What a great start to 2012 am I right?

Regardless, this latest episode takes us back to 2011. Yep we are already going back in time, because for the sisters, time traveling to the past is a regular occurrence). They had talked about this before- but hadn't really thought about it.

So they went about their business and devised a plan.
Both made a list, then they hit the web

That's right, We've put together our own award show for the Video games of 2011.

Here it is for your listening pleasure! ESH Podcast Episode 275: You Get An Award and You Get An Award.

Also bonus points for the person who catches on to my lil easter egg!

Gadgets

NinJa leads off with the AppleTV. At $99 dollars it's a fantastic gift for the geek/nerd that wants their entire iTunes collection available on the living room (or man cave) big screen TV.

Panda chimes adding a gadget specifically aimed at gamers with the Astro Gaming Headset, and goes big by adding in the Astro Mixamp and PS3 conversion cable to make this gift the one headset to rule them all. A40+Mixamp bundle $279, additional PS3 chat cable $9.99. (Roughly $290 total.)

Anime

NinJa recommends Trigun: Complete Box Series from Amazon.com (Now listed at $38.99) and Eden of the East Complete Series in a BluRay/DVD combo pack on Amazon for $19.49.

Panda recommends BluRay/DVD combo pack found on Amazon for $34.99.

Games

For the games list, you are just going to have to grab a beverage and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 272: I Want a Fluffy Muff for Christmas

Sure, the multiplayer of Uncharted 3 has yet to be tamed. And, yes, NinJa has yet to play a single wave of Horde mode in Gears of War 3 or even open her copy of RAGE but that didn't stop her from popping AC:Revelations in ye olde Xbox to take it for a spin. And even though Panda was finally making serious progress (sweet, sweet, progress) both girls got their hands on Saints 3 and, well, you'll just have to listen to the episode to find out what they think.

Go ahead and grab a frosty beverage and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 271: Why Did Constantinople Get the Works? Saints Row Arrived

The much awaited sequel to Harmonix's dance thriller, Dance Central 2 will be making its debut on October 25th.

-- Four Days and Counting --

So what can we expect from this newest installment in the motion-rhythm-based-franchise besides a good time? First up, and most obviously, we are getting new routines. Booty giggling, difficulty-increased, new routines. Then there are new settings in the way of new gameplay modes. Dance battles and actual multiplayer modes will be available in the new title as well. And what is a new motion-rhythm-based dance game without new songs? (The previous title, right?) Dance Central 2 boasts a bunch of new songs and new playable characters. There is no need to get rid of the preexisting bunch, so why not mix 'em up.

The Dance Central universe is finally getting expanding, and there something to look forward to for every fan of the title or genre in general. If you enjoyed the work out mode; your may rejoice! The mode is still available in the new game, and you can expect some modifications that are sure to make you sweat till you bleed. (Well, not REALLY bleed, because that would be bad, but you know what I mean.) Want to really nail down a specific move? Then "Break it Down" option will give you all the time you need to get it right and tight.

One of the disappointments from the first game was their use of multiplayer. In the original Dance Central outting, there was no "real" co-op. Yes, there were "dance battles", but that element was only couch local. It was more of a "score battle" mode where each player would perform the routine solo-dolo and the person with the highest score "won" the battle. That aspect hasn't completely changed but now there are both competitive and cooperative aspects to it. Co-op is simple and drop-in/drop-out. mechanic, and who wouldn't like that?

Harmonix set the bar for motion based dance games, and I think this new addition to the franchise will only encourage more mixing of music and gaming.

Get your water bottles cooled, and your leg warmers and headbands out of storage. The dance floor is ready and waiting for you. So you know what to do...hey bust a move.

In this week's episode we talk games, but we also talk about the passing of a true technology innovator, Steve Jobs.

Pandalicious talks Dark Souls while NinJa talks a bit about the upcoming Ravid Rabbids TV show on Nickelodeon, Ubisoft's recent release of Just Dance 3 and her hight hopes for the connect version and pays tribute to a true tech soul in this episode. We hope you enjoy ESH Episode 265: If Ninjas Is Doin' It, Ninjas Is Doin' It. 

