As if I didn’t have a “thing” for hot blondes battling the undead already…
Lollipop Chainsaw is a 2012 hack-and-slash title developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and released by Kadowaka Games and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the XBOX 360 and PS3 consoles.
Meet Juliet Starling: your average, ditzy high school cheerleader…oh, and one of the best zombie hunters on the planet. One day on her way to class she finds the entire campus under siege by the legion of the undead. Armed only with pom-poms and a customized miniature chainsaw, Juliet must destroy every zombie in sight and find out who is responsible for the ghastly events. She is aided in this journey by her mentor Master Morikawa, her family (also zombie hunters), and her headless jock boyfriend Nick. Rip your way through six action packed levels filled with more blood and cheerleader crotch shots than any normal person could handle!
GRAPHICS: Lollipop Chainsaw isn’t your most life-like , expensive looking video game. It actually looks like a game for a console one generation before. Luckily, the cut scenes are interlaced with a motion comic structure that gives the game a modern, hip feel. This is also a game that you would want to play while drunk and/or high. Lots of spinning, lots of flashing lights and stars, lots of bright colors.
DIFFICULTY: This is your typical hack-and-slash game for non-experienced games such as myself. You will be able to defeat a lot of characters and navigate through obstacles just by pressing the same buttons over and over again. The game does get slightly harder each level – like 0.5 harder – and the health upgrades and new attacks you learn make for easy mayhem. Certain zombies are much harder to destroy than others, examples being the radio-active police men and the flying grandmothers, but they are used sparingly until the end. The most difficult part of the game is the final battle, and as it should be! It’s the most time consuming, the most obnoxious, and you need to be quick!
ORIGINALITY: Obviously Lollipop Chainsaw bares a striking similarity to the first three seasons of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” Just sub out stakes and vampires for chainsaws and zombies. So, for me, while it was a little bit nostalgic, it does lose a few points of originality for me. What I found to be the most original was the dirty humor. Coming from my last console being a Wii, the dirty jokes and swearing were a welcomed surprise. Sure, it’s forced at times and seems a little childish, but how can you not smile at lines that include “Wow! Zombies suck dick at driving!” and “I think they were trying to bookaki me!” Also, the fact that you can unlock a punk rock soundtrack and discover a downloadable comic book is pretty cool.
APPEAL: The boyfriend drama, the catty banter, lots of pink hearts and sparkles… Despite the fact that you’re shooting zombies and cutting them into pieces, I do think Lollipop Chainsaw mostly appeals to female gamers. Again, as a fan of blondes battling evil and as a rabid horror fan, the game appealed to me for a variety of reasons. Older, more mature male video game players may not enjoy it, but high school to college aged kids will definitely get a kick out of it.
Overall, Lollipop Chainsaw as a very fun addition to my video game collection. It was certainly not the most difficult, and by saying it’s a new favorite may subtract from my manliness, but I really did enjoy it. I could see myself playing it again and again. I’m actually hoping for a sequel on this one. I’d rate it 8.3 out of 10 stars!
I love that James Gunn had a hand in writing all that witty banter!