New review posted: Rumble Roses

Daniel Weissenberger · 12-22-2004, 01:31 PM

Chi Kong Lui reviews Rumble Roses, and theorizes that:

"If 1970’s sex-ploitation filmmaker Russ Meyer was reincarnated as a Generation-X videogame developer, I have a strong feeling he would have created something like Rumble Roses. Konami’s title is a tawdry pornographic take on the pro-wrestling genre featuring an all female cast of ridiculously sexed up vixens. In addition to the aforementioned Meyer, Rumble Roses also appears to cribbed notes from the voyeuristically perverse Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, the cat fighting Budlight girls, the comic theatrics of the WWE and the kung-fu tournament cliché from Enter the Dragon."

I'm sure you'd like to read the rest of the review, and you can do so by clicking here.

ferrarimanf355 · 12-22-2004, 04:31 PM

For the love of all that is holy, the Catfight ad was for MILLER Lite, not BUD Lite! Just had to point that out.

EDIT: Oh, and the game got an M, not a T as stated in the review. Had to point that out, too.

Daniel Weissenberger · 01-26-2005, 08:57 PM

Brad Gallaway has a second opinion on Rumble Roses:

"As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing wrong with being a horndog (to use Chi's term), and there's nothing wrong with games that appeal to the libido. Granted, there has to be some kind of gameplay there for such games to be justified, otherwise they become interactive pornography. But, as long as the content is positioned correctly and the audience is appropriate, I'm all for it. So, the next logical question is "Does Rumble Roses' content justify the presentation?" I think so…but just barely. "

You can read the rest here.

Hypatia93 · 01-27-2005, 09:53 AM

Chi,

I'm so sorry I didn't see that your review of this game had already come out. I was still waiting for it.

Danny,

Hate to tell you this old boy, but Brad's review is /not/ in the link. The page states no second reviews have yet been done.

As for my take..

Frankly, I think there's nothing wrong with pornography (soft or hardcore). I think the problem lies in the way (American) men are taught to perceive women and sexuality in general. They're the cause of the fall, after all, and sex? Eww.. that's just nasty stuff. I mean, many a prostitute simply provide services the man wouldn't even /dare/ ask their spouse/significant other/grrlfriend to do. Thus, the market thrives.

However, I just don't get the appeal of pixilated porn. Wow, those women are almost naked, I can practically see their.. ahem! Big flippin' deal. They're essentially cartoon characters, and since I've never been inclined to see Betty or Wilma in the buff, these "beauties" are far from tantalizing me in any way.

Now mind you, Rumble Roses doesn't really offend me, and neither did that Xtreme Volleyball game. They do make me sad, however. I mean, I'm all for some grrl on grrl action (only this time, fellas, /I'm/ the meat of the sandwich

), especially that with a little bit "rougher" tone (but seriously, Chi, the Kamasutra is /not/ S&M; trust me on this one). I just think that boys masturbating to grrls rolling around in chocolate milk (I saw those graphics -- it was /not/ mud) is just silly. Still.. whatever floats your boat.

But I must admit, there are a couple of chicks I think are "hot," in a pixilated sense, no self-gratification included, in Outlaw Golf 2 -- most notably Summer and Suki (Summer with her caddy, and Suki definitely without.)

The only real reason I'm not interested in picking up this title is b/c of the gameplay. Fighting games generally aren't my cup o' tea, and if the controls are weak..

Thanks for the review, though, Chi. Clearly, you're a fellow with a conscience (and a libido).

Brad Gallaway · 01-27-2005, 06:33 PM

Hyp,

Give that link another click.. seems to be working now, and i'd like your thoughts on my 2nd.

= )

Hypatia93 · 01-28-2005, 12:50 PM

Hmm..

Kind of like Playboy as opposed to Hustler?

Well hell's bells. If the game only "alludes" to the pornographic content is was billed upon, then that's crappy too.