Disclaimer: NinJaSistah own's Apple Stock.

Okay, I’ll admit that I have an unnatural love for the Resident Evil series.  Knowing this, I swore to myself that twenty dollars was too much to ask to own Resident Evil 4 for a third time.  When I saw it for half that, it broke me right then and there, and I’m glad because I had a blast playing through it again.

If you’ve played it already, I don’t need to tell you that this is a beautiful game.  The detail given to the character models and environment paint a picture of both grime and beauty and I’m still talking about the Gamecube version.  Now, they’ve given it a fresh coat of paint and upscaled the whole thing to HD.  Right off the bat, it’s easy to tell how much better this version looks and it does a great job of reinvigorating the game.  Add to that, trophy/achievement support gives another reason to come back.  The one thing that bummed me out a little bit was that it doesn’t have a full set of trophies/achievements.  Kind of nit picky, but it would have made it even more worth the additional play-through.

All too often, a six-year-old game doesn’t age particularly well.  This is not the case with Resident Evil 4.  The gameplay that revolutionized third-person shooting is still tons of fun.  It does take a few minutes to get the hang of the controls again after years of playing Gears of War and Dead Space, but once it clicks in your head, it’s time to party like it’s 2005.  The one thing that would have made this package perfect would be if they have added Playstation Move support.  With the Wii version of the game already existing, it doesn’t seem like it would have been too hard to include the motion-based controls.  Either way, the game still feels great to play and the action is thrilling.

If you’ve played this game before and you’re looking to play the prettiest version of the game, then this might just be for you. It contains every extra mode produced for it and even features a leaderboard with best times and scores for the various game modes.  If you haven’t played this game before, then, whether it’s this version of the game or not, you need to play this piece of genre-defining history at your earliest convenience.  It is quite possibly one of the best games I have ever had the pleasure of owning thrice.  Just one warning to those newcomers out there.  You will not notice a chainsaw guy coming and he will chainsaw off your head.  It will scare the crap out of you.  Just thought you should know.

It's just so EPIC!!

We could bore you with all the details, but the fact is that over an hour's worth of Gears ranting and raving is waiting. Grab your favorite beverage and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 263: If Ice-T Says It Ain't Over, It. Ain't. Over.

Yeeeahhh Boi!

This week the ladies from the land of ESH are focused on Epic's finally soon to be released final installment of the Gears franchise, Gears of War 3 on the Xbox 360. We spend the whole show talking about what we expect, goodies you can get and run through the various DLC, Season Pass and UPC bundles available to satiate your Gears needs.

Later on in the week we will share first-time-hands-on experiences with you and update you next week as to whether or not Gears 3 lives up to the hype. For now, grab a frosty beverage and enjoy ESH Podcast Episdoe 262: Gears of War 3 Is a Delicious Part of Your Nutritious Breakfast

Goldeneye 007: Reloaded is an HD remastering of the Wii title released last year.  If you are a fan of the original game, or an FPS fan who happens to enjoy Mi6’s most famous agent, I would recommend this game to you.  It not only has retooled versions of the single-player missions, but features 16-player multiplayer.  Reloaded also has some brand new features, aside from running at 60 frames-per-second, it has a new mode called Mi6 Ops Missions.  These missions, similar to the Special Ops mode of Modern Warfare 2 fame, puts the players back into environments from the story missions with specific objectives like Assault and Stealth.

Specifically for the Playstation 3, Activision will be releasing a bundle that includes all the bells and whistles necessary to play the game using a Playstation Move controller.  Included in the Goldeneye 007: Reloaded Double ‘O’ Edition will be a Playstation Move motion controller, navigation controller, Playstation Eye camera and the Sharp Shooter.  Also exclusive for PS3 will be a free DLC character of Hugo Drax from Moonraker, who will be equipped with his Laser Pistol.

