: Can Lollipop Chainsaw Survive On T&A Alone?

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Can Lollipop Chainsaw Survive On T&A Alone?

I don't wish to imply that sex appeal is the only interesting element of this game. Grasshopper Manufacture is a talented group and I expect a solid, entertaining action game.

However, the marketing aims are clear and it's really no surprise. With Jessica Nigri helping out in any way she can, hilarious trailers that never fail to give us a glimpse of supple curving skin, and enough innuendo to impress Howard Stern, Lollipop Chainsaw understands its target audience. But wait...does it, really?

There's no doubt that such brainless - yet consistently effective - marketing targets males between the ages of 18 and 35, and that just so happens to be prime audience for video games. That being said, while one could say past efforts have been mildly successful, the T&A hardly resulted in big-selling blockbusters. I distinctly recall BMX XXX, which got a ton of attention pre-release and generated a lot of adolescent giggling, but ultimately, the critics panned it and few bought it.

Then there's the well-known Dead or Alive series with its top-heavy chicks. But I don't care what anyone says; the fighting games have always been pretty freakin' great, and that really is the reason games like DoA2: Hardcore (one of the very best early PS2 titles) sold well. Now, the volleyball spin-offs are more questionable in terms of quality but didn't the sales reflect that dip in quality? I think they did. They were never as popular as the better-produced fighting titles. They got a lot of press but that isn't the same thing, now is it?

So the question is this- If Lollipop Chainsaw basically tanks and gets 5s and 6s from critics, can it still become a profitable game? Will that uber-popular cheerleader fantasy have enough punch to get consumers to drop $60, despite the lower quality? Me, I'm going with "no." I maintain that gamers are quite selective and typically don't reward schlock. Then again, if Nigri poses enough times, maybe it's possible...

4/20/2012 Ben Dutka

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Comments (28 posts)

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, April 20, 2012 @ 10:21:36 PM
Reply

I say no, but I also say it will do much better than that because it will be pretty good. If Shadows of the Damned was a warmup for Grasshopper and Suda 51 I expect they will be bringing their A game this time.

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Lawless SXE
Friday, April 20, 2012 @ 10:34:20 PM
Reply

"that never fail to give us a glimpse of supply curving skin"
Do you mean supple?

I think that you're right, but then, I'm not sure that Lollipop Chainsaw will be a massive hit anyway, no matter how good it is, or how well it is advertised. It's an untested IP and unless they can really wow people with 90+ scores across the board, they don't typically do that well.

Also, I was reading something earlier that I think the crowd here might appreciate:

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/168547/Has_video_game_retail_become_an_entirely_hits_driven_industry.php

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homura
Friday, April 20, 2012 @ 10:50:07 PM
Reply

I'm not interested in the game, i'm a little bit interested in Nigri but still Alodia Gosiengfiao is still the godess of cosplay for me.
Last edited by homura on 4/20/2012 10:56:07 PM

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Shams
Friday, April 20, 2012 @ 11:15:40 PM
Reply

A couple weeks back my parents and sister and her inlaws were in Boston, and happen to walk by PAX convention and Prudential/Copley or Hynes Convention center. My mom told me all these strange people were walking around in costumes, and it wasn't Halloween, and she couldn't understand why. I acted like I didn't know what she was talking about.

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Temjin001
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 8:51:27 AM

haha awesome

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Shams
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 10:27:52 AM

Heh, yeah. I was like, "Whaaat?". That's crazy. Why would someone do something like that? Sorry to cosplay avids. I had to jump ship.

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Temjin001
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 10:48:08 AM

haha, you should've said, "ah, yeah video game cos-players... when will those KIDS ever grow up"

=p

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Highlander
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 12:18:00 AM
Reply

DOA Paradise showed that a game can't survive on T&A alone.

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WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 1:56:41 AM

That's because the bounce physics aren't quite right in that one.

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Highlander
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 2:00:37 AM

PSP didn't have the CPU power to handle the fluid dynamics involved...

