E3 2008: Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers First Look

Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers. The title really does say it all. In the game, you play as a bikini-clad woman and kill zombies. See, it's not just a clever name.

Like the cult hit Earth Defense Force 2017, Onechanbara was originally released a few years ago on the Xbox 360 in Japan as part of publisher D3's "simple series." According to the developer, the version that's slated to come to the Wii isn't exactly the same, but we weren't able to spot a whole lot of differences between the Wii and 360 incarnations in our brief time with the Wii game.

The game's not yet translated to English, but the introductory cutscene makes the situation pretty clear. Two sisters, Aya and Saki, are in their apartment. One is watching television and the other is very naked, taking a very steamy shower. She must be really into hygiene, too, because she doesn't miss a spot. A breaking news story flashes onto the screen: Zombies have overrun the city. Concerned about the safety of humanity, the duo gets into their skimpiest bikini-schoolgirl-cowboy-type outfits, grab some swords, and head out to save the day.

Gameplay is pretty standard for a third-person Wii brawler. You move with the Nunchuk's analog stick and attack by waving the Wii Remote. Apparently, different movements will result in different attacks, but the person who showed us the demo of the game stuck with an up and down motion. You can play as either sister, each of whom plays a bit differently. Aya is all about chopping dudes to bits with her katana(s), while Saki prefers a more hands-on approach.

Regardless of the character you choose, there will be lots of violence. Once you enter a new area, zombies appear, and you can't leave until you've killed them. Given the sheer amount of undead and the many ways you can dismember them, there's a lot of blood. Some of this blood splashes onto the camera (a cool effect), but much of it ends up on the sisters, too. As more and more blood gets on them, their rage meter fills. Once it's full, you can activate Rage mode and unleash some ultrapowerful attacks. Be warned, however; your energy goes down while you're raging, so you'll want to pick your spots wisely.

In addition to the single-player story mode, there's offline co-op play, Free Play, Survival, and Quest Modes available. Based on our short time watching Onechanbara on the Wii in action (and our experience playing the Japanese Xbox 360 a few years ago), the game's not going to add any fuel to the "games as art" debate--and it makes no apologies for it. If you're looking for mindless hack-and-slash action featuring girls in bikinis and you own a Wii, put Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers on your radar for early 2009.