As a huge fan of the original game, the Wii game was a ton of fun.  The point and shoot controls were awesome as well, and should translate quite well to the Move.  Add to that, the online multiplayer experience that the HD consoles can offer for the game and I may not emerge from my apartment for quite a while after this game comes out.  Both Goldeneye 007: Reloaded and the PS3 exclusive bundle are both launching November 1st.  If you want to see me then, I’ll be the one throwing a hat at you as Oddjob.  For the full press release hit the link.

Press Release

No..it's for real this time! Bethesda, publishers of the Fallout franchise announced today in a press release that the Lonesome Road add-on pack as well as two additional DLC packs – Courier’s Stash and Gun Runners’ Arsenal – will be available late September.

Lonesome Road is the fourth DLC pack to be announced for the Fallout New Vegas game. It was set for an initial late July release but was later pushed back. However today we – finally – got our confirmed date as well as some more goodness to follow the preceding week.

Fallout fanatics, circle September 20th and 27th on your calendars – in pen not pencil – because that's when you'll be able to own Lonesome Road, Courier's Stash and Gun Runners' Arsenal respectively.

Set about 800 MS Points (9.99 USD on PSN and Steam) aside for Lonesome Road and about an estimated 480 MS Points (approx 6.00 USD on PSN and Steam) total for the other two DLC Packs.

Courier's Stash and Gun Runners' Arsenal will give players access to the other four content bundles that were only available through preordering the game:The Caravan Pack, Classic Pack, Mercenary Pack and Tribal Pack. Each of these packs will give the player unique weapons, apparel and aid advantages to keep things interesting. Gun Runner's Arsenal will give all those new unique weapons more impact with increased range, more mods, ammo types and more things to be discovered in the Mojave Wasteland.

September looks fun for the Fallout Faithful.

Metro 2033 was one of last year's scariest first-person shooters out there, but 4A Games and THQ are looking to up the ante with the sequel Metro: Last Light. At E3 I had the chance to view a video demonstration of the first few minutes of the game. When I left the subway-styled booth I was blown away by what I had seen.

Last Light is set after the events of the bad ending of Metro 2033, where Aryon allowed the missiles to fire on the Dark Ones. The city's only power supply is the remaining D6 weapons, and you are forced to survive during the darkest hour in war-scarred Russia. The demo begins with you climbing down a sewer hole, and entering a well-lit room. After shooting the lights out you have to sneak up on the guards and kill them before they notice you're there. A firefight will ensue, so Aryon will have to duck and cover in order to battle it out with the guards. Once cleared you'll enter the guard station and grab a machine gun turret, which will help lay waste to any of the opposing forces that want to enter and take you down.

The developers then jumped to another section of the game, where you infiltrate a military rally. You meet up with Khan, who tells Aryon his plan to blend in with the other soldiers in order to take down the leader. Slowly you maneuver through the crowd, making sure to not look ever-so suspicious. Suddenly two guards appear at the leader's post, warning him that someone has snuck in. Quickly Khan pulls out his revolver and fires into the air, making the soldiers disperse and giving you and him enough room to escape through the underground town.

The graphics in Metro: Last Light so far look stellar, even in its pre-alpha stage, and the soundtrack used to create the aura of the title was standout. Even the tiniest crunch of soil beneath your feet could be heard as you walk through the darkness. However I am still curious to see how the game acts hands-on, as there needs to be a good control scheme to make the title deemed playable. Though an official release date has yet to be announced we know that it will be available sometime in 2012 on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U and PC. This will give gamers plenty of time to get used to the darkness, and prepare themselves to find the brightest moment of hope in Metro: Last Light.

Tip #1: Backlog

I have a backlog, you have a backlog, we all have a backlog and now I want ice cream.  Take a look at where you keep your games and I’m sure it won’t take long to unearth the games you bought and meant to play, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.  Whether they be downloadable games or disc-based, this is a great time to try and make a little dent in those awesome titles from 2009.  I really need to get on this myself, I think I have some Nintendo 64 games I haven’t finished yet.

Tip #2: Achievement/Trophy Hunting

On my first play of a game, I try to ignore these as best I can to get the best enjoyment out of it and suppress my natural completionist tendencies.  Once that first time through is over though, all bets are off and I’m ready to snag some points.  During a slump like this is a great time to go back into some of those older games and try to get them 100% complete.  My one word of advice here though, is to be very careful which game you choose to complete.  I’ve had one or two that I really liked before and felt very different after getting that full complete, except for Dead Space.  I still, and will always, love Dead Space.

