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Joystiq Streams: Oneechanbara Z2 Chaos gets mossy, private on PS4
PlayStation, you delightful little box, happy 20th birthday! May you live long enough for that insane old PlayStation 9 commercial to become reality. Looking back on two decades of machines, one thing rings true: PlayStation has never shied away from getting weird. From day one, PlayStations were hosting dadaist nightmares like Cosmic Race alongside mainstream bangers like Tekken. One of the most enduring founts of oddity was the D3's Simple 2000 series on Sony's consoles. To celebrate this aging milestone, we're going to treat our PlayStation 4 to some import strangeness sourced from Simple 2000: Oneechanbara Z2 Chaos. Bikinis, swords, monsters, moss; that's what we're playing. Join us for some Oneechanbara on Joystiq.com/Twitch at 4:00PM EST. If this is the kind of thing you're looking for in a stream, then please do follow us on Twitch. [Images: D3 Publisher]
Onechanbara trailer reveals women hate zombies
If the latest trailer for the upcoming zombie-slayer Onechanbara proves anything it's that sometimes shopping can go terribly wrong. Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad lands on the Xbox 360 in mid-December from publisher D3 and developer Tamsoft, the team behind ... uh, well we can't think of anything you'd really know or care about. Toshinden, maybe? But hey, it's a good looking woman wearing a bikini and slaying countless zombies. Basically, the most realistic game ever conceived.
D3 bringing sex and violence to the U.S. with Onechanbara
We've been hoping for a localized version of Oneechanbara Revolution, the motion-controlled Wii entry in Tamsoft's once-budget horror action franchise, since D3 Publisher revealed the game at last year's Tokyo Game Show. The company just announced that we're getting our wish: the series is headed to the U.S. for the first time, under the title Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers.Players will control one of two sisters, Aya and Saki, who slice up piles and piles of zombies, stopping only to shake the tainted blood off of their swords (lest they become slower and get stuck in zombies more often). Getting blood on the girls, however, triggers a "Rage Mode" in which Aya and Saki attack with increased speed and strength, while their health decreases.After No More Heroes, we have been slavering for some more sword-based action. Now we're looking forward to E3.
Oneechanbara movie uses its budget the wrong way
The Oneechanbara movie continues to be our favorite upcoming import-only movie based on an import-only game about girls in bikinis slaughtering zombies. It's a big genre, but we think we can say this with some certainty.Even so, this latest trailer raises some concerns about the movie. Specifically, why the CG blood? It would actually cost more than the normal goop used in movies, and the producers didn't quite spend enough to ensure that it didn't totally look ridiculous. Oh, that reminds us -- WARNING: This video features blood, sort of, and may not be suitable for children sensitive to the sight of computer-generated Jell-O.[Thanks, zizzy!]
Get cheap Freeloader fodder at Play-Asia
Play-Asia has just started their "Easter Egg" sale, which is actually a sale on video games (though Play-Asia may sell you an egg if you ask). Most of the things they sell (released more than 30 days ago) are 20% off. The Freeloader isn't included, but lots of import games to play using the Freeloader are. It may be a little harder to find excellent deals on the Wii, as opposed to something like the DS which is bursting with deals, but we've found a few interesting items in our brief browse.Shikigami no Shiro III - $35.92Mario Strikers Charged - $19.92Miburi & Teburi - $39.92Crazy Climber Wii - $31.92Oneechanbara Revolution - $ 47.92NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (US version) - $39.92And, why not, Fishing Rod Advance - $3.19It's definitely worth looking around yourself. Play-Asia's selection is vast.
Oneechanbara movie trailer keeps the low-budget spirit
The first trailer for the Oneechanbara movie should allay the concerns of anyone who thought D3 Publisher's cheap zombie-slashing game series would forget where it came from. Oneechanbara is staying true to its low-budget roots by, apparently, having a very low budget. Roughly half of the trailer is composed of game footage, followed by a quick look at Eri Otoguro as Aya, in an impressive "leaning kind of sideways, because she's hurt or something" scene. We suppose this trailer -- with little content other than a few seconds of a girl in a bikini -- would fit the definition of a "teaser" pretty well.[Via Kotaku]
Oneechanbara: the Revolution has been televised
Oneechanbara Revolution does indeed look much better in motion than in stills, losing the awful scanline look that has made us question whether D3 should have been releasing screens at all. In motion, Revolution actually looks quite a bit better than the original PS2 game -- not only graphically, but in terms of smooth movements and combos. Initial impressions make it seem that the game actually has quality this time, and that the new controls are fun (if tiring). Even though we were less than totally enthused with the PS2 game, we could see ourselves really enjoying some blood-soaked waggle combat with this. After the break, there are two more videos, including a demonstration of co-op gameplay. These videos, as well as the one above, are very violent and bloody and absolutely for adults only and not safe for work. If your mom or boss is severely disappointed in you, don't blame us.
