Why Journalists Hate Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP

The Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP will officially be released on 25 September 2024. To many gamers’ delight, the studio behind the game promised an uncensored release. Now, technically, this should not be a big deal. However, considering today’s gaming landscape, it is a relatively brave thing to do. You will understand why if you review the responses from certain gaming outlets like Kotaku. Before we get to the crying from game journalists over pretty video game characters, we need to take a few steps back.

Firstly, we need to understand what Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP is. Then, there is the controversy surrounding the remaster instead of the remake. There is a reason why an uncensored game is a unicorn in today’s video game landscape. Lastly, we can then all laugh together at those crying over it. We all know there is nothing scarier to these people than a pretty video game girl. You likely remember Lollipop Chainsaw from the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 days.

It was not a system seller by any stretch of the imagination. However, a pretty girl with a chainsaw certainly had its appeal. In the end, the main selling point was fan service. Ultimately, the most significant fan service you can give most gamers is violence, precisely what Lollipop Chainsaw did.

The Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP Issue

It should be noted that not everything with Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP has been smooth sailing. Initially, the developers behind the game promised a competitive remake of the title, which excited many original fans. Committing a chainsaw massacre with upgraded current-gen graphics is exactly what the doctor ordered. However, the developer quickly backtracked and said they would do a remaster instead. If I had to guess, they likely realized how expensive a remake would be.

I do not think the developer or publisher will take that risk and build this game back up from the ground. Thus, the decision was made to remaster the title. This left many fans disappointed. While a remaster with smoother frame rates can go a long way, it is not the same. Rockstar tried this with GTA, and the difference is that there is nothing to brag about. The same can be said about Saints Row and many other titles. However, complete remakes are a different story. If you look at the success of Resident Evil, it is hard to pass up a remake. The secret is, of course, that you tell the same story.

You do not want to pull a Saints Row and completely change everything. If Saints Row had made remakes of their originals, they would have likely had a way to success. Instead, they did a reboot, and that ended in disaster. If I had to guess, Lollipop Chainsaw would likely do a remaster and monitor the reaction. We could see a sequel or reboot if the sales are good. Maybe getting their title out on a platform like Game Pass could benefit greatly.

The Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP: The Road Thus Far

Now that we know how we ended up with the remaster let’s understand why they did not censor this title. It is a big deal, even though it should not be. Over the last few years, a lot has been made about the portrayal of women in video games. While there is a lot of focus on DEI, it all started with what the characters were wearing. A large focus point of the original Gamergate was sexy women and how they only exist to serve men.

While I will not deny that attractive women exist as a sales pitch, playing to your audience is never a bad thing. The truth is that we do not only have attractive women in video games. We also have beautiful men. Most leading male characters are very well-built and good-looking. That is simply what people want to play with. It is the same reason why movie stars are all or at least most attractive. It is not only the beautiful women; the men are all supermodels with six-packs.

People enjoy watching attractive people. It is no coincidence that every pop star or boyband member is good-looking. Do you think women are crying over BTS because of how great their music is? Do you think women are fainting at Justin Bieber concerts because of the incredible music? No. Sex sells, and the studios are catering to their audience. It is a tactic as old as time and works for both men and women. However, it does not stop some within the media from crying over sexism every time they see a pretty girl in a skirt. It has caused so much irritation that gamers now celebrate anything that does not play into this nonsense.

Kotaku Vs. Lollipop Chainsaw

Now, Kotaku is one of the outlets that does not like the idea of an uncensored game. They swiftly responded to the news that Lollipop Chainsaw was not planning on covering anything up. In their article, Kotaku wrote, “To deal with that skepticism, Yasuda keeps promising fans an “uncensored” version of the game’s outfits, a seeming nod to the recent obsessions with sexy outfits in Stellar Blade. It’s not entirely clear if he’s being facetious or trying to capitalize on that movement to juice sales.”

There are a couple of things that I want to note about that statement. I do not believe that there is an obsession with sexy outfits. Instead, there is pushback from people trying to censor a video game. While some can go overboard, most want to play their games as intended. People will always call out forced DEI in video games. Similarly, they will always appreciate a title willing to push back against nonsense. I will always enjoy a studio like this that is unashamed of what they are.

This title is designed as fan service; nothing is wrong with that. I believe all games should be fan service. If you are not serving your fans, then who are you serving? Probably the weirdoes at Sweet Baby inc and other companies like that. Regardless of the quality of this game, we already know how mainstream outlets will score it. For the crime of being sexy, it will be a low score no matter what.

Conclusion

I will admit that not everything with this title is excellent. I am disappointed with the remaster instead of the remake. That was the original promise. However, I also understand from a financial standpoint why they could not do it. I just wished that they were more open about it. $45 for an Xbox 360 remaster is also relatively high. However, other companies have sold their remasters for 60 or 70 dollars, so I can try to look past that.

It also sucks that the original creators, James Gunn and Suda, are not involved. Since it is a remaster, I also understand why they would not be. There is nothing for them to rewrite or redirect. For a reboot or remake, it would have been a different story. I also would not expect James Gunn to leave WB and Superman to come and rewrite Lollipop Chainsaw. Regardless, the game will be out in a month, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.