Okay, here's a question that neither Chi nor Brad covered in their respective reviews: How were the /personalities/ of the women depicted? Were they all fluff, or did they have some type of backbone, some type of redeeming quality other than their physicalites (which in Brad's case seemed a bit lacking -- Go you lover of more "normal" sized women; go you "lover" of those older than your little sister!)? Then again, maybe it's just too much to ask that objectified women (or men) have more depth than what is readily apparent upon visual inspection.

Personally, I'd like to hope these characters did have some type of personality; that is, some type other than mere airheadedness. Attraction (again, for me) relies on more than just looks.

Actually, if I can't think of something other than a person's looks I appreciate, forget about doin' the nasty with them (especially if I can't /stand/ the person in question).

So what I'd like to see in the next development of the game (assuming there is one) is:
- deeper gameplay (maybe akin to Def Jam, but with easier reverses);
- if it's to be hardcore, then make it hardcore (St. Andrew's Cross, anyone?);
- a "fleshing" out of the characters and storymode.

Thanks for your second op, Brad; again, it does seem like we work on similar wavelengths.

EnduroGamer · 01-28-2005, 01:13 PM

Maybe I missed it in reading Chi's and Brad's reviews, but I was surprised to see neither mention the "Interview" mode. There is a mode to the game where you can dress the girl up in a swimsuit and watch her writhe around while you ask her questions about her likes/dislikes, favorite candy, etc. You can also sample any of her comments and grunts.

Basically, you dress up in next-to-nothing, have her lie on the beach, and you use the controller to make her moan and grunt. It's quite comical.

As for the stance each of the reviewer's took as far as the sexuality of the game. I'm of the mindset that there's nothing wrong with a little sexuality in games and I agree with Brad that if they're going to go, go all the way. That being said, whether it's Rumble Roses or DOAXVB, I've yet to find anything really sexy about it, because it's just pixels and polygons.

Brad said Rumble Roses was like Playboy with the best pages ripped out. That's a pretty good line, but at least Playboy's cover has real women on it.

My wife and I started playing the AO-rated version of the new Leisure Suit Larry game and the stuff that took place in the dark in the game was far more erotic than what they actually showed because it let your imagination run wild. Yes, there's full frontal nudity in the AO version, and I couldn't help but feel embarrased to be looking at it. It's not real. It's not real. It's just not real.

Where the hell is a good FMV game when you need one?

Hypatia93 · 01-28-2005, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EnduroGamer

Brad said Rumble Roses was like Playboy with the best pages ripped out. That's a pretty good line, but at least Playboy's cover has real women on it.

Real women air-brushed to death!

One reason I really dislike augmented females (people) -- and that would be augmented via plastic surgery -- is because true beauty isn't as well appreciated as it once was. Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, et al. were /natural/ beauties. Sure that beauty went farther with make-up, but now, as long as you have the dinero, you can look like anyone/anything.* Besides, fake tits are cold and hard. Have y'all ever felt them or lain up against 'em? Sheesh.

Take Micheal Jackson for the look like anything approach to cosmetics.

EnduroGamer · 01-28-2005, 01:42 PM

I agree on the fake tits, thing. Never cared for them and would much rather a girl be small and real than big and fake. But don't dis on those air-brushers. One of my best friends is a "photo enhancer" for Playboy.com. No joke.

It's actually kind of funny because ever since we were 13, we just knew this guy was gonna end up in porn.

Hypatia93 · 01-28-2005, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EnduroGamer

I agree on the fake tits, thing. Never cared for them and would much rather a girl be small and real than big and fake. But don't dis on those air-brushers. One of my best friends is a "photo enhancer" for Playboy.com. No joke.

It's actually kind of funny because ever since we were 13, we just knew this guy was gonna end up in porn.

Hmm.. maybe I should get /him/ to "touch-up" my pics!

Brad Gallaway · 01-29-2005, 11:06 PM

Okay, here's a question that neither Chi nor Brad covered in their respective reviews: How were the /personalities/ of the women depicted?

