Sexy Pixels: DD Summer Special

Get it? It’s a reference to breast size and also that we’re looking at two games. Two games with well endowed women. Yes, well…anyway.

 

Sexy Pixels returns with a look at two newer games: Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 and Senran Kagura Estival Versus. Matilda and I previously looked at the second Xtreme game, but this is the latest one that has yet to launch outside of Japan. As for Senran Kagura, I’ve wanted to do something on that series forever, but this is the first game where I’ve been able to capture footage.

 

To be fair, these games are extremely perverted and will not interest a majority of gamers out there. We looked past their shady content and enjoyed them for what they are anyway. Pure unadulterated, bouncy, summertime fun.

PS Vita Review: Senran Kagura Bon Appetite

Senran Kagura Bon Appetite pits the sexy female school ninjas up for another challenge. This time…it’s mediocrity. In all seriousness, the girls are up for a high stakes ninja cook off. The story is dreadful aside from some cheeky humor that while cute, don’t save the narrative. Thankfully cut-scenes can be skipped.

 

As a cooking rhythm game, one would expect two things from these genres, but each of which are broken in SKBA. First of all, players will mash buttons, to no rhythm, to a repetitive list of droll songs of sleepy drums, guttural rock, and a few good J-Pop tunes. There’s little variety to the mashing and the song selection is minimal and again, just plain bad. Secondly, the cooking is abysmal and non-present. The best cooking series out there is Cooking Mama. Yes, it’s just an arrangement of mini games designed around preparing food, but players get to know the dishes they are preparing. Not here. There’s not even an extra mode in which to read about recipes. It’s a TNA peep show, zooming around lady bits instead of focusing on the food. How crazy is that?

 

Sour tastes aside, there are a few sweet morsels in Bon Appetite. The girls still look amazing with customizable costumes to unlock. Plus there are also pictures, music, and voice samples to unlock. And if a track gets a perfect rating, there’s a special, genuinely sexy treat at the end. The game definitely nails its sexy design at the very least.

 

Senran Kagura Bon Appetite will only appeal to the hardcore of the hardcore fans out there. Sex sells after all. However, the gameplay just isn’t fun. It still boggles the mind on how wrong everything feels. Sorry girls, but this is one sour taste that can’t escape this writer’s mouth.

 

Score: 2/5 Stars

 

Special Notes: The publisher provided a review code for the game. This article was originally published on November 11, 2014 via my Examiner account before the website shut down.

 

PS Vita Review: Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus

Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus continues the ninja studies of four female ninja academies. They’re all rivals vying for power…and the story stops about there. That said a diverse set of characters and a string of witty dialogue keeps things light. It may be a girly type anime with clichés and tropes abound, but for a particular audience, this may be heaven. It’s just lacking in a well-defined, enjoyable narrative.

 

The story didn’t matter in the first game, Burst, and it doesn’t matter now. What does is the action and baby is it good. Shinovi Versus takes things to a new level. It resembles the Dynasty Warriors franchise more, replacing the previous 2D style of Burst with fully rendered 3D. Players will take on missions for each school, which ultimately boils down to slashing up enemies. Even in DW there are goals like capture points, but like the plot, action is light in terms of variety. That said each character is unique, offering different degrees of combat styles from an umbrella that summons an ice-powered octopus to a trench coat automated with a weapon-wielding robot. The short missions and repetitive design may be a flaw for some games, but it works well for Shinovi Versus.

 

While it may not be the best looking game, SV makes it up with style. The cel-shaded visuals are perfect, making the girls, action, and environments pop with finesse. The characters are gorgeous and the articulation in the costumes is outstanding. Shinovi Versus has a lot to offer between missions, leveling up the girls, multiplayer modes, and buying costumes. On the bad side load times are slow and while the environments offer some variety to the setting, there’s still not a lot of change. And to a lesser degree there are no English voices.

 

Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus can be best described as a guilty pleasure. Let’s first go through the minuses again: long loads, repetitive, bad story, and little variety. Plus it may come across as perverted. Okay so female ninjas ripping off each other’s may be a bit perverted, but it’s just plain silly and not malicious in any way. Just open up that mind and let the sexy ninjas in. Fans of the last game and harem anime will love it. Despite its flaws it’s just too fun and addictive to pass up. Believe it!

 

Score: 4/5 Stars

 

Special Notes: The publisher provided a review code for the game. This article was originally published on October 14, 2014 via my Examiner account before the website shut down.

3DS Review: Senran Kagura Burst

Senran Kagura Burst is like a cross between Naruto and Sailor Moon. The story centers around two clans of shinobi schools…and that’s about as far as the paper-thin plot goes. It’s ripe with anime clichés with a very cutesy, fan service type vibe to it. It’s an action story starring schoolgirls with huge chests who kickass. Mundane plot aside the silly and sexy premise of the game will please plenty of people while offending hundreds of others.

 

But’s let’s get to the core of the experience here: gameplay. SKB is an action style beat’em up with RPG elements similar to Dynasty Warriors. The girls level up stats and learn new skills while defeating enemy ninjas on missions, which vary between saving people to recovering files. Yet it ultimately boils down to destroying everything on screen. Each of the shinobi has a distinct fighting style. Asuka, for instance, wields twin katanas while Katsuragi’s weapon of choice is her feet. As if that wasn’t enough, each girl can transform via ninja scrolls, which powers up the character significantly with an accompanying skimpy outfit. However, if damaged, their clothes will rip apart. Yes, even the gameplay is a bit perverted, yet also satisfying in a strange way. Perkiness aside, SKB has a surprising amount of depth beneath its emphasis on boobs.

 

As a 3DS game, SKB is gorgeous. The cartoony look, the spritely animations, and the attention to detail on little things like clothing make this game shine. And like it or hate it, the 3D is amazing especially on, ahem, certain body parts that literally pop out. Again, it’s goofy and not intentionally sexist, or harmful in any way. And aside from the occasional glitches that froze enemies in the air, or stopped the game during transformations, SKB ran pretty smoothly. It’s a fine action title that offers a variety of missions almost infinitely repayable for the sake of collecting goodies. Repetitive and simplistic yes, but that naturally comes with the genre.

 

Senran Kagura Burst is an anime nerd’s dreams come true. Heaving breasts and scandalous clothes aside, it’s a fun game. It’s not perfect and it certainly won’t appeal to everyone, but it fits that niche crowd excellently. SKB is a game for action aficionados and lovers of anime girls kicking ass and looking good while doing it.

 

Score: 3/5 Stars

 

Special Notes: The publisher provided a review code for the game. This article was originally published on November 20, 2013 via my Examiner account before the website shut down.