 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | Konami |
| Publisher: | Konami | |
| Genre: | Sports | |
| ESRB: | Mature | |
| # Of Players: | 1-2 (2-4 online) | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | Xbox Live (Content Downloads, Leaderboards) |
One of the basic tenets of marketing is that "sex sells." That's certainly been true in the world of video games, where a succession of titles like BMX XXX, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, and even Night Trap have met with decent sales virtually on sex appeal along. On the opposite end of the spectrum, a few titles have managed to merge sex appeal with solid gameplay (most notably the Dead or Alive series), and that's the class that Rumble Roses XX falls in. By no means is it among the upper-tier of Xbox 360 titles, but underneath all of that T&A is a decent little wrestling game.
The fighting engine is pretty basic, but delivers enough gameplay to hold its own against most wrestling games. Several different types of strikes and grabs can be executed, each determined by which direction is held in conjunction on the d-pad. The B button is context-sensitive, and can be used to pin an opponent, enter or leave the ring, climb onto posts, pick up items, and reverse these actions as well. The RB button is used as a reversal button for both strikes and grabs, and also for guarding when pressed alone.
There are also several different types of finishing moves that can be done. A finishing move gauge is filled as damage is done, and once it's full you can pull off both Lethal and Killer Moves. Lethal Moves can only be done in certain circumstances (ex: opponent is against the ropes), and with weapons if the character started with one. On the other hand, Killer Moves can be done in any situation as long as the gauge is full. H-moves can also be performed, based on a character's humiliation. A character's humiliation rating is increased as damage is done to her and her attacks miss, and when full she becomes humiliated for a limited amount of time. During this time, the opponent can use the Left Trigger button to execute an H-move. The final type of finishing move is the Double X, which can be done in tag matches when both teammates' gauges are full.
Both Killer Moves and H-moves can be reversed; Killer by pressing both LB and RB at the same time as the cutscene appears, and H-moves by pressing both LT and RB when the cutscene appears. H-move reversals can themselves be reversed, by doing the same and pressing both LT and RB when the reversal cutscene appears. Thus, it's possible with two good players to have a chain of reversals, adding depth and strategy to the overall fight. Neither Double X nor Lethal Moves can be reversed.
There's also some semblance of depth in the form of a career mode. The more a character is used in certain match types (such as Queen's Match and Street Fight), the more that character's various abilities improve. As characters grow, they'll eventually receive new entrances, costumes, moves, etc. and become bonafide superstars. In Queen's Match, the loser of the match is forced to go through a penalty game as chosen by the winner. These penalty games are basically designed for each character to show off her "assets," and as a great photo-op. Penalty games include things such as limbo, the loser getting tickled by the winner, and various poses. As you can see, it's not exactly punishment for the loser. No long-term consequences here, just good ol' fashioned virtual ogling. Naturally, the camera is fully controllable, for just the right view of the "humiliation."
Street Fight is a one-on-one match that takes place in the walled Street stage. These matches play out like traditional fighting games, with a health bar and the winner taking two out of three fights. Obviously positioning is important, as slamming an opponent into the wall deals out extra damage. The only problem with street fights is that they really feel tacked on to the main portion of the game. Since matches are over so quickly, the special move gauge also fills up really quickly. This means that the match often ends up boiling down to whomever can get a couple of them in first. Additionally, without a traditional combo system the fighting feels really shallow compared to most any other true fighting game on the market.
Naturally, you can play on Xbox Live. However, the first time I attempted to find a match to join…I couldn't find a soul. The second time I had a little more success, but the community is obviously not as active as you'll find in some of the upper tier online titles. That being said, all of the matches online were lag free, and as fun as they could be given the limited game design.
Graphically, Konami clearly understood that the majority of gamers would be buying this game to ogle its vicious vixens. Thus, the girls were made to look about as uncreepy as female sex objects can possibly be in a video game (they still are creepy of course). Each girl is animated really well, and although you naturally get the physics-defying bounciness it isn't done to an incredibly absurd degree like the original Dead or Alive. That being said, most of the ladies move around so suggestively that it'll probably make you feel a little dirty just for playing. The girls' long pre-fight entrances are maximized for seductive and cute poses, and many of the wrestling moves used lend themselves ("coincidentally" of course) well to titillating grappling sequences.
Outside of the ladies, everything looks decent enough. The game uses depth of field blur (one of this generation's hot graphic tricks) to give each arena a more 3D look, and the crowd looks as lifelike as that found in other brawlers like Fight Night Round 3. The lack of variety in stages is pretty disappointing though, with only a few to choose from including a generic beach stage, street stage, etc. Then again, I'm sure they wanted to keep the player's focus on the ladies…
Sound is pretty average. The soundtrack is exactly the kind of Japanese techno/rock mix you'd find in Dead or Alive 4, only not quite as good. It adds a bit of excitement during each fight, but you'll forget about it the second the fight's over. The sound effects are pretty average for what's there, but a little sparse overall considering this is a next-gen game. On the other hand, slams to the mat and other moves are convincing enough, and the female announcer is perfect for the role.
Bottom Line:
If you're a fan of attractive virtual ladies and wrestling, there's just enough gameplay here for you to justify a purchase should you ever be caught playing it by your significant other. "Honey, I'm playing it for the reversal system and career mode, not the tramps!"
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 6.5 |
Posted: 2006-05-15 19:49:48 PST