Tip #3: Bargain Shopping

You’d be surprised how often you can find a fantastic deal on games during the summer.  A lot of brick and mortar stores have summer and/or back to school sales and online retailers are always a good place to check for deals.  This is the ideal tactic for someone who has inextricably been able to blow through their backlog.  When I really think about it, I do this despite my massive backlog.  Oh well, the more the merrier can apply to a shelf full of games as well.

Tip #4: Fund Raising

Let’s face it, those games have to come from somewhere.  While a job is certainly a great way to get money, sometimes that money is earmarked for silly stuff like food and shelter.  Sometimes, people will pay decent money for those old games you won’t play ever again.  With the money earned, you can afford to weather a bit of the storm when the heavy downfall of new titles hits.  Just make sure that you really won’t play a game again before you sell it.  Nothing is more sad than when you realize you desperately want to replay a game and you’ve sold it.

There are plenty more options out there for you, but I hope I’ve given you a few ideas.  If you have any ideas for ways to to keep your gaming thirst quenched, head over to the Land of ESH Facebook page and let us know.  I’d love to hear your ideas!  Just don’t tell me I should get a platinum medal on Demon’s Souls.

Microsoft's Summer of Arcade titles has launched a fresh, innovative title to the XBLA Store. Bastion, published by WB games, is a refreshing take on the isometric game mechanic and is a welcome departure from WB’s other library of comic book and cartoon inspired games.

Bastion’s art style, while not quite pastoral or neon is still very bright, lush and full of life. The game world is a treat to the eyes, and the soundtrack has a Wild West meets rock-n-roll feel, but you won’t have much time to admire the sights or sounds in Bastion, however, as parts of the world are continuously popping in, or falling out. What’s left, you’ll probably be destroying in hopes of finding items within. From what players experience in the demo, there isn’t much story to Bastion. The game starts rather abruptly, and the player is quickly introduced to the controls and the omnipresent narrator who observes and comments upon your actions in the game. Nearly everything from how destructive you are, or what weapon combinations you choose is commented upon. Over 3,000 separate lines of narration were recorded for Bastion, giving this title a lot of replay value. Players may find themselves experimenting with different weapons or skills, or just playing more skillfully in hopes of triggering new responses from the narrator.

Bastion plays somewhat like the Gauntlet games of arcade past, crossed with the cramped bullet-avoiding gameplay of airplane shoot-em-ups like 1942 or Ikaruga. Bastion’s controls are intuitive and responsive, yet, while Bastion is easily approachable to the casual gamer, the controls and battle mechanics reward those players who use skill and agility rather than button-mashing. Players in Bastion have two weapon slots (usually a melee and ranged weapon), and a shield used by the left trigger. The player is also able to execute a dodge roll, and will find certain power skills similar to “bombs” in shoot-em-ups. As players get more comfortable with the controls, they will be able to pull off skill cancels to shave off animation time in actions, reflect damage with a well-timed shield block or deal more damaged with timed strikes using certain weapons. You’ll need all the help you can get, since the enemies in Bastion are quite powerful, often only needing 3 to 5 hits to kill you. With this in mind, speed and precision are your allies.

Bastion takes an innovative approach to the leveling system and statistic development, in addition to the “town” system of most RPGs. In something of a call-back to creation RPGs like Dark Cloud, Bastion allows the player to rebuild the world as the game progresses. What shops and other town features you place, and in what order, is up to you. In the demo, the player is given the options to replace the Armory and Distillery. The Armory is an area where you can store your weapons and skills and change your load-out before going into battle. Bastion encourages experimentation with items and skills, often requiring different tools for different enemies and areas. The Distillery is the area where you use your experience points to buy character upgrades, purchased in the form of various beverages. This was an interesting change from the well-worn skill point system of other RPGs.

