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Lollipop Chainsaw
PlayStation 3
Crude, Juvenile and All Sorts of Fun
3.5/5 stars
From Grasshopper Manufacture and the insane Suda51 - the minds behind No More Heroes and Killer7, comes a video game that appeals to zombie fans and the juvenile part of us that refuses to grow up - Lollipop Chainsaw, in which you control a smokin' hot cheerleader who dispatches hordes of zombies with her trusty chainsaw. It's simple, yet oh so effective.
Presentation: While the design is not quite as comic-book quality as No More Heroes, it follows the same kind of design using more polish. This game isn't going for the hyper-realistic look of say Uncharted but rather sticks to a slightly more cartoon-ish look. The main character, Juliet, is the epitome of male fantasy fulfillment - young, blonde, T&A - and the game knows it, often having her bend over and or do a variety of cheer leading moves that show off her, *ahem* talents. Crass and juvenile? Of course, but eye candy has rarely worked better. The zombies themselves also come in flavored variety from standard students to break-dancing grampas (seriously). It doesn't take itself too seriously - I mean, you get health in the form of lollipops and get extra points for decapitating three or more zombies - this game is all about fun, not realism.
Level design is likewise interesting - there are only six (the game is short) - school, stadium, farm, arcade, cathedral and downtown - while there isn't much in the way of exploration, there is enough variation that it doesn't feel like you're repeating the same thing over and over again. The arcade level gets extra points for dropping you into some "classic" games aping Pac-Man, Elevator Action and Breakout.
The other unique aspect are the bosses - each based around a musical theme. You have the Punk Zombie Zed, Heavy Metal Zombie Vikke, Hippie Zombie Mariska, Disco/Funk Zombie Josey, Rock Zombie Lewis LEGEND and the final boss - a grossly huge Elvis-looking Killabilly. Each enemy has about three forms to get through before you "finish" them, but none are particularly challenging - as long as you know how to dodge. Each level also contains a few "named" zombies - usually harder versions of standard zombies (anything from police to firemen to Molotov-wielding nerds) - that can make life miserable if you don't deal with them quickly.
Story: Juliet's entire family is a zombie-killing clan. Luckily (or unluckily as the case may be) when a Goth student with a chip on his shoulder performs a dark ritual, it conjures up a legion of undead along with five uber zombie rock lords that she will have to defeat to save her town. Her older sister, Cordelia, is a dead-eye sniper, her father is a no-nonsense, rugged rocker and younger sister, Rosalind, is an annoying dingbat with a penchant for driving heavy machinery. Only her mom seems to be a normal person. When Juliet goes to school one morning, the day of her birthday no less, she runs into a bunch of undead classmates. Her own boyfriend, Nick, looks to become zombie chow himself, but through some magic, she saves him... or at least his head, which she touts around for the rest of the game. She meets up with her sensei - in reality a dirty, old man with questionable mystical ability - who tells her the Goth looking dude has managed to break down the barrier between the dark world and the regular world. In order to make things right, she must stop the five zombie rock lords and close that barrier down.
It should be noted that James Gunn (writer of Slither, Super and, uh, Scooby Doo) worked on the story here too. While it's none too deep, and some of the dialogue is downright cheesy or creepy, at least it presents some narrative, which, for a zombie game, is a plus. The music is spot on (with music-based bosses, you better hope it is!) with some great metal, techno and such provided by the likes of Five Finger Death Punch, Skrillex, The Human League and boss segments from Mindless Self-Indulgent's own Jimmy Urine (yes, actual name). Throwback songs include Lollipop by the Chordettes, Mickey by Toni Basil and Pac-Man Fever (in the arcade level - great choice). Vocal talent includes Tara Strong as Juliet, Michael Rosenbaum (of Smallville fame) as Nick, Michael Rooker as Vikke, Linda Cardellini as Cordelia and Shawnee Smith as Mariska. Not a bad bit of casting, even if Juliet starts to repeat herself a little too often.
Gameplay: Combos, combos, combos! Time to hack n slash your way to victory - stun 'em and chop 'em. Drop kicking is key to easy victories while you unlock greater and greater moves as you work through the game. Each zombie kill gives you medals to spend on said combo moves and also upgrades to strength, health and lock-on ability. When you kill three or more zombies with one shot you get platinum medals, which are used to unlock outfits, music and artwork. Shops are scattered about each level, so you can upgrade on the fly without having to wait to the end. Each level also unlocks new abilities for Juliet to use: a dash attack, a chainsaw gun attack and the ability to use Nick's head as a weapon against the undead. As you kill zombies your "Sparkle" meter increases and once it tops off you can unleash your Sparkle Power - which is a guaranteed one-hit kill on any zombie (save the bosses). As you can imagine, using this power at the right time can earn you mad medals and is key to earning enough to buy the more expensive powers and upgrades in the later levels.
While there is a bit of repetition going on, the game throws in some QTE's at some points - including times when you stick Nick's head on a zombie and press the desired buttons to get him to clear whatever is in the way to continue. Destructible environments give you extra medals as well. There are three difficulty settings (plus an extra hard one when you finish) and various zombies and collectibles only show up on hard (for those, like me, who are completionists). Each level also has a score you can beat (Dad's Score) to unlock even more goodies - as well as earn trophies. You can also play each level as story or score attack (world-wide rankings).
Some boss battles require a smidgen of planning, but for the most part you could button mash your way to victory - dodging and attacking pretty much solves any enemy battle. It's pretty easy to get the hang of it, but to succeed in the score attacks, you will have to actually work at getting combos down and using your Sparkle power wisely. Probably the biggest deterrent in the game is the camera, which can be a pain at times (but what game doesn't have this issues I ask?).
Overall: The game is short and to the point - it's all about eye-candy and killing zombies. It's also a lot of fun. The game could easily be passed in one or two sittings, but there is enough to go back through - beating higher difficulties and scores - that it will add enough hours to make it worth your time. The appeal is probably limited, but as I love me some zombies (and am not adverse to a smokin' hot cheerleader taking them out), it was a good time. It's fun, but it does tend to get repetitive and the evil (at times) camera won't allow me to rate this higher.
Presentation: 4/5
Story: 3/5
Gameplay: 3/5
Overall (not an average): 3.5/5
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