My Words On:

Story/Plot:  Now let me be perfectly clear in regards to this game's direction of story and/or plot, it makes no attempt to disguise it's cheesiness and the lack of any real stern explanation as to why and how things are about in this universe. It is as out there as it is a parody of many zombie/vampire/demon slaying genre games and/or anime medium. It doesn't try to stand out as a game to awe or inspire for anything grand or spectacular, instead it merely jabs at the notion of trying to get a laugh and a ridiculous reaction from the gamer. So with that in mind, Lollipop Chainsaw's story about a high school student named Juliet whose family 'side job' is to slay zombies and other abhorrent supernatural beings. One day, at her 18th birthday to be exact, Juliet's school is infected by a zombie crisis that only she can deter. While she stands alone with her chainsaw to hack through the more than generous numbers of zombies left and right, we get to see some of her wacky crew both villains and friends alike. No interaction from any of the characters deplete the vibe that this game is trying to give through its story and that is of course HUMOR.





Of course this game also rode on the ever so popular glory of sexuality. Juliet whose looks and body could kill visage and her cheer leading outfit makes the firm stand that this game is not shy about showing off its 'assets'. While the game's story does of course mostly delve into the realm of zombie and super natural slaying, it doesn't fall short on adding some quirks about panty shots, her boyfriend and her father's talk about the use of 'tongue', and of course there are panty shots left and right. If you assumed that it is going to be provocative when you saw the trailer, well you didn't make an ass out of you and me because Juliet had no qualms about her modest areas to be teased when swinging her damn chainsaw around.


The two main vibes that the game was trying to convey never did lose its momentum from beginning to end. Again, it makes no attempt to be a game that is distinct or even majestic, instead it leans on parody and the ever profiting notion of fan service. Don't expect anything more than that and I would imagine that my giving score is more than adequate and perhaps a bit comforting.

Love? 

7.0/10.0

Gameplay: The main deal of this game: Hack and slash through as many zombies as you can using Juliet's awesome acrobats, her very attentive and affective handling of a chainsaw (which transforms into a gun and a propeller for a straightforward momentum cut), and all at the same time managing to offer some panty shots, rather promiscuous action shots, and deliver some awesome multi kills to offer some rewarding aftermath both fan service and medal wise. So again, it's an action/hack and slash genre so in the grand scheme of things, it offers very little in terms of originality. But I am always a firm believer in the idea on how it is executed is what makes a game unique and note worthy. Furthermore, in my side of my thinking: a hyper sexual, over the top action, gore, and humor pasted into a not so complicating, but not too easy of of a button mashing, combo delivering, reactionary set up doesn't necessarily give a definitive for failure; but on the same hand it doesn't spell out spectacular. 

Killing Zombies like this NEVER gets old!

What Lollipop Chainsaw did that makes it a standard and enjoyable hack and slash is that it gives players a few options on how to deal with their undead assailants. Combos of course are the main way to get some of the more 'sparkling zombie hunter' points for medals, however it also allows players for a bit more jovial way to kill through the different positioning a player can put him/herself into. And as the player progresses and gains more medals, the ability to purchase new ability spices things up a bit and also makes things easier to deal with the more aggressive stages. Through story mode, Juliet gains some new abilities like a gun, which of course adds more versatility in using long range to deal with enemies that melee can't quite reach or if a player chooses no to engage up close on any given moment. Of course boss battles also calls for reacting by pressing on specific buttons it calls for which of course always adds a bit more assertion as a player.



What I didn't quite expect from this game however is the handful of mini games that a player has to go through to beat certain stages. While for the most of them are rather silly and sometimes unnecessary, a few offer a bit more shout out to classic games like a 'pac man stage'. There are of course more repetitive mini games like putting Juliet's decapitated boyfriend on a headless Zombie which adheres to reacting to more button pressing; the joy I find in this is seeing Juliet actually use her cheer leading skills to motivate her boyfriend... and of course may I add the commentary and the sequence is quite hilarious.

She is a cheerleader after all, you know? 

While I can say that I've only put about a little over ten hours into the game, I can make a fair judgement that the game offer a little bit more than what I expected. Again this game is fallible in more than one aspect gaming wise, however it was and still is enjoyable enough.

POP IT!!!

7.5/10


Graphics: A game that is offering to delve into the corner where sexuality seems to be a crucial point in selling and just plain service has to have graphics that somewhat convey visuals that are just as appealing as the thought. Needless to say, Juliet with her skimpy outfit/s is 'drawn out' quite well and does the sensuality justice. It was plainly obvious that there was a lot of work put into Juliet's every curve and every being since she is the main attraction while everything else such as the background and the generic zombies doesn't exactly get the most intricate details as Juliet and the more prominent characters; which rightfully so. 

Vibrant colors.

An Alluring main character.

Nothing short of a panty shots!

