Lollipop Chainsaw

I certainly did not expect what came from this game when I played it! Entertaining? Yes, very! I did keep an open mind and was delightfully impressed at that easy game-play. Mixing a dark theme with a lighthearted, slightly sexy overlay was a new one for the "zombie slasher" genre, here. Although I am not much of a fan of most of the soundtrack, there were a couple of catchy tunes in there. Special affects were pretty good. I gave this game an 8 out of 10 because there were some very annoying levels in each stage! Plus, the game did not seem long enough. But, otherwise, it was a good game and a funny change to the zombie genre.

So I walked into Gamestop planning on grabbing the new Ghost Recon; and as I pick it up i see this poster for Lollipop Chainsaw and I was all like,omg. The guy told me it was coming out soon and once i realized it was a hot cheerleader killing zombies... it was on. Just got it today and i must say it is so absurd that it is awesome. The graphics are interesting and the layout gives off an arcade feel to it. You can perform bad ass combo's and it can get pretty intense. Also, it is NOT that easy to play. It would seem like killing zombies would be a piece of cake but there are times throughout the campaign that are actually challenging; which gives me more motivation to play the game. The only thing I would say negatively about it is that they really do not ease into the whole zombie-deal. They kind of just throw you into a crap ton of zombies without any real understanding of the story line. Also, the combos that they give you show up on the top screen for a split second so you're kind of on your own with that. I have only made it passed the first 2 missions and the first boss so it could get a little different from here on but it is definitely worth getting. Very different from other zombie games and i mean.. c'mon guys.. hot cheerleader? Why not get this? The dialogue is hysterical and it really is so ridiculous that it's fun.

Don't let the cover of this game fool you. Underneath all the quirkiness is an incredibly enjoyable zombie affair with a fun, pulpy story, interesting characters and awesome environments to explore. I admittedly regret buying this day one (60 bucks is a little too steep for this one, in my opinion) but I'm still glad I played it.

If you can track down a copy these days, I say go for it! It's a great arcade-esque experience!

Lollipop Chainsaw Review (Horrible-Times.com)

It's a birthday from hell in Suda 51's newest offering, 'Lollipop Chainsaw.' The game, available for PS3 and Xbox 360, follows scantily-clad high school cheerleader Juliet Starling as she slices and dices her way through the undead on her 18th birthday. The barely legal zombie hunter (voiced by Tara Strong of My Little Pony fame) sports her trusty pink chainsaw, and the decapitated head of her boyfriend Nick (played by Michael Rosenbaum). Together, they have a blast bantering while killing every single last member of their graduating class. 'Lollipop' oozes with Suda 51 awesomeness. Any fan of his work will love this game immediately. The game play and character dynamics are akin to fellow Grasshopper Manufacture titles 'No More Heroes' and 'Shadows of the Damned.' In short: it's fun and it's hilarious. Some may criticize the game play for being too repetitive. I have to disagree. The game is reminiscent of the glory years of the arcades (there's even an arcade inspired level) and has tremendous replay value. It is even more enjoyable during a second play through once you've earned enough 'sparkle hunting' coins to unlock new chainsaw moves and combos, complete with blood, guts, and sparkles. Accompanying the bubblegum personality of Juliet is a really kick ass soundtrack. Joan Jett, Dead or Alive, Toni Basil (that Mickey song), and Dragonforce are just some of the artists you will be exposed to throughout the game. The music really fits the game nicely and adds a very Tarantino feel. In typical sexualized Japanese fashion, the game offers a slew of outfits (some more revealing than others) to dress Juliet in. Notable outfits offered are Ash from the Evil Dead series, Katy Perry (or Betty Page, depending on your generation), and the cast of Highschool of the Dead, if that's your thing. 'Lollipop' is designed to inspire multiple play throughs and it definitely succeeds- I've beaten it about twenty times now and I'm still not sick of it. Like other Grasshopper games, the graphics can't even marginally contend with the best the consoles have to offer but that's not the point; maybe people are losing sight of what the point is- games are fun, and graphics should never come first (I'm talking to you, 'Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2'). So horror enthusiasts, horny teenagers, or just perverted people in general, go out and get this game. It's awesome and it's worth it to take a trip down the halls of San Romero High. If you got that reference just now, then this game is totally for you. Oh, and also it is written by James Gunn Horror hero writer of Dawn of the Dead 2004 fame and Slither. Reviewed by Chris Crowe (Horrible-Times.com)

This game gets wayyyy too much of a pass. The combat is boring and clunky. The plot and stage design is weak and uninspired. The attempt at being edgy with the dialogue is corny and feels like a boomer wrote it. The fanservice cheesecake elements are tepid and add no aesthetic value. I would complain that it was a ridiculously short game, but I'm glad there wasn't more of it to play because it quickly became a chore. The game ends with the most played out style of final boss and a sequence of QTEs that are immediate deaths if you fail ( restarting a drawn out boss encounter from the beginning.)

James Gunn mentioned Russ Meyer as a reference point for the type of female sexploitation figure Juliet is supposed to be. This isn't Faster Pussycat or Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. This is tripe that gets graded on a curve because of the quirky gimmick concept that is one ply tissue thin. I like SUDA51 stuff and media that shrugs off wariness of the male gaze, but this game did nothing but make me resent having played it. It's obnoxious as hell that people try to position this game as some sort of slept on subversive feminist work of art. People do a lot of heaby lifting with cope in their positive regard for this schlock. I give it a 2 instead of 1 only because it wasn't too broken to beat.