Oneechanbara: it's a movie now
When did D3's once-budget hack-and-slash action game Oneechanbara become such serious business? Apparently, going full-price on the Wii was just the first sign of Oneechanbara's transformation into an important franchise, because an Oneechanbara movie has been announced for an April release in Japan. The movie will star Eri Otoguro as Aya, Chise Nakamura as Saki, and Manami Hashimoto as Reiko.We'll be interested in seeing if an audience who is able to cite gameplay reasons for their interest in the series will be up for an Oneechanbara with no gameplay. It's really all about the girls in costumes, this time. [Via Famitsu]
Oneechanbara: so not-awful it's Revolutionary
Dengeki had a playtesting session of D3's Oneechanbara Revolution, and from what we can gather based on automatic translations, they quite enjoyed the (costumes in the) game. They also seemed to think that the new controls, while requiring a bit of practice, work out well for the action game and create an enjoyable flow. They didn't think it was awful, which is news for the series.While the idea of learning controls seems antithetical to the Wii ideal, at least they're fun. Oneechanbara Revolution includes a practice mode in which you can just slice up endless hordes of zombies, in order to facilitate the learning process.Along with the English-unfriendly impressions, there is a nice set of new screenshots. We're fascinated by whatever that on-screen display is in the practice mode.
Friday Video: Erina collects another paycheck
As if we weren't already all about action games, recent developments have given us a taste for waggle-style action games. In this video for the new Oneechanbara Wii game, Official Aya Model Erina demonstrates the Wii controls for the bloody game. Also she wears her Aya outfit. Obviously, right?Oneechanbara's controls are much more motion-y than No More Heroes'. You're really (sort of) swinging your sword around and cutting through thousands of zombies. Surprisingly, while we totally think No More Heroes balances button-mashing and waving around perfectly, all the waggling in this looks fun and exciting. We're probably only swayed a little bit by the fact that it's being shown off by a bikini-clad model! While you're in an Oneechanbara mood, check out some new screens at the link. They're screens of the game, by the way.
Oneechanbara takes the Revolution on the road
It seems that a significant portion of any Oneechanbara game's budget is earmarked for hiring gravure idol Erina to dress up like Aya for publicity events. Judging by the game, a rather large percentage goes to the Aya Model Fund. This time, to promote the February 7th release of Oneechanbara Revolution, Aya stopped by Dengeki's offices, along with a dude in half-assed zombie makeup, to pantomime slashing up the website's staff. The two also made similar stops at GAME Watch and Famitsu, as well as other publications, no doubt. We'd make a joke here about threatening violence in retaliation against negative reviews, but we're pretty sure that these websites will find a way to review the game harshly, if they end up reviewing it.
Oneechanbara Screenshot Revolution
An exciting innovation from D3 can be found on the Oneechanbara Revolution website: screenshots that take a really damn long time to load! Also they move or something. Apparently the "Revolution" in the game's title refers to the range of movement in the promotional screens. D3 has updated the website with two "3D Screenshots" -- images whose perspective can be changed by moving the mouse, allowing for a 3D view of the game. It's basically like those QTVR panoramas that, five years ago, everybody thought would be important right now. Except important, because they're about video games.Of course, we hate to say it, but Oneechanbara isn't necessarily the best subject for high-tech screenshot technology. From pretty much any angle, all there is to see is gooey blood and zombie chunks.[Via Siliconera]
Oneechanbara Revolution is definitely not a budget game
We wondered when we heard about D3's Oneechanbara Revolution whether it would be part of the Simple budget series from which the Oneechanbara games originated. Well, actually, we suspected that it wouldn't be, since Oneechanbara VorteX on the Xbox 360 had crossed the full-price barrier, and since a series of Simple Wii games had been announced independent of this new Oneechanbara.But we continued to hope. We can forgive a repetitive, low-tech game for the right price, especially if it's in the action genre we crave. However, at full price we find it harder to overlook the obvious issues with the game (not that it matters, since it's a Japan-only release). We now have extremely definitive proof that Oneechanbara Revolution is not a budget game: the price. NCSX is taking preorders for the title at a price of $58, and Amazon.jp lists the game's retail price at 6,090 yen ($55), with Amazon selling it for $46. D3 is including somewhat of a consolation prize with every copy, in the form of a soundtrack CD. The music's the most entertaining thing about the game anyway!