But everything else that goes with it doesn't exactly fail to meet the standards of today's gaming. The background and animation are full of vibrant and morbid colors that it fits quite well, and almost beautifully adds a contrast to Juliet's constant slashing, running, cheering, and posing. There are a few styles that are placed into this game and it can almost be thought provoking as to why it was put the way it was. A good example of this the mixture of the comic like strips into the loading screens and certain button sequence scenes; then of course while Juliet is easy on the eyes (so to speak), the rather fantasy and visceral enemies that she has to go through can almost highlight or overwhelm her, but then we have the constant rainbow like affects that clearly always wants to remind the player that she we are controlling a badass girly girl that has no qualms into lifting herself from the splits to cut a zombie in half from the groin and up. I find it quite entertaining that blood and pink hearts are splattered all over the screen; the oxymoron more or less adds to the parody of this game.

Cut scenes do it justice.

Another thing about the mixture of different styles, while the majority of the game is a 3rd person hack and slash and we see Juliet and her enemies for what they are, there are times when it will switch to a nostalgic old fashioned game. The graphics try to reduce back to a 8bit like perception but still keeping the colors of the game itself. It's almost like a complete night and day shift when you enter a room expecting to hack away at more zombies but instead your are playing a game that resembles the classic Pacman.

So truthfully, graphic wise I have no real complaint. It does what it can to make the game fit the whole seductive and bloody intention, and all in the while giving perves out there a new female protagonist that doesn't exactly have any shyness to showing herself off, intentional or not. Especially with some of the alternate outfits.

A mixture of Lust and a bit of jovial gore.

8.0/10

Voice Acting/ Audio: One of the things that really got me interested even more in this game is that on of my favorite and more prominent voice actor in the gaming world lends her voice to give depth to Juliet. Tara Strong (AKA Rikku, Harley Quinn, X-23, so forth) for sure is a good choice for the badass but somewhat over too jovial persona of Juliet Starling. Now I  don't need to further press on the issue that Tara Strong is popular and 'used' in many games for a reason. Now I may be biased (probably) because the characters she voices always seems to be some of my favorite characters, however I can't deny that she has talent for these kind of femme fatales. And it's not the fact that she did a good job as Juliet (which let me add has very little distinction to the tone she uses as Rikku; so basically, I'm hearing Rikku as a cheerleader), but the fact that the lines she had dished out all throughout the game are vulgar and full of humor. The tone of the game as I pointed out falls nothing less of humor, well hearing the main gal saying things like: "What the Dick?" or "Pop it!", "...She's the reason why we wear our vaginas straight" is quite HILARIOUS! Again, it's like hearing Rikku of FFX with a lot of obscenities to exploit.

Rikku?!

As for the other actors, they didn't fall short of keeping the tone or expressing their characters. The again however, most of the other NPCs and Villains are vague in personality and have very little to almost no spotlight for them to matter. The incoherent calls of the zombies are usually overshadowed in my ears by Juliet's constant grunts, calls, and cheering, as well as her conversation with her decapitated boyfriend that hangs on her skirt.



As for the background music, well I enjoyed it quite well actually. One thing that this game does do is that it offers a lot of rock, some of the oldies like 'Lollipop', and the one thing I enjoyed that I started using a lot more 3/4 into the game is that you can put your own BGM. The choices have some variety as they have underground rock groups like Five Finger Death Punch. The game's own default music fits quite well with the scenes and it adds to the whole 'dark but funny' atmosphere. So needless to say, I think this is one of Lollipop Chainsaw's more stronger area; frankly it's because of the voice acting of Tara Strong.

9.5/10

Difficulty: I played on normal so the normal playthrough of the game offers lower than mediocre challenge. While the zombies aren't the norm dragging and mindless sprites like they used to be depicted in many games, they are still easy to slay especially when Juliet gets upgrades either through combos or her 'body' enhanced (durability, strength, etc). What does add a bit more of, not necessarily a challenge, but a bit of a 'hiccup' are the nostalgic 'mini games'. While again, they aren't exactly difficult, they do lean a bit more on the patience side of things. It also takes some adapting from the norm pressing combos to toggling the analog to the right or the left. All in all, there is no real difficulty and I doubt that the higher calibers will offer a grand difference (of course the normal enemies are stronger in health, damage output, etc. Probably, or I hope the AI gains more intelligence).

Can't Lose with this gun!

7.0/10


Overall: As I had stated in a post prior to this one and throughout the course of this review, the game makes no attempt to be something different or to be another Mass Effect so to speak. It is what it is, a game feeding off parody, sexuality, and the entertaining aspect of hack and slash. I believe if one is looking for something stellar, original, and a game that will compare to the majority's concept of a 'great game', please deter yourself from this one. This is a cheesy, very over the top, and provocative game that offers more fan service than actually trying to advance in the gaming world. And as a gamer that loves fan service in this kind of genre (missing some bondage however! lol), I'm okay with it the way it is and enjoyed the few hours I played it. But it does fail in the length like a lot of the games do these days. Yes, the replay value does adhere with the trophies, and if one is into collecting such bragging rights, then one like myself can play this over and over again. Of course let's not forget the fact that there will probably be DLC's coming its way. Extra stage... more costumes... who knows. But all in all I like this game and I will make an attempt to platinum it. But chances are it will be over shadowed with a few games coming out in the next month or so, but that doesn't affect the overall score I had always planned to give it since it is on its own right a note worthy game.

7.5/10

Fan Service take a bite on this game!!!