Amazingly addictive fighting game.
User Rating: 9 | Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus (Let's Get Physical Edition) VITA
For those of you who aren't familiar with the Senran Kagura universe, which I suspect to be alot of people, this game follows the story of 4 all girl ninja schools in a long action packed, 20-something hour tale. Luckily, the story explains everything you'd need to know about the girls, so you don't need to watch or read anything to catch up. The game runs very smooth for the most part. I suppose that the best way to describe it would be a 3D beat-em-up. The initial fighting is mostly button mashing but when you go toe to toe with single bosses, you'll need to actually strategize a bit. In a lot of ways, it's very reminiscent of Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm. You can move freely in battle but the levels are much more variant and there are more moves to discover through a level up system. The rules are simple, beat up your opponent and rip her clothes off. The higher the combo, the more you reveal and if you defeat a girl with a finisher, you'll strip her completely naked! This can only happen if your opponent is stripped to her undies. Attacking doesn't always lead to stripping, only high combos and ninpo can do that. There's a story mode, a shop, online multiplayer and a side mission mode to choose from. The more you complete the story, the more you unlock. With all that in mind, Shinovi Vs. is very fun and has tons of unlockables that will keep you entertained. The roster starts with 5 girls in the 1st school but it eventually grows up to 20 along with 2 DLC characters. And it doesn't stop there! You can customize every aspect of every character and even play pervy stalker in the changing rooms with the Vita's touchscreen and microphone. Give 'em a poke and see what happens! It's easy to tell that Senran Kagura Shinovi Vs. is a perverted game but as you play more, you will realize that this is just it's charm because the game is equally as much of a joy to play. The animation is slick and fluent to boot too! Watching fights, special moves and ripping each other's clothes is a feast for the eyes. The characters are anatomically exaggerated a bit but unlike Dead or Alive, their bodies are all different. Some are tall, short, stout, big boobs, medium boobs, tiny boobs, you get the idea. The jugs bounce joyfully as you play and even butt cheeks as well. There's so much attention to detail in the regard, although the levels didn't receive the same treatment. The levels don't look terrible, just more subtle like 3D painted backgrounds. Don't expect a dub voice-over in this game. So if you're not a fan of subtitles then this will annoy you like crazy. But the voice is acting is wonderful regardless. Each girl has a unique voice, backstory, fighting style and interesting personality. Yes, it's very pervy but this gave the writers the advantage to write unique and hilarious scenes and the story can get serious when it wants to. After finishing the story, I fell in love with the series and followed the awesome anime show on Hulu to find out more. The lore is plentiful and it's surprising just how deep the game goes. I recommend it for any anime fan and fighting game fan. It's interesting, it's fun, and a breath of fresh air from the usual Dragonball Z, Naruto and One Piece clones. Graphics: 10 Gameplay: 9 Story: 10 Sound: 8 Value: 9 Replayability: 9
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