Friday Video: Don't try to fight it
Yes, we know that the Oneechanbara games are terrible, and we know that the addition of awkward, low-budget waggle is unlikely to help. We can see the lack of variation in the enemies in this latest trailer. Furthermore, we know that Oneechanbara Revolution has zero chance of coming out in the U.S., and would be too expensive even if it did.But we don't care. The song sold us. Whoever got the idea to write and perform an inappropriately funky, upbeat song about the horror-action game should get a bonus. D3 of America, if you're reading: please, if nothing else, let us download the song. But we would be perfectly happy to buy the game -- just saying.
Oneechanbara R: a revolution?
GAME Watch is referring to D3 Publisher's Oneechanbara R as Oneechanbara Revolution now, solving the mystery of what the R means. We sort of assumed that it was "Remake," ourselves. Does this mean that the new Oneechanbara game takes significant steps forward toward becoming more than a ridiculous novelty game?Probably not. The title is probably just a reference to the Wii, once called the Revolution itself. Oh, well. Let's not let the supposed terribleness of the games bring us down. Today is the best day of the year for browsing a bunch of screenshots of bloody zombies, and GAME Watch has obliged with a large collection of new screens. Their post also reveals that the game contains not just the cowboy-hat-and-bikini-clad Aya, but also Saki, the other playable character from the first Oneechanbara game, just in case you'd like to choose which underdressed girl with whom to slash monsters.
Oneechanbara R is sensual, blustery
The Oneechanbara series falls under the category of "wacky" for a number of reasons. First, and most obvious, is the impracticality of swordfighting zombies and monsters wearing only a bikini. We would want more protection if we were going to carry around a big sword, much less approach the undead. Second, an important part of the game is sword maintenance. You have to keep it clean or it will move more slowly and even get stuck in enemies.And in the Wii version, as in others, large combos are rewarded with words of encouragement like "Sensual!" and "Bluster!" Doesn't that make you want to slash some stuff? Unfortunately, Oneechanbara-R seems to suffer from some nasty dithering effects in these screenshots, but we're hoping that the old "looks better in motion" chestnut turns out to be true for this. We'd so like an action game on the Wii.
TGS07: D3 announces Oneechanbara R
D3 Publisher's Oneechanbara was a Simple 2000 action game about a bikini-and-cowboy-hat-clad girl hacking up tons of zombies with a samurai sword, getting covered with blood in the process. It's reportedly not very good and represents the amount of effort expected from a 3D action game designed to be sold for about $20.That hasn't stopped it from being popular enough for numerous sequels, including a full-priced release on the Xbox 360. And now it's headed to the Wii in what promises to be a mess to control. But a different kind of mess than previous Oneechanbara games! Famitsu was on the scene to take lots of pictures of the model dressed as the heroine, Aya, and one picture of a guy playing the game or whatever. Luckily, a Ruliweb poster captured some video, so you can see, you know, the real game. As Simple series fans (for some reason), we'd like to see this come to the U.S., at a nice Simple price. However, since Oneechanbara R is not part of the Simple Wii series, we doubt it'll be budget-priced in Japan. [Via NeoGAF]
Hot chick kills zombies, gains fame
Oneechanbara X, the game whose heroine is a katana wielding girl wearing a thong, straw hat, feather boa, and not much else, is odd to say the least. Add to that list one more thing, she's a zombie slayer. That's right, Xboxygen has posted several shots of our hero slicing up legions of the undead. Still no word on whether or not the game also contains ninjas, Nazis, or pirates -- or if the game will see release outside of Japan at all. Here's hoping.You can check out the official website (in Japanese, natch) here -- age verification required, can't imagine why.
