Rating:

BUY

I first became acquainted with The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile when I had the chance to play it at PAX East, and if you read my first impressions you’d know I was pretty excited about the game and really wanted to play more of it. After getting a chance to spend some more time with the game and I must say that most of my initial thoughts and feelings remain the same.

The first thing that you will notice about the game itself is the art. It as a gritty comic book style to it all that actually reminded me of Jhonen Vasquez’s Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. The cut scenes even flow in such a way that it makes you feel like you’re zooming along the panes of a comic book. The same style carries over into the game itself which makes for a stunning and dark game. Along with the music is the killer soundtrack. As expected it’s full of bass and guitars, which as a fan of metal music I dig. The music also compliments the goings on in the game, especially when you switch between the dream state and reality in single player mode.

The single player mode itself is relatively robust. Players can play as either The Dishwasher or his stepsister Yuki in two separate campaigns to unravel their pasts. I played through single player as Yuki, whose plot centers around seeking revenge against the people who robbed her of her life and freedom. Plus she was the one of the bosses in the first game who was defeated by the Dishwasher, but mysteriously reanimated. And I’m a sucker for playing a badass chick.

Another favorite part of the game are the controls. I know I said in my first look that they were a bit awkward, but after coming back to the game and playing it again I really enjoy them and they were even easier to pick back up. Also the new powers that you pick up in game are relatively easy to remember and use. Plus it’s really fun to just zoom around and dodge enemies by using the right analog stick. It makes for some great fast-paced combat and is great to strategize during some boss fights.

The campaign mode is relatively quick to get through but there is great replay value on other difficulties as well as trying to collect all of the beads (which give you nice bonuses and an achievement). Plus there is the Arcade Mode which is really fun. Each mode features an objective that you need to complete in order to move forward to a new mode. And there are a lot of modes. Playing through and unlocking them all will also get you an achievement.

There is also a multiplayer aspect of the game that I had fun with. If you play co-op there is a special campaign mode where you play as Yuki and the Dishwasher. I played a bit of this with my boyfriend and after he picked up the controls he seemed to enjoy the game as well.

And of course being able to play through on my own time, I had the pleasure of unlocking Pretty Princess mode. This mode is easier than Easy, and also drenches the world in a pink hue with enemies releasing hearts from their bodies as they’re hacked to death instead of blood. I had a blast just running through levels in this mode and laughing at the hearts flying around. You unlock Pretty Princess mode if you die a certain amount of times in one of the other difficulty modes in campaign mode. It’s a nice little extra to add in something like this because experienced players will laugh at the ridiculousness of it while others may like an extra easy mode, or for us reviewers a great way to get through the game very quick.

Ska Studios definitely made a hit game in my book and I’ve already recommended it to several friends. It’s a fun and fast-paced game that’s great to play and another great addition to your Xbox live arcade library. There is a demo available for you to try, but at 800MS points it’s not a bad buy. I’m excited to see where this series goes in the future!

Review code provided by Ska Studios and does not affect the outcome of this review.

The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile stars Yuki, the sister of the Dishwasher from the first game, who is trying to escape prison after being wrongfully put there. There are new environments and new weapons to use (like the massive scissors) which are all very fun and done in a great art style. In fact, the art style of the game is what really got me interested when I was looking at the game and it was just made even better with the ease of picking up and playing the game.

At PAX, Ska Studios brough a full version of the game to play. I only played one of the beginning levels but luckily with all of the extras unlocked. The controls for the game are a little more complex than I first thought they would be. You move with the left thumbstick, but you jump into the air or dash to avoid enemies using the right stick. I eventually got the hang of it and then quickly picked up on hitting the X, B or A buttons to do a special move. And man can those be fun! They vary from using your weapon to cut off a head to tackling an enemy to the ground and bashing his head into the floor.

The other great part of this hands on was that I was playing it along with one of the guys from Ska Studios. The multiplayer in the game is fantastic, and the fact that you can play it locally or over Xbox Live made me even happier! In multiplayer you can play as either Yuki or the Dishwasher and battle your way through levels together. I’m sure that this is also fun in Arcade mode but I was sadly unable to play this part at PAX.

The other mode that I wish I could have seen, which I only heard about was the Pretty Princess mode which is unlocked after you die many many times during story mode. What happens in this mode? Well things turn uber girly, there is a pink haze to the game, hearts are floating around, and when you kill enemies rainbows fly out of their bodies. Oh and you get an achievement. This mode sounds hilarious and you can bet this may be one of the first things I try to unlock.

The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is set to release on the Xbox Live Arcade on April 6^th and will go for 800 MS points. I haven’t played more than the one level, but I can say that I think this game is well worth the MS points!

They do this with the (probably) fictional punk rock band Charlie Murder, capitalizing on their fake feud with metal band Gore Quaffer. Apparently part of the battle involved stealing Charlie’s girlfriend, Skelekitten. So, naturally, they have to get her back by beating up anyone involved. Is there any other way?