As previews go, Bastion offers a solid and satisfying taste of what the full game will offer. The demo is a gripping 15 to 20 minutes of non-stop gameplay. The narration and weapon combinations in the demo alone easily earn the demo two or three run-throughs before the experience becomes stale, assuring that the full game should have a long life in any arcade fan’s 360 library. In an economy where every dollar counts with entertainment value, Bastion looks to be a purchase worth every point.

By: VincentAuron

Wonderland is always great fun to visit and American McGee really seems to have his finger on it.  The story starts by letting you know that Alice has recently been let out of an insane asylum since her entire family died in a fire.  Her psychologist convinces her to go to wonderland and everything starts falling apart immediately.  While rafting on a river with the white rabbit, his eye suddenly explodes and the river fills with a black liquid and baby doll parts.  After drowning in the river, she awakens in her psychologist’s office.  After leaving the office, it doesn’t take long before she starts hallucinating again and ends up falling back into wonderland.

Without going too much farther into the story, each chapter of the game is centered around a particular character, or set of characters, in the Alice in Wonderland universe.  The simple formula for how it rolls out is as follows:  Alice is in the real world and wanders for a bit until she falls into wonderland, after some time the sections of wonderland becomes corrupted and Alice’s dress changes, Alice finds the character she was looking for and gets transported back to the real word.  A pretty simple formula, but it works pretty well throughout.

The game plays quite a bit like a mixture of a platformer from the early 2000s and God of War.  Most of your time is spent jumping and floating from place to place.  The rest are either puzzles or fighting sections.  Getting from section to sections tends to fall into the trap of “do this for me and I’ll open the door” far too often to the point that Alice comments on it at one point.  For the combat, there are an assortment of weapons that fall quite neatly into the normal archetypes.  You’ve got your melee, machine gun, grenade launcher, bomb and hammer to eliminate your foes, but they are very elegantly disguised as items you might find in the world of wonderland.

While the game is certainly a huge step up from its 2000 counterpart, it did retain a few annoying characteristics of platformers from that day.  There are often collectibles in games like these and almost always these collectibles have a purpose.  In this game, there is one set of collectibles that does absolutely nothing but earn you a trophy/achievement or two.  The platforming is often perfectly fine, but there were a couple of instances where it went amuck.  There was one in particular where I died for simply jumping too high.  The action, as well, can tend to be a bit repetitive as most of the puzzles, platforming and fighting patterns are revealed quite early and repeated throughout the game.

All in all, while it is by no means a perfect game, Alice: Madness Returns is relatively fun and definitely has its heart in the right place.  Anyone who is a fan of the original story and especially folks who played American McGee’s Alice will love this return to the twisted wonderland.  I recommend it as a rental for anyone and a purchase for those of you who want a free copy of the first game.  Hurry up, you’re late for a very important date with a fun Alice game!

In this episode the ladies talk about a bunch of things: San Diego Comic-Con announcements that rocked their worlds (like the pending Amazing Spider Man movie and the ever teased and sure to please Avengers flick) and so much more.

NinJa grabs the mic first to share her SDCC thoughts as well as reactions to the anime series A Dark Rabbit Has Seven Lives and R-15 while Panda shares her hands-on experience with Ubisoft's Child of Eden title.

Oh yeah, there's even a Pokemon evolution reference in this one, so grab something yummy, kick back and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 255: Sometimes You Gotta Compromise...YEAH!

In this week's episode the ladies talk all things video game and video game industry. Starting with the recent ruling protecting developer's rights to include violence in video games to the much rumored case being made against gameplay video postings on social networks as copyright infringement.

We follow that up with more of Panda's hands on experience with Catherine including the demo currently available on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network systems.

Then it's on to a new segment: The Week in Geek. This week it's all streaming media, from NetFlix's new service plan structure to the music streaming (and potential Pandora killer) Spotify coming to the us.

Enjoy the evening with a frost beverage and ESH Podcast Episode 254: I'm Hangry, and I'm NinJaSistah

2009's MadWorld was my favorite game of 2009 (and what first made me buy a Wii in the first place), so when word got out that Jack and the rest of the best characters from that title were to return to the console world in Anarchy Reigns my heart began to pound ecstatically. At E3 I was able to go hands-on with the online brawler, the end results of which left a bittersweet taste in my mouth.

