I feel like this game is a perfect reflection of the time it came out. I was 14 at the time, just getting into anime and internet culture when this random rainbow zombie highschool stuff was all over the place. I think this game would have never been possible 5 years earlier or 5 years later, it just fitted perfectly into this crazy time. I personally never played it but it always reminds me of when I was younger and really into this stuff. It's a really nice time capsule and will hopefully never be forgotten.
If I played this, it would remind me of high school with the way it references people like Justin Bieber and Katy Perry and probably would just make it "that game I don't play when my parents are home 'cause they would think I'm gay/creepy for playing a mindless hack and slash game where a barely-legal highschool girl kills zombies and there's rainbows everywhere" If I had played it when it first came out whereas now I'd play it as "that game where I'd enjoy it 'cause I love what James Gunn did for Guardians of the Galaxy long after it, the banter, fanservice, having ideas different from other games/movies of the time, there's an actual story despite the madness, appreciate the gameplay more for its gameplay being not quite God of War but not quite Bayonetta or DMC or Arkham and not worry so much about what others think of me and my choices in playing it"
Great video, as always; I loved the game but did still feel like it was a bit shallow (likely the frequency that jokes would fall flat painted that perception). I never realized the genius of Nick being literally objectified, but after hearing it mentioned it all clicked.
Lollipop Chainsaw was ahead of it’s time. Now a days there are whole fandoms about quirky but sexy badass female characters like Harley Quinn, Nui Harime, Juno Enoshima, Perona, Kainé, and Cherri Bomb. Not to mention the story is, as you said, a great deconstruction of gender stereotypes as well as a commentary on toxic musicality. The male protagonist is stripped of his humanity, reduced to an object, and is constantly mocked and ridiculed because of his inability to perform the typical “manly” duty of protecting his girlfriend. The other male characters always judge the heroine’s worth based on her body despite her unique and impressive skills. The main villain is a literal incel who started an entire apocalypse because he felt like he was entitled the pretties girl in school. Even though it was his fault for not confessing his feelings sooner. The sexualization of high schoolers is a big problem in the media (looking at you CW), but the creators were at least smart enough to make Juliet 18. Also, she’s never put in situations where she’s sexually violated by adults. If this game were released now, it would a semi decent fanbase of artists on Tumblr and Twitter who would be obsessed with its sparkly neon style. Also, I liked the crude dialogue. People need to understand that teenagers are the cringiest individuals on the planet. They constantly do and say the dumbest and most inappropriate stuff imaginable thinking they sound cool and funny. Look no further than TikTok. So if anything, the reason people hated the dialogue was because they hate the way teenagers talk. Which I guess is still understandable.
James Gunn used Juliet as inspiration for his version of Harley Quinn. That's why her fight scene had butterflies and flowers and stars mixed with brutal gory violence.
I love how Koei Tecmo implied they wouldn't take Lollipop Chainsaw at the time but went on to continue developing one of the most infamously sexualized game franchises to exist.
I really REALLY enjoyed all that you said about Juliett in regards to sexism and objectification. I think context is so important and the conversation about sexism in games gets muddled because it includes characters that are just sexy in the same group of characters actually being objectified. I get really tired of women in games that are solely sex objects with no personality, but Juliett is the COMPLETE opposite. I love that twist revealed so early on, totally crushing your expectations. Thank you for pointing out how Nick is turned into a literal object! It all clicked when you said that. Love that something that appears so silly, can actually effectively bring up some interesting thoughts and ideas. Wonderful video, wonderful series. You put so much work into this content and it shows. Thank you.
Also worth noting on the 'objectification' of Juliette, when she wasn't flipping around of her own accord in cutscenes, if you _the player_ tried getting an upskirt shot she would pull her skirt down and mean mug the shit out of you while the game gave you an 'achievement' mocking you for doing it. Like so many times, people were talking completely out of their asses just trying so desperately to seem like they weren't a [whatever]ist. And it's such a shame because it seems like the intentions are pure and wanting to make better, more varied characters but then they end up causing such a ruckus and will sometimes even go into objectifying female characters themselves. I remember someone complaining about Bayonetta being problematic and anytime her character was brought up to debunk that, they would say it's all irrelevant just because of the camera angles and intention of the artists to make her sexy. They were _literally_ the one person _continuously_ denying all the other aspects of her person, but they for some reason thought it was fine when they did it just because the camera was overindulgent.
