang-banger] and I was sold. This implementation of motion sensor will allow me to be more accurate in first person shooter games and actually make them fun for me to play. I could go on and on about how good the game looks, or talk about how the swordplay works with the Wiimote and why that alone should make you want to play this game, but I won't. Go to the GameTrailers Red Steel and watch the videos yourself. Ubi Soft...you rock!
- and finally, to complete my Wii-Fangurl-dom -
Reason No.1: Dude, it's Only $250! Seriously, that's cheap! I won't have to donate plasma, or my precious eggs for other people to make babies with in order to buy it like I probably will for the PS3. [Ok, I'm not going to donate eggs to get money together for the PS3, but I have thought about the plasma donation.] I've seen people talk about how "affordable" the PS3 is and it's just not the case. Their argument is if you make more than 500 bucks a week you should have it made, and this might be the case if you still lived at home with your parents, didn't pay room and board, didn't pay for insurance, and never went out to eat, on dates, or had a car. Sure, if you meet those criteria you have no excuse to not buy a PS3. I live in Virginia. I pay monthly rent on an apartment, I buy food to cook [mostly organic, which ain't cheap], pay for cable and high speed internet, insurance, cell phones, transportation, and actually do go out to do "date like" activities. Scrounging together $250 is a lot easier than $600...which won't even get me a game, or the proper high definition cables to connect my pricey lil PS3 buddy to my TV. While I'm sure the PS3 will be a great little console, it will probably be a bit before I can get my dollahs together to buy one, the right cables, and a game.
Until then, I'll be making Wiiople on my Wii.
Thus ends my Wiijoicing. Catch the repost tomorrow with all 10 reasons listed together. Can't wait that long? Well then, read reasons 10 thru 8 here and reasons 7 thru 4 here.
Again, didn't hate it, it just wasn't for me. All was well with my world until I found out about Halo Wars today. I raced over to the IGN website 