Anarchy Reigns has so far announced eight characters to play as in the main game, including MadWorld characters Jack, Blacker Baron, Big Bull and Leo. In the game players will battle it out with or against one another, with the most death kills deciding the winner. For the demo four of us had to go head-on against one another in a Deathmatch multiplayer setup. Unfortunately having three out of the four players choosing Blacker Baron made the battle a tad confusing.

While the game was still in its beta phase I couldn't help but notice the hinderance of the camera system in Anarchy Reigns. I had a lot of issue regarding the centering of my character, and by the time I had the angle set up properly I had already been beaten to death. What also made it tough was the fact that all the Blacker Barons looked too similar, and while there was the option to change the color of his suit it didn't help much that everyone chose the purple suit. In laymen's terms: Platinum Games needs to find a way around the color-coding aspect of the characters in order to avoid players having exact clone characters, which in turn will lead towards less confusion on the battlefield.

Combat, on the other hand, was simple to grasp once the confusion ceased. Meleeing against your opponents was a blast, as Blacker Baron super-punched, suplexed and pulled out the Super Sexy Fists of Fire on any opponent that came within a hairline's distance from them. The blood and shattered bones rained all over the concrete ground, as the players were getting annihilated left and right on the screen. While the graphics looked bright and gorgeous I couldn't help but miss the Sin City look that made MadWorld such an awe to watch. Still one can't deny a great-looking game when it's staring right in front of you.

It was clear that there are still a few things that need to be worked on before Anarchy Reigns is released next year, although the solutions to them seem to be a short distance from grasping. The game, due for PS3 and Xbox 360, will feature various multiplayer modes such as Battle Royale, Death Match, Survival Mode, as well as a single player campaign that will have Jack and Leo battling to the top of the fight kingdom. One can only hope that Anarchy Reigns will continue on with Platinum Games's near-solid track record, and that it will bring another fun and memorable gaming experience in the long run.

It'd be fair to say that Rayman has been standing in the shadows of those furry bastards known as the Rabbids since he invited them into his life. Since then little had been seen of the armless and legless protagonist who first won our hearts in the 1990s. Fortunately our hero from the Sea of Lums has prepared himself for a major comeback, in the form of the four-player co-op adventure Rayman Origins.

At E3 I had the chance to play a couple of the levels from this upcoming release, along with three other members of the press. In Rayman Origins players have the choice of playing as Rayman, Globox and two random teensies. Gamers will also be able to jump into the action whenever they want during gameplay, similar in vein to that of Super Mario Bros. Wii. (Also similar is how characters will float above the action until their teammates tag them in to play.) In the demo Rayman and his friends are zapped to the levels, having to work together in order to solve puzzles, collect items, avoid hazards and defeat any villains that try to get in your way.

The biggest draw to Rayman Origins is its overall appearance, coming off as bright and joyful as a Saturday morning cartoon. These characters move just as fluidly as a finely-drawn movie, as if someone pain-stakingly put to easel any sort of reaction this game can fathom. Also on key is its soundtrack, giving nods to the likes of Disney movies and video games of the past. (The Tetris nod in one of the levels is sure to give old-school gamers a giant smile.) Controls were easy to figure out, as were the abilities to perform team maneuvers with the other players.

One thing I am curious to find out about the Rayman Origins is how it works in single-player mode. While the game is guaranteeing a bag of fun when playing with friends I worry that this element won't translate as well when a gamer plays the title by themselves. I shouldn't count out the folks at Ubisoft, however, so I bet that they will find a way to keep the magic going in a one-player run-through in a similar way the multiplayer seems to.

When released Rayman Origins will sport over 60 levels throughout its 2D cel-shaded worlds, unlockable abilities and tons of slapstick humor that is sure to entertain gamers of all ages. The game is set for release on November 15 on the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and sometime in 2012 on the PlayStation Vita.