Hopefully, his princess is not in another castle.

Ska Studios’ press release is probably funnier than anything I could write, and includes fake quotes and sarcasm, so take a look. (We almost thought this was about a real band for a bit, that’s how good it is.)

Schenectady, N.Y., January 14, 2010 – In a move bound to shake up the music scene, punk rock super group Charlie Murder have agreed to license their names and story for an upcoming Xbox LIVE Indie Games title on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from
Microsoft. Based on the band’s recent spat with rival metal rockers Gore Quaffer, Charlie Murder is a four-player arcade beat ‘em up featuring all four members of the revolutionary punk act. The
developer, Ska Studios, known for the breakout hits The Dishwasher and I MAED A
GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1N IT!!!!, plans to painstakingly recreate the band’s crusade to
retrieve front man Charlie Murder’s girlfriend, Skelekitten, from their chart topping metal rivals.

“A lot of fans and media might see this as a shameless cash grab and marketing stunt prior to our new album releasing,” said lead singer and founder Charlie Murder. “They are all absolutely right. These dangerous and largely illegal habits we’ve developed on the road don’t exactly pay for themselves.”

Facing off against hordes of bloodthirsty zombies, lethal ninjas and other things James Silva can draw, the band will find itself pushed to the brink. Also, I heard there is a level where you throw projectiles at enemy ninjas on motorcycles while you drive down the street. It’s pretty rad.

“Being a punk fan myself this really is a dream come true. Charlie Murder is band with so much depth and such a wide array of talents I really couldn’t pass up this opportunity,” replied James Silva to no one in particular. “I’d also add that I did not write and record all of the music myself. Unless you like it in which case I did.”

Developed by Ska Studios Charlie Murder is the greatest punk rock beat ‘em up ever. It is scheduled for release on Xbox LIVE Indie Games this March. Probably.

About Ska Studios
It’s this guy James Silva and like a whole team of engineers and artists and sound designers and marketing dudes. Yeah, write that.

About Charlie Murder
Despite no information on the band being available anywhere online and no record of their existence outside of this press release, rest assured that they are real and have been producing hit punk rock tracks for a long, long time. Ask around.  More information on Charlie Murder can be found online at facebook.com/charli3murd3r because that’s what punk rock bands do. They get on Facebook.

Developer: Ska Studios
Where: Xbox Live Indie Games
Price: 80 MS Points
Players: 1-4 (same console only, not Live enabled)
Awesomeness: Extremely High

I have never downloaded an Indie Game (formerly Community Game) ever. But you know me and zombies. I love them. And any game that has zombies and a catchy tune I will be all over like a zombie is all over brains. I MAED A GAM3 W1TH ZOMBIES 1N IT has both of those and based on those two facts alone, I spent the 80 MS points (roughly $1) on the game.

Brought to us by the brilliant minds behind Dishwasher: Dead Samurai, you control You, a one man (or woman) army defending yourself from wave after wave of zombies and other random enemies, all while listening to the most AMAZING song of all time.

The game controls almost exactly like Geometry Wars, and even though I suck horribly at Geometry Wars, I still enjoy playing this game. (Did I mention the soundtrack is Spike Video Game Award worthy?) You move about the screen using the left thumb stick and aim with the right. Make sure to pick up the power-ups scattered all over the field without letting the zombies eat your brains.

Also, I have to make mention of the press release, because it is honestly the best press release I have read in a long time. Here is an excerpt for you!

“I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!1 represents a culmination of years of intensive psychological research, bleeding edge engineering, and artistic collaboration by over two dozen internationally recognized art houses that may or may not exist, using such technologies as the HYPERMAGIC 3.0 engine to power never-before-seen eye candy and the MEGACORE X parallelization processor for smooth-as-glass presentation.

“You can make a game,” said Ska Studios Lead Engineer Gato Maria Hernando Rodriguez-Rodriguez in an exclusive interview with Chairman Meow Magazine, “but what happens when you put zombies in it?  Nobody knows, but they’ll find out soon.  We’ll all find out soon.”  And, with Xbox Live Indie Games interest flagging under reports of poor sales, difficulty locating the section in the Dashboard while inebriated, and super-smart people saying super-smart things on web forums, the game couldn’t be released at a better time.

“We were following trends and noticed that most people were buying Xbox360s for the DVD player, the Xbox Live Vision Camera, and the Calculator app on XBLIG, but not for games,” Gato continues, “I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES!!1 will change that.  You’ll be playing our game.  It has zombies in it.  Ok bye.” “

Now I will show you some super ultra hi-resolution screenshots of the intense gameplay. Seriously. Its like the most intense game ever.

You should definitely check out the developer’s blog after you play this AAA title and let them know how blown away by the awesomeness of the game you are. You can also follow him on Twitter.

If you are like me and love zombies as much as I do, you should check out these awesome tops from SplitReason.com