Onechanbara Z2: Chaos

Lollipop Chainsaw! Finally! I've been waiting for this. You get to choose between four different main characters. One of them in fact does have a chainsaw!

Mindless hack & slash. Fun for what it is, but also forgetable. You probably won't get long sessions out of this one.

There's some fun to be had here if you're the type who enjoys B-movies or Japanese eccentricities, but make no mistake: this is not Dark Souls 3. I was somewhat familiar with this series from hearing about it online, so when I saw that it was localized and released in the U.S, I was bewildered. Somehow, the "Banana Split edition" was in stock locally, so I decided to roll the dice without reading a single review and pick it up. I like weird Japanese games, it seemed ridiculous enough to be entertaining, and the "special edition" - which included an art book and soundtrack - was technically a budget title at $50. And oh boy, does it scream budget title! The game is basically a Devil May Cry knockoff with straightforward controls, a terrible camera, and a totally unnecessary English dub. The menus are barebones with questionable font choices, inane music blares in the background at all times, the static "tutorials" are nearly incomprehensible, the environments are generic and the enemies are ****'s IN YOUR FACE with its low budget. On the bright side, the game always runs at 60fps, a surprisingly deep (relatively speaking) skill and weapon system keeps things interesting, and it's pretty fun to play once you get the hang of a few of the combat tricks. And then, of course, you have the over-the-top T&A aggressively flaunted wherever possible, which is really the only thing (graphics aside) that separates this title from a typical PS2 action/adventure game. Really, this would be great to play with a few friends, drinking beers and passing the controller around, joking about how silly Japanese games are (or maybe how far game design has come in the past decade). Somehow, Onechanbara ZII Chaos manages to be charming in its mediocrity, which is a rare thing these days. It commits to its stupid premise with gusto, and emerges as a reasonably enjoyable title. Obviously, it's not for everybody, but if you're the type of person who enjoyed Lollipop Chainsaw, or just have a thing for bizarre Japanese exports, you could spend your money in worse places. And if there are people out there who really get off to this, god help us all.

Story - The game is a direct continuation from the ending of Onechanbara Z: Kagura in the aftermath of kagura and saaya's fight against their mother. As a summary, Kagura and Saaya will be teaming up to their rivals Aya and Saki to fight a new threat to the world. As like previous onechanbara series games. Its plot and story are bad. In fact you cant really say there is a story but a battle between good and evil. It is short and uninteresting. Though the characters in the game are somewhat interesting considering they have different personalities and their few interactions in game are both funny, sexy and sometimes ridiculous. Still though, it does not over all the flaws and problems it has concerning the lack of story. A poor score of 1/10 Gameplay - This is the part where the game really steps up. The action is awesome smooth and really a good game for those players who like fast paced actions games. The thing i really liked in here is the cross combination where you can use more that 2 or all of the characters at the same time and make utter chaos against your many enemies. Combos are great, many and different from each of the characters since each has two kinds of main weapons and also a sub weapon, add that they have stronger forms called Dare Drive and Extacy. However, dissapointing factors are also included, The whole campaign is so short and lacks replayability and is also very easy as a whole even if you are playing in the hardest difficulties since enemies doesnt really pose a threath even those bosses or those large in size. The mission mode is a plus for you to have things to do even after beating the campaign but alas, it is also very easy that i never really experienced a challenging mission except for 1 or 2. Overall, a score of 6/10 will do. Graphics - There two aspects on this part, both good and bad. As for the good, the character design of each and every characters are pretty, sexy and gorgeous, people keeps criticizing the use of sex appeal of this game of which as a guy, is a plus for me. I really am impressed also that you can customize the main characters, and didnt regret making them look much more sexier than their original costumes. As for the bad though, is the level and environment design. It is so last last gen and i mean on the PS2 era of graphics level. Too much lazy effort by the developers to actually put recycled level and enemy design used in its previous games. SO DAMN DISAPPOINTING. Therefore, A poor score of 4/10 will do for these aspect. Music and Sound - As to the music, It really is mixed and confusing, it is a mixture of pop, rock and techno pop. It was ok for me. But overall was dissapointed since a recycled songs from the last game is in the soundtrack and actually used in game to make you thinks it has a lot. As to the sound and voice acting, the japanese voice acting despite Kagura's awkward broken english are actually good and i really prefer it over the english version. It has more emotion and gives the characters personality base on the tone and the way they all speak. A score of 5/10 Overall Score = 4.00 These game is generally compared to Bayonetta and is also considered its budget version. Personally, I **** me it has beaten Bayonetta in its fast paced action mechanic but was far inferior as to the other aspects of the game. With regards to the use of sex appeal to promote the game, IMO in a world where games which has gore, the use of drugs, slavery, racism, etc. I would prefer this kinds of games rather than those i previously mentioned. But overall, the game really didnt give me that worth for my money since despite that it satisfies my manhood and action perks. I was dissapointed in everything. Hopefully the developers could do better in their next game if it would even come out to the west. Like Kagura said, "Okay, Bring it on"

Story/Campaign - Storyline-wise for the **** is awful and sooooo short. Its story continues from the ending of onechanbara z Kagura and introduces a new enemy of which the 4 lovely and sexy ladies need to team up despite their rivalries to defeat. Really, that is just the storyline, no climax, no interesting parts, Just that. Its cutscenes usually revolves on the light and playful side and interactions between the heroines and until the end, nothing really happened but you defeated the final boss and saved the world from another zombie apocalypse. Although on the positive note, atleast its campaign feels more alive than the previous game because of the more number of heroines, some of their interactions are sometimes fun, weird but interesting. The extra mission mode can use up a part of your experience but nothing really was a challenged also for me. A score of 2/10 for this. Gameplay - Now this is where the game really stands out. In an era where hack and slash and beat-em up games are dying, this game really showed that this gameplay can still perform smoothly and can be still be better in this age. Its fast paced gameplay action is smooth, unique, cool and the combinations and attacks of each heroines are both unique and distinct from each other and you won't get tired of it i assure you especially the cross combinations where all 4 of the heroines will be on the screen hitting everyone. My main problem though is that the AI are all dumb and weak, it includes the bosses too except to notable bosses, nothing really was challenging nor gave me a hard time the whole campaign even in the hardest difficulty. A score of 7/10 will suffice for this. Graphics - The character design of each characters in the game are great. They all look pretty, juicy and damn all so sexy. Its pretty obvious what type of fan base the developers wants to get from the game. I dont mind though, Im a guy, We all like sexy boobs and ass since they are treasures worth looking. However, the biggest problem for in this is the environment, they all look like PS2 graphics at its max. It is bad even in the ps3/xbox360 gen. The laziness of the devs really showed in this part. This deserves a 3/10 score. Sound - The music of this game are all catchy and good. However, Its just a mix of random music and nothing really fits the whole story or campaign, even the theme of the characters isnt fitting for their themes.I dont mind though since like i said, Its catchy and good for the ears due to its playful tones. A score of 5/10 for these. Total Average = 4.3 Onechanbara Z2: Chaos uses sexuality as its main strength to maintain its fanbase and as a guy, it really works. Its not a real problem for me but i do hope he devs atleast try to do better to improve its weakness, the game has no plot and bad bad bad graphics and due to this the game tends to be unremarkable despite its good gameplay of which can still be improved. The devs should show they are not just nerds who likes asses and boobs but that they can put on a show to showcase their game in a better and more interesting manner. A bad game for me overall due to its big flaws, it shows that using sexuality in a game alone wont be enough to make it good.