I found a few things on my computer at work, thought I would post them somewhere before I clean out the folder.

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Rumble Roses

Developer: Yuke’s

Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment America

Pros:

+ Easy to learn controls

+ Good graphic

+ Diverse & engaging characters

Cons:

- Move execution is sometimes a little sluggish

- Low replay value in story mode

- A little on the sleazy side

First Impressions:

“Hon, I want this game. Before you roll your eyes, it’s a wrestling game and it’s about girl power,” my boyfriend said.

The game he wanted was Rumble Roses. Of course, me being the ever-loving girlfriend got it for him. I have to admit that a huge part of me wanted find whether this game just about the skin and jiggling factor or if there is more to it.

In Rumble Roses, you can play as one of the many women wrestlers who have joined the Rumble Roses tournament for various personal reasons. The stories come off as a little cheesy, but it’s forgivable. After all it’s wrestling, cheesiness is expected as well as lots of skin and panty shots.

Graphics:

Overall the graphic is very good. The game is in 3-D. The camera stays mostly at the ¾ view. Once in a while during special/ signature moves and humiliation, the camera will cut to a more cinematic view or you can move the camera to a more favorable angle.

There are several generic looking arenas and a beach arena populated with cheering non-descriptive male dominated audience (there are a few ladies in the crowd).

Sound/Music:

The music is appropriate for the game. Every wrestler and her alter ego have her entrance song. Entrance music ranges from Dr. Cutter’s sinister techno to Rowdy Reiko’s 1970’s Japanese pop to Aisha’s R&B vocals. The background music sounds like a tone down version of Dance Dance Revolution.

The sound effects are not spectacular, but it’s adequate to the game. Some of the effects such as the stretching and cracking are clear and loud enough to get under your skin.

Game Play:

Rumble Roses has a Soul Calibur-like control. There is a strike and a grapple button. The R1 button is your block. Your moves depend on the directional button and action button you are pushing and what direction you are facing your opponent. You can counter an opponent’s attack with a combination of the R1 + strike or grapple button. It’s not as complex as Soul Calibur. The average learning time for basic control is about 30 minutes give or take. Effectively using a character will take a little bit longer.

In Rumble Roses, you have the choice of playing the story mode or the exhibition mode. In story mode, you play the game as one character trying to accomplish whatever reason she had joined the Rumble Roses Tournament. Once you complete one character’s storyline, she becomes available in the exhibition mode. The alter ego of each wrestler is playable in story mode, but it lacks the more in-depth backstage/ locker room interaction between characters.

The exhibition mode features the 2-player option, Championship match, and the Vow system. The Vow system is pivotal in changing the wrestlers alignment. Majority of the wrestlers starts off as Face (or in simpler term, Good). The Vow system is a series of stipulation or requirement that the wrestler must fulfill during the match (hence the name Vow). There is a series of vows that a wrestler can take. Some are easy to do (i.e. don’t use weapons or do a signature move), but are worth less points. Others are a lot harder to do (i.e. win with first pin fall or win by attacking only one body area), but are worth lots of point. The point is added up at the end of the match and shifts the alignment accordingly. Once the wrestler reaches 100% of her opposite alignment, she is allowed to challenge the current champion and her alter ego is unlock, provided she wins the championship.

Enjoyment:

Rumble Roses is more enjoyable as multiplayer game and in exhibition mode. There’s not much replay value in story mode once you unlocked all the characters and their gallery. The CPU is not hard to beat once you get the feel for the game. I had more fun playing with my boyfriend in the exhibition mode, making up our own plots and shifting alignment.

Multiplayer:

Two people can play the game in exhibition mode. Plus, if you don’t feel like wrestling, you can set two CPU to fight each other.

Overall Impression:

Being a casual wrestling fan, I am impressed with the game. There is some substance in the game besides skin & jiggling. Any fan of wrestling would be impressed with the realistic moves displayed in the game. The moves that are exhibit are anything but girly. There is something pleasing in seeing woman being able to pull off some of the same moves that the guys of WWE can do.

Despite all the jiggling and skin shown and cheesy stories, these characters are believable. The attitude and personality of these woman carry are far from simple sexy eye candy. They all have unique personality. Everyone in the game is driven to achieve her goals and they are more than capable enough to achieve it. Furthermore, most of these ladies are accomplish professionals in their fields prior to joining the Rumble Rose Tournament. Among the ranks of the ladies, there is a scientist/ doctor (albeit she’s mad), an R & B diva, an Olympic judo master, and of course a woman champion wrestler.

Marketing Efforts Towards Women:

It’s very obvious that this game geared towards the horny male audience. The few TV commercials I have seen plays on the male fantasy of cat fight, very reminiscence of the Miller cat fight girls that were popular a year or so ago. It’s as if the advertising department believes that only boys are interested in video games. It would be refreshing to see a commercial promoting the game as women being able to kick ass, not as pretty girls in a petty catfight.