Lollipop Chainsaw Review

I don't even know where to begin. Is this game degrading? Is it empowering? Who came up with this idea and why? If you were to look at the marketing for this game it would offended any intelligent human being, focusing on the main character, cheerleader Juliet Starling's sex appeal instead of any actual game mechanics. But even though the games marketing strategy is kind of gross and the game itself is bland and repetitive there are enough zany, hilarious and random tangents that spruce up an otherwise unremarkable game. Lollipop Chainsaw follows Juliet and her recently decapitated yet still lively boyfriend Nick. Why is a decapitated head talking and hanging from Juliet's skirt, *shrugs shoulders* just cause. It's that unapologetic wackiness that makes this game shine and really stand out amongst the plethora of drab shooters.

It's Juliet's 18th birthday when the game starts and some "super bummer loser" has decided to tear a hole through our world into the Rotten World forcing the bad-juju to turn people into zombies. Luckily Juliet and her family are zombie hunters and so equipped with a chainsaw Juliet gets to work ridding the world of the recently infected. Lollipop Chainsaw is a combo heavy action game. Juliet has four basic abilities, low swings and high swings with her chainsaw, pom-pon stun attack which only dazes enemies making them easier to kill, and a dodge. You earn coins for killing zombies and you can use those same coins to purchase upgrades for Juliet making her faster stronger and more resilient or you can purchase new combos, increasing the versatility of the combat. The combat is pretty clunky, Juliet is strangely slow and cumbersome and you find yourself sometimes swinging your chainsaw wildly hoping to hit something. The one thing I did like was the coin bonuses for being better at the combat, the more efficient and varied you can kill zombies the more coins you get which in turn rewards you with mp3 from the games incredible library of songs, or outfits for pleasing any pervy sensibilities you may have. The games bosses should also be commended as they are all distinct and offer their own brand of insanity and laughs.

Lollipop Chainsaw wears its insanity on its sleeves. It doesn't even attempt to hid the weird sexual connotations of the main character nor does it seem to even remotely censor itself with lines such as "I'm gonna fist my ass with your head". And while the games stays interesting with its crude humor, over the top violence and cheeky sexual overtones, its all surface level. The game itself isn't very well made, button prompts refuse to appear, the character and her interactions with the environment are cumbersome, and the gameplay is repetitive never offering in real change outside of goofy mini-games. Lollipop Chainsaw is all about style over substance, great music, shocking yet hilarious dialogue, and a story that only gets progressively more insane. Unfortunately you can judge this book by its cover and what you see is what you get.

(3 out of 5)