gnarkillguch probably pointless to say but I’m glad you love this game despite people ragging on it. If it’s fun to you and you love it, that’s all that matters. I don’t know why people think they can tell someone what they shouldn’t like or judge them for what they do like
I feel the same way about NMH: Heroes Paradise...... It's truly the only game where I get to utilize the WHOLE PS3 controller... (I don't click R3 a lot ND the analog move is a nice change of pace) Idk it's just...... Pleasant ND hear Travis talks shit while slicing em to death or like when he's losing a clash, he gradually gets surprised that he can lose it like the dude's an error in the game or something. 🤣🤣
The biggest tragedy of this game is that it's stuck on PS3 and Xbox 360 Juliet is such a great character with a nice personality and she just feels like a person rather than some shitty boring action star or equally boring feminist propaganda character that you see in so many modern games even Nick he felt like he was just stuck in a shitty situation and I actively felt sad for him as he's passed around and treated like shit by everyone I just really wish they'd remaster this game or remake it or make a sequel I just want more of it so bad
I met Jimmy Urine backstage at a concert and he's one of the coolest guys I've ever met. I remember being pretty hyped when this game was coming out and seeing that he'd work on the boss themes.
5:20 feels like they took inspiration from fist of the north star with the "you're already dead" then the heads exploding. never noticed it till now and I've played the game a lot
Lollipop Chainsaw was a fun game, I wish we could get a re-release of it someday. I played it a ton when I got my PS3 and I almost got everything in it
I live this game so much. It's such a unique experience. Unlike other games that all feel similar, look similar, and have similar stories. There's nothing else out there quite like Lollipop Chainsaw.
I love James Gunn's quote about sexism at 27:50, truer words have rarely been spoken. Not just about this game but many others with female characters. I'm a female myself and I played a lot of skimpy characters over the years but can't remember ever feeling I was being put down. Someone like Lara Croft might have prominent assets, but she's also smart, strong and confident.
This is such a good video. You very concisely expressed your thoughts and actually gave this game a passive chance. I was watching this right when it came out, but passed out before I finished, so I decided to watch it again. I'm very much glad to have found your channel 3 years ago, I can't wait for more.
I remember my brother playing this years ago, at the start of 2018 I was pretty much addicted to Mindless Self Indulgence, I would've never known that Jimmy was involved with this game.
This is one of my favorite series, thank you. Lollipop Chainsaw has been a part of my life since it came out (still got my Nick keychain pre-order bonus to this day).
Just stumbled across this video and I am now a subscriber. I've always liked this game but I was never able to put into words exactly why I liked this game. You've not only done that, but made me appreciate it even more.
I love this game! I was a kid when it came out so I did thought it was a scary game at some parts but I loved the pop aesthetic and I would constantly sing the hey mickey song over and over. Great review!
Replaying it right now as I listen to this video (again). I love this game since day one. Gunn and Suda made this very Troma-esque experience which I hope the upcoming remake replicates with all QOL stuff that the game needs. No QT and other techincal stuff. Love your videos. Greetings from Chile
I'm in part of the camp that regards Lolipop chainsaw to be the weakest grasshopper game, but I don't disregard it for not being like say Killer 7 or No More heroes. Before playing it, I genuinely was looking forward to the game and it seemed like something up my alley, but after playing I was rather let down by it. The writing itself when I played it felt rather forced in trying to be a Self aware b movie sorta deal, and I don't think it worked well for that as it did for Shadows of the damned. but my biggest issue was the gameplay. As a hack n slash it's just really dull and mechanically it's not very interesting. Not to mention the levels just kinda outstay their welcome and the bosses aren't that stand outside of their looks and personality. I don't quite agree with how lolipop chainsaw has the same level of monotony as No More heroes, mostly because of how No More heroes was designed with it's gameplay structure, the levels themselves, and especially the boss fights. I'm not saying No More heroes is like peak Action video games or anything, but it just does a much better job of it than lolipop chainsaw does. That said, I think this is one of your best videos so far. I especially really liked how you approached how juliet was handled and how the game has some of the similar themes in other suda games, which I'll be honest is something I never really thought of when playing the game.
Remember hating this game and never finished it. Went back to it a few years later and realized I quit on the final chapter lol, this game is way too short but I did enjoy it the 2nd time cause I spent more of my time trying all the combos and it got kinda addictive, it's actually one of the few PS3 games I still own cause I would like to play through it again.
The original was like a cross between Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Dawn Of The Dead. The movie adaptation is rumored to be directed by Rob Zombie and Sam Rami. I could even see Bruce Campbell being in it somewhere.
The last boss battle theme and the rock song that in the Cathedral stage I loved. I love this game too! I would've missed out had I listened to the bad reviews it got.