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BikerSaint
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 10:56:30 AM

<<<<PSP didn't have the CPU power to handle the fluid dynamics involved...>>>>

They should've just used a thicker silicone

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WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 3:42:30 PM

I have the game :)

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SmokeyPSD
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 3:48:21 AM
Reply

Funny, I must have imagined the video with the cast and crew just talking and having such a great time plus discussing what the project is. No T&A in sight...

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 10:12:43 AM

Funny...hardly the point of the article.

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___________
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 6:18:46 AM
Reply

if T&A means tits and a$$ then no.
its pretty sad when all you have to market your game is cleavage!
just says allot about the game, i mean if you cant show off gameplay to advertise the game and need to show a skank to get people interested in it then how bad really is it!?
exactly why bayonetta did so poorly, people play games to have fun not to stare at some witches chest!
thats what the beach was invented for.........

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WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 3:43:52 PM

There is gameplay for this, and the combat looks great.

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___________
Sunday, April 22, 2012 @ 11:14:26 AM

i know there is, there not showing that to advertise the game there showing the main characters chest to advertise the game.
my point exactly, just goes to show how confident they are in their game if there using some fake balloons to sell a game instead of showing what a games about.
and its not great, i played it at the EB expo last year and found it pretty boring!

Last edited by ___________ on 4/22/2012 11:15:22 AM

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Sogi_Otsa
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 7:22:39 AM
Reply

Killing Zombies with a chainsaw in close proximity? Suda51's twisted sense of humor, and the NMH fan base jumping up for this game, yeah i could care less how she looks, i'd be using the street clothes, Jimmy, or Ash outfits majorly anyway.
This game is sure to be 100% twisted jacked up bloody fun. and i would have it no other way.

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Temjin001
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 8:50:48 AM
Reply

Titillating is probably the best word ever made =p

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Excelsior1
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 9:42:57 AM
Reply

No way is T&A enough to carry a game in todays market which is extremely competitive. This game might not even survive even if it is well received by critics. A lot of things have to right for a game to have success.



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Temjin001
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 10:52:46 AM

So why did you ditch awesome Auron for the queer peace frog?

=p

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Excelsior1
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 12:02:26 PM

hehe. What's wrong with my peace frog? -Runs away and cries-
Thank God I did not go with my alternative chioice. Mr. Dancing Banana.

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Bigimpactpooch
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 12:53:39 PM
Reply

Pretty sure the game will be fun and twisted! I mean the bi*** cuts off her own boyfriends head off! Positive it will have a better love story then twilight that's for sure. Now that they introduced the 2 sisters does that mean there is co-op and/or multiplayer?

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WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 3:45:40 PM
Reply

Bayonetta sold on T&A plus over-the-topness over all else, which is what LPCS is doing. Nobody had a clue Bayo had a decent combat system until they bought it. (Barring game junkies like us who read everything online).

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Neo_Aeon666
Saturday, April 21, 2012 @ 6:15:07 PM
Reply

Yeah this game looks like more than T&A from what we saw. People who had some *hands on* on it also said they were *blown away*. I will be getting it D1 and I hope it does really well.

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Robochic
Sunday, April 22, 2012 @ 7:25:55 AM
Reply

I dont' think so but you never know, their will be parents that have no clue what their horny teenage son's have in their gaming collection lol.
The game looks cool but i wouldn't get it day 1 i'll wait just like i did with dead island and alice.

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DjEezzy
Sunday, April 22, 2012 @ 10:20:24 AM
Reply

Bayonetta is not a good example. Sure T&A was there but the fighting system in that game is uber deep. One of the best i've ever come across actually. To be honest, this looks like trash compared to Bayonetta. Sure the story in Bayonetta wasn't great but the gameplay was top notch.

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leatherface
Sunday, April 22, 2012 @ 12:50:27 PM
Reply

i think they could. i've been surviving on T&A for a long time now.

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