Brütal Legend (One Brutal Screenshot!)

The one really bloody BL screen in the set I got from EA. Hadn't really noticed it at first until someone pointed out I'd posted this with the "normal" ones. Oops. Nice and splashy, isn't it?

Gallery: Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

A couple of CG screen caps and a few screenshots. A bit of spray here, a tiny hole in a body there... y'know, par for the course in Capcom's zombie-packed franchise. Anyway, can't wait to play this one...

Gallery: Dragon Age: Origins

Not really 'gory", but a bit of spray and Barry Smith-esque blood spatter. Unless you keel over at the color red, there's nothing really gasp-worthy at all, but here you go:

Gallery: Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad

Yes, the body parts and blood do indeed fly in these rather splashy Onechanbara screens, huh? Granted, the game is more of a pure guilty pleasure fling with a C+ cutie than a must purchase AAA title, so don't expect greatness. In case you're curious, this sexy gal packed arcade style slash 'em up started off back in Japan as part of D3 Publisher's budget priced Simple 2000 lineup. There were a few Onechanbara games, a spin-off and characters from the game even appeared in a not so hot budget 3D fighting game a few years back. And yes, i own a couple of these titles (so sue me for liking cheesy action games).

Anyway, there's a decent bit of challenge to pulling off some of the special combo attacks. I guess I should write up a review one of these days, right? A Wii gallery for Onechanbara Bikini Samurai Slayers is going up next. Like this game, it's not going to win any Game of the Year awards, but it does its job well enough for fans of cute gals in fetish gear, seemingly endless waves of zombies and gallons of blood spilled per minute.

Onechanbara TV Spot #1

In case you missed this one, here's one of the two Onechanbara TV ads. Fun stuff, although you don't see much of the gameplay at all.

Onechanbara TV Spot #2

Here's Onechanbara TV Ad #2, "Peep Show" - a bit of risque stuff from the game intro and brief gameplay clips. Oddly enough, there are two versions of each ad, but none of the Wii footage is in either. the only difference in the Xbox 360 and Wii ads is the Nintendo game gets a mention at the END of the commercial!

Welcome Aboard, You Adults, You...

Ah, America! Land of the free, home of the brave apple pie-totin' soccer mom and all that. Where else you can buy as many guns as you can carry and then some as well as stock up on enough ammo to open your own gun shop, even if you're not a sportman, true firearms collector or Ted Nugent-influnced hunter/environmentalist. Unfortunately, it's also where a mere video game trailer or single screenshot can send you out to use those guns on an unsuspecting public... according to some idiots around the country who think video games are a (if not the) primary cause of violence these days.

One of the side effects of all this pesky behavior by politicians and concerned parents groups that leverage needless fear of the medium into censorship. These "adults" should have been less worried about little Johnny possibly going postal after a session of Super Smash Bros. Melee and a hell of a lot more concerned with real life stuff such as global warming, the housing market tanking, SEC regulators being conned by Bernie Madoff, setting up a true national health care system so everyone who needs a doc or dentist can get care and so forth. Instead, it seems as if the ESRB is either bowing under pressure from these groups or like the MPAA, has become invaded by string-pulling puritans that fail to recognize games are an entertainment as well as art form, just like books, movies and television.

Anyway, if you're reading this, you're here to ogle "M" (Mature!) rated game stuff. If you're a parental unit looking to see what the kids are asking for this holiday season, good for you. If you're some whippersnapper looking for cheap thrills, you're being watched, kid. No, over there... a little to the left... liiiiiiittle more... ah - gotcha!

In any event, enjoy... while you still can. At this rate, we'll have to open up game trailer speakeasys...

g.