Never realised how much i loved suda growing up they were a huge part of my child hood i remember getting shadows of the damned for christmas and it made me pick up lolipop chainsaw(my dads game)
They did anime crossovers when it came out. Not sure they’ll do something like that again for the remake but if they did the most fitting one would be Chainsaw Man Edit: Also Travis was right. You really can tear shit up with a Pom Pom
I'm so excited about LC getting re-released/remastered because my friends will actually play it, currently it's like 50 dollars on eBay and that's the PS3 or X360 version, so even if you owned the game you'd also need to own an old ass console. I use an emulator (with a mordern XBOX controller) but a lot of my friends struggle to set them up or don't like the low framerate/resolution. Now finally, they will understand how peak this game is
This game was the shortest I ever played. Beat it in 7 hours, the same day I got it. Died like once or twice. Luckily I was renting from gamefly. I would've been pissed if I'd paid $60. I really loved the game though. It was cool and fun.
never finished this game before because i was split on this one. i like the dark elements of the game but i felt it was WAY too happy for a suda game. probably better than some other suda games but not legendary as killer7 and no more heroes. but this is still a good video about lollipop chainsaw
@@stevekramerf242 i didnt say anything about killer7 or no more heroes about being dark, thats something you came up on your own with no reference. i only was talking about i didnt like lollipop chainsaw that much because it was a more light hearted game than the other suda 51 games.
@@mikecoolgreen That's what I was saying. None of the Suda-games are meant to be taken seriously, not even Killer7. They're satirical and not even one bit serious. That's why Lollipop Chainsaw is not that different, just a lot brighter when it comes to the colors.
@@stevekramerf242 i mean dark elements as dark elements because even satirical forms of media can take parts and peices of what came before. i simply didnt like the appeal of lollipop chainsaw because it was too cutesy for me
@@mikecoolgreen That's okay but even his more horror-oriented stuff like Shadows Of The Damned is too much adrenaline pumping action (and not real horror) like his other games. I just see it that way.
Please cover Yaiba Ninja Gaiden Z. The one that shut Gaiden down for the time being deserves the story of its development troubles to finally come out. Splatterhouse deserves its development hell troubles to be covered too!!!
To me the humor was good back then and is nostalgic now. I also liked how the combat felt heavy/slow compared to other games that came before it, feels like a more rhythmic than anything else. Rhythmic Gymnastics, Cheerleading - you could say they are (technically speaking) one in the same. Thus, it makes sense why Juliet fights the way she does aside from using a chainsaw that's about half her own size as a weapon. Sure the game had it's problems but the gameplay and story were not included as far as I'm concerned. Could it have been better? Yeah, most things can be improved after all. I love Lollipop Chainsaw as it is though. It was different at a time where everyone was seemingly making the same looking/feeling game... heh, "Deadly Individualism" indeed.
If I am honest, despite the fact that in the 7th generation the Japanese video game suffered an identity and commercial crisis because the west took away their throne. Still they made AAA original games, unlike in the West that is only limited to indies, currently a lot of Western AAA games are generic. Lolipop Chainsaw was being sold at my local store as a zombie game from the creator of No more Heroes. God, I miss that store. : ^ (
I mean, was anyone actually concerned about the "plot" of this game being spoiled??? Lol this is a game to be played and not thought about. It's just random fun. I wish I still had a copy.
I remembered when I was kid played lollipop chainsaw same both cute and badass... Edit: I remember scene bedroom looks sexy just idiot I didn’t notice age icon.
I never understood the shit people gave this game, all these years later I bought a ps3 and a new copy of this game and still have a fucking blast, and this time without drugs
funny how good the first version was and the music was full of great songs from the year it was made. now comes re: pop, and what happened? they removed all the famous songs because of copyright so the game won't be nearly as fun now
@@stevekramerf242 no. the bands want compensation for their songs. they went to some band here recently before the release of the game and asked to pay like a minimal fee for a song. the guy basically said "fuck you" and wouldn't sell
@@leonarddement3432 In this case it might be a band, but in most other ones it's the music industry (labels). I had to deal with that for 15 years myself as a musician.
As a 20 yo that felt like a 40 yo, this game was really catering to all the aspects of my taste in gaming and pop culture. But man it's been so long I totally forgot those painfully dated references, yet this is an awesome and fun game.
Good game. I had allot of fun with it. It obviously lacks something like bayonettas intricacies of gameplay. But it's a fun romp which always kept interested. People can get so up tight. It's fun. Get over it.