At E3 this year the Capcom section the majority of the buzz was on the upcoming franchise-clashing Street Fighter X Tekken. Capcom is no stranger to battling it out with other franchises (i.e.: SNK, Marvel, Tatsunoko), but for the first time in fighting game history we are given one of the very few ultimate what-if scenarios within the gaming realm. (The other, of course, is Street Fighter versus Mortal Kombat, though that still seems unlikely to happen.)

For Street Fighter X Tekken Capcom -- as well as the Sony section -- had created a classic arcade cabinet setup where players can battle it out using the old-school stick and button peripherals. Myself and a contributor to the French gaming review site El Chikito decide to battle each other in a classic two-on-two fight. For this demo I decided to pair up Street Fighter character Ryu with King from the Tekken world. Right off the bat the visuals overtook me, as the animation was just as good (maybe even better) than Super Street Fighter IV. The character expressions, blood and all-around fighting sequences were heavily detailed, with not even the tiniest aspect spared.

One of the biggest problems I had with Super Street Fighter IV was its combo system, which made it nearly impossible to pull off the bigger character moves. Fortunately Street Fighter X Tekken seems to be going down the path of Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom (last year's best Wii title), with a combo system that's simple to use but not to the point where players will overkill the Hadoukens. Tagging in your partner was also a lot simpler to do, giving your other character some time to heal before thrusting them back into battle. Speaking of character lifespan I also noticed that the character's lifelines seemed to be longer than in previous games, which will lead to much longer, intense fights.

After a three-round fight the El Chikito contributor reigned victorious, and as the humble sportsmen we were we shook hands and expressed excitement towards what we just played. While Street Fighter X Tekken is still far-off from being released (sometime in 2012, along with Namco's Tekken X Street Fighter) the demo we were able to play is already giving me high hopes that this video game super battle could very well be Capcom's strongest fighter title on the current-gen consoles. It'll at least be a massive improvement over the disappointing Marvel Vs. Capcom 3.

In this week's episode Panda steals the show to talk about (fawn and drool over) Rockstar Games latest release: L.A. Noire. From gameplay to aesthetics to plot lines and mechanics, there's very little of the game she doesn't cover. Rich with subplot, subtext and subterfuge (lovin' that alliteration) Noire is like many other games you've seen as much as it's unlike any other game you've played. If you don't get what that line means, you'll just have to listen to the segment to figure it out.

Closing out the show, NinJa steals a page from the book of Panda to talk about the Funimation licensed anime seriesLinebarrels of Iron. (Spoiler alert: It's gots mechas in it!)

Grab a cup of whatever wakes you up the most and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 248: The World Didn't End, So It's Back to Work, Everybody

Fighting games aren’t really known for having a single-player mode that is much more complicated than fighting random people until you get to a final boss.  While Mortal Kombat does have this ladder mode, this is not what I would consider the best single-player portion of the game.  The game actually has a rich story mode that not only involves an interesting tale featuring all of the playable characters, but it’s also got a decent length on it.  Exact length is going to vary from person to person of course, but I can definitely say that it’s the longest story mode I’ve played in a fighting game and without a doubt my favorite.

One of the best things about the story mode is how seamlessly it all flows together.  It all starts with the cutscenes that take place in the same locations as the fights.  Before you know it, they’ve simply switched the perspective and you’re in a fight.  It’s very easy to just keep on going.  I kept telling myself, in the afternoon, that I was going to play one more fight and then I would notice that it was dark outside.  So, a ladder mode and an awesome story mode.  That’s got to be all the single-player this game has to offer right?  Nope, it’s got even more up its sleeve.

The challenge tower is another great single-player mode that gives this game even more opportunity to entertain.  In this mode, it behaves quite a bit like the ladder mode, but there are specific challenges related to each step.  In one stage, I was charged with hitting the various areas of my opponents body a certain number of times before I could win.  In another, I had to use a projectile attack to kill approaching zombies before they reach me.  How many of these things can they come up with?  Three-hundred is the number and it will keep you going for quite a while.

