|
Monday, January 28, 2008
Sister slasher samurai slashing zombies up in here.
 ZOMBIE WHALE.Am I done now? No? Fine. This is a screenshot from Oneechanbara: Vortex, part of a Japan-only series (yes, it's a series) of hack 'n slash, zombie-dispatching, motorcycle-riding, bikini-wearing, samurai/cowboy proportions. The series was first introduced in 2004 on the Playstation 2 and has seen many iterations and upgrades since then. Recently, Oneechanbara Revolution was announced for release on the Wii, bringing what I'm sure will be very imaginative motion controls to the unique franchise. Oneechanbara's name is something of a mouthful indeed, combining the words "sister," "samurai," and "slasher," which I suppose says it all. It combines Dynasty Warriors-style combat with the occasional motorcycle romp, and players can typically switch between protagonist Aya and her schoolgirl sister, Saki, for even more zombie-goring shenanigans. There is also, inevitably, a dress-up mode.  That's all there is to it, really. You play as a waifish Japanese girl dressed in a bikini and cowboy duds who drives around on a motorcycle hacking legions of the undead to pieces with a samurai sword invoking magnificent sprays of blood and oh by the way, remember that zombie whale? It's all just as ridiculous as it sounds, and frankly it leaves me confused. True enough, Oneechanbara combines everything your stereotypical gamer nerd desires: chicks, ultra violence, sweet bikes, and samurai/cowboy action. The thing is, however, it's so goddamn kitschy that not only are you utterly unable to take it seriously, it doesn't even take itself seriously. It's a goofy game that cranks up the camp without crossing the line into ick-territory. Games like Dead or Alive alienate female gamers with gratuitous panty-shots and gravity-defying tit physics in an otherwise great fighting game; Oneechanbara achieves exactly what it sets out to do while keeping things, well, strangely light and fun. Plus, you have it give it this: the ladies of Oneechanbara are all kickass, take-no-prisoners, zombie-stomping gods of the blade that are never victimized. The games don't exactly set out to make you think, and they're far from intelligent as far as concepts go, but there is something there. In the end, is Oneechanbara over the top and ridiculous? Definitely. Is it offensive? No. I expect many people will disagree with me, and that's perfectly valid. But, looking at the big picture, this is a game that, while it may toe the line, it does so with humor, and you can't help but look at it as an amusing parody of everything that's wrong with the gaming industry. Labels: Action Adventure, BomberGirl, Stereotypes
|
About
◊ Girl in the Machine◊ BomberGirl ◊ Calabar ◊ PlasmaRit
Latest Entries
◊
Linkfest - Like a Surgeon Edition
◊ The Sexy Space Women of Mass Effect ◊ There's Something About Krystal ◊ A Kingdom Ruled by Strength ◊ Inevitable Femininity ◊ Argh! ◊ First Friday Drinking Game ◊ A Strictly Female Affliction ◊ Happy Holidays! ◊ The Jade Debate
Tags
◊ Action Adventure◊ Adventure ◊ Body Language ◊ BomberGirl ◊ Calabar ◊ Castlevania ◊ Character Spotlight ◊ Civilization ◊ Elder Scrolls ◊ Fatal Frame ◊ Final Fantasy ◊ Fighter ◊ First Friday Drinking Game ◊ FPS ◊ Getting it Right ◊ Guitar Hero ◊ Half-Life ◊ Harvest Moon ◊ Indie ◊ The Industry ◊ In the News ◊ Legend of Zelda ◊ LGBT ◊ Linkfest ◊ Mario Bros. ◊ Mass Effect ◊ Metal Gear ◊ Metroid ◊ MMORPG ◊ Motherhood ◊ PlasmaRit ◊ Platforming ◊ Primal ◊ Prince of Persia ◊ Race Issues ◊ RPG ◊ RTS ◊ Rule of Rose ◊ Scale ◊ Sexuality ◊ Shadow Hearts ◊ Shin Megami Tensei ◊ Silent Hill ◊ The Sims ◊ Star Fox ◊ Stealth ◊ Stereotypes ◊ Street Fighter ◊ Super Smash Bros. ◊ Survival Horror ◊ Tomb Raider ◊ Turok ◊ Video Game Movies ◊ Violence ◊ World of Warcraft
Archives
◊ June 2007◊ July 2007 ◊ August 2007 ◊ September 2007 ◊ October 2007 ◊ November 2007 ◊ December 2007 ◊ January 2008 ◊ February 2008 ◊ March 2008 ◊ April 2008 ◊ May 2008 ◊ June 2008 ◊ July 2008 ◊ August 2008
Links
◊ BlogHer◊ Cerise Magazine ◊ The F-Word Blog ◊ Finally, a Feminism 101 Blog ◊ Game Girl Advance ◊ GayGamer.net ◊ Iris Gaming Network ◊ Killer Betties ◊ New Game Plus ◊ Penny Arcade ◊ Racialicious ◊ Shrub.com Blog ◊ Under the Table Gaming ◊ Women Gamers ◊ Zone of the Gamers Best viewed in Mozilla Firefox at a 1028 by 768 resolution.
|