The personalities of the women in the game were depicted as fully as Chi and I covered them in the reviews... i.e.- not at all.

ok, ok.. it's true that the developers made token efforts at... fleshing... them out, but in all seriousness, it was a weak effort made only as a gesture rather than any real attempt to make the girls more... substantial... than pin-ups.

you only get quick sketchings of what's behind the runaway schoolgirl, the ninja on a mission, the freaky nurse, etc..etc... even the main character Dixie Rose was basically cycling through variations of "i wanna be the best". the story interludes were so bad and lame that i honestly skipped through them without watching most of them after i had gone through three or four characters. i just couldn't stand watching them any more. however, i just took it as par for the course when you look at *any* wrestling or even fighting game for that matter, not necessarily something that konami needed to be singled out for in this circumstance, IMO. Along the same lines, Enduro brought up the "interview" mode, and that was so stupid and shallow that it wasn't even worth mentioning, so i chose instead to focus on the eye candy aspect and titillation value since it was (to me) more of a draw and advertised as part of the game's overall identity, as opposed to something like DOAXVB where they actually did make a big deal about "getting to know" the girls.

...and while we're on the subject, i'd take Marilyn Monroe or Betty Grable (or Jean Harlow, and especially Bettie Page) over most of the women that pass for "sex symbols" today... i share your feelings about augmentation and breast implants too. those stiff, unnatural things are a real turn off, IMO.

and pardon my naievete, but what's St.Andrew's Cross?

^_^

EnduroGamer · 01-30-2005, 01:26 AM

Let me guess this straight, Walter. You prefer cartoons and polygons to real women with fake tits?

Brad, there's no doubt that the interview mode was crap. I only mentioned it because of your remarks about them not taking the sexiness far enough. Not that there's much sexy to even talk about with a videogame IMO, I don't know what the developers could have done more than what was contained in the Interview mode. Are you wanting one of the girls to reach through the tv and give you a handjob?

Oh, and as for the titillation factor, I just want to reiterate that I'm not against it. I just don't see it being that exciting, either.

EnduroGamer · 01-30-2005, 02:54 AM

LOL! I thought you were going to try and pull that "if she's shallow enough to have plastic tits, she's know more real than a cartoon".

Brad Gallaway · 01-30-2005, 06:04 PM

Brad, there's no doubt that the interview mode was crap. I only mentioned it because of your remarks about them not taking the sexiness far enough.

yeah, i see your point. i guess i wasn't looking at the interview mode as a "real" part of the game because it felt so shoddy... i was mostly just wishing that things got crazier during the actual gameplay .. sort of like the M.U.S.C.L.E. wrestling games for GCube and PS2, only replacing the kinnikuman characters with the Rose girls.

i sincerely do hope they come out with a sequel though.. i'd love to see it done with more "oomph". speaking of which, i heard DOAXVB is getting a sequel. i'm pretty interested to see what direction they take it after the last one.

Hypatia93 · 01-31-2005, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GC_Brad

...and while we're on the subject, i'd take Marilyn Monroe or Betty Grable (or Jean Harlow, and especially Bettie Page) over most of the women that pass for "sex symbols" today... i share your feelings about augmentation and breast implants too. those stiff, unnatural things are a real turn off, IMO.

and pardon my naievete, but what's St.Andrew's Cross?

^_^

I /so/ love Bettie Page! On my keychain there are three non-keys, each added one at a time, the last given to me this past holiday by a friend-couple. Black mini-flogger (made and given to me by a friend of mine in VC), a "teddy" bear in red leather with cuffs at her side (the newest addition), and a pic of Bettie entitled "Whiplash."

How sweet you are that you didn't know this next bit.

A St. Andrew's Cross essentially looks like an "X." It's a great device, most frequently used (anymore, I suppose) for *ahem* restraining people. It puts those people thus restrained in a standing spread eagle position. Although, one could restrain just their arms or what-have-you, depending upon what was going to be "done" to them. As for the rest, let your imagination run wild.

EDIT: Where's Chi in all of this discussion?