In each of these modes you can earn kombat coins to spend in the krypt.  With these coins you can unlock various things such as alternate costumes and fatalities.  Speaking of fatalities, one very unique mode in this game is the fatality practice mode.  Not only does it give you a free shot at a fatality, but it shows you the combo buttons above you and compares them with what you’ve entered.  It’s a great way to practice for when you want to cut your friends in half during an online match.

So, with all of this, there is something I haven’t even brought up yet.  I’m speaking, of course, about the multiplayer.  Unfortunately, I can’t speak to that yet as I currently have the PS3 version of the game.  With that said, it really hasn’t been a bother at all, because this is by far the best single-player experience I have ever had with a fighting game.  If you like violence and trees that eat people, then you should not be without this one!

Yes, I'm emo. Your point?

Have no fear: a new episode of the ESH podcast is here! (Finally)

We didn't forget about doing a show this week, only about scheduling it to go live at the right time. In any event this episode is all Pandalicious as she runs through her Dragon Age (Origins, Awakenings, and recently released DA 2) experiences, thoughts and more on the Xbox 360.

From gameplay mechanics to detailed breakdowns of the major plot-lines in each game, Pandalicious provides one of her most in-depth reviews of a franchise this week with NinJa injecting a question or two into the mix from time to time. (She hasn't actually played the game yet...sorry BioWare.

Grab a frosty beverage and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 241: I Was Saving All the Nasty, Dirty Stuff For My Rogue

The line was long to play the game, but if you are at the event this year I urge you to try it out. On the floor, Ubisoft is demoing the Xbox 360 Kinect enabled version of Child of Eden and honestly controlling the game is very natural.

In the game you fight varied types of enemies (in every hand's on I've tried of the game, I've only ever fought flower type monsters but there may be other flora that you take on in later levels) using your hands to control your weapons, area of attack and speed. It sounds complicated, but it actually is not. Think wax-off wax-on from the Karate Kid movies. While the gameplay itself can be broken down into a simplistic waving hands all over the place that changes the soundscape as you go along, what is not simplistic about the game is its graphics.

Simply put, Child of Eden is stunning.

I have no idea what the frame rate is, nor do I care. The screen behind me was huge and there was absolutely no lag whatsoever while playing the game - an important thing as areas you need to attack and projectiles flying at you that you need to destroy fly fast and furious at times. The visual aspect combined with the saccharine-yet-subtle-at-times soundtrack makes playing the game addictive. It doesn't hurt that I like music and rhythm-based games, but I wouldn't recommend giving Eden a try just because it has a great musical element to it.

Child of Eden really needs to be seen, touched and played to understand. You'll have to wait until June 14th to get your hands on it in the US (unless Ubisoft drops a demo into the XBLive Marketplace) but I was able to snag some video for you in the meantime.

Child of Eden Gameplay @ PAX East 2011 from NinJa Sistah on Vimeo.

One of the best things about Dead Space 2 are all the atmospheric locales that you get a chance to visit during your stay at the Sprawl.  With Severed, if you enjoyed them the first time, then this is very good news for you.  Most of the rooms you’ll find in this extra are ones that, assuming you’ve played through the main quest, should look familiar to you.  The major difference is that you are heading in the opposite direction.  To its credit, with the paths that were chosen, being able to experience the rooms in reverse actually made them seem quite different.  Probably my favorite part was being able to take it slow through the psych ward, which pretty much requires you to get out of there quickly the first time through.

The gameplay remains exactly the same, but I personally took this opportunity to try and focus on using some of the weapons that I ignored my first time around.  As part of your character, you get a supped up pulse rifle and a special seeker rifle.  The only bummer part of that is when you start a new game with Severed, while you can still earn single-player trophies/achievements, it resets all of the counters for earning them.  The story, while I hope it may eventually have something to do with later installments, could easily be written off, but was fairly fun and interesting to take part in.  It’s not quite as amazing as the main story, but if you’re hungering for more Dead Space 2 action, then it’ll do just fine.

All in all, Dead Space 2: Severed is a fun extension of the single-player content of the game.  With only two chapters, there’s not quite enough time for as solid a story to be developed, but if you’re a die hard fan of the game and you just can’t live without some more content, this is definitely just what you’re looking for.