This is a brawler, by the way

Marvelous AQL didn't shy away from titillation with apparent porn game Senran Kagura Burst's European box art.

The initial plan was even more blatant. The original box art design, prototyped above, was a slip cover. The outer slip is (sexily?) ripped and undone jeans and something that could be called a shi??rt if you're feeling generous.

Pull that off and it would reveal Hikage's hea??dless body in her underwear.

Nothing says sexy like a scantily clad? severed torso and hips combo.

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It's a little bit [videogame] and a little bit [boobs]

If you still live at home with an edgy "No stupid people beyond this point" sign on your door and y??our mom still cleans your bedroom for you because you are a child, she might find your porn game, this unfunny commercia??l suggests, with bundled up tissues and Vaseline. 

Yes, you'll be Senran Kagura BUSTED. 

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Ninja brawler to hit Nintendo 3DS in Europe late next month

In Japan, Senran Kagura is kind of a big deal. Marvelous AQL's ninja franchise has eclipsed its roots as a Nintendo 3DS game to spawn an anime series, manga, and a handful of new games.

The property hasn't quite achieved the same meteoric rise in the West. Marvelous AQL label XSEED was once cagey about localizing the property at all, given "the difference in attitudes between Japanese culture and the more conservative culture here in the U.S." The publishing house eventually opt??ed for a digital only release, citing "potential for disaster" with a physical product.

Folks on the other side of the pond tend to be a tad more open-minded about this kind of stuff, though. And Europeans will have an opportunity to pick up Senran Kagura Burst in the flesh come February 28. Also, in case you think physical distribution is so passé, or you're embarrassed to purchase something with a cover like that i??n person, the 3DS brawler will go live on the Nintendo? eShop on February 27.

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Make sure to brush your teeth afterwards

Senran Kagura Burst didn't receive a new, localized name when it was released on the 3DS eShop. That's kind of a shame, as a more comprehendable title for English speakers might have gone a long way to ??communicate what the game is about to its new audience.

They did leave in the word "Burst" though, which is important. It's the perfect word to describe the game. Senran Kagura Burst is a non-stop series of bursting balloon-shaped breasts, bursting 500-hit combos, and bursting clothes exploding off of doll-like teenage girls. If you define "pornographic" as anything whose primary purpose is to stimulate and satiate your animal urges, then Senran Kagura Burst is your new porn game for 2013. It's like a compilation of all the "hottest scenes" ??from a regular beat-'em-up, without a lot of the design and pacing that holds those elements together in most well-made games.

They should have called it Boner Jams: The Game.

Senran Kagura Burst (3DS eShop)
Developer: Marvelous AQL
Publisher: XSEED Games
Release Date: November 14, 2013
MSRP: $29.99

Senran Kagura Burst is actually a compilation of two Japanese games, the original Senran Kagura and its sequel, Senran Kagura Burst. ?The games center around two rival groups of teenage ninja girls, each taking ??on one of the "harem anime" tropes (serious one, horny one, the snobby one, the disciplined one, the child-like one, the unfeeling one, the insecure one, etc). They're a likable bunch, with a surprising amount of personality and back story, though they remain generally one-dimensional. Sadly, detail does not always equal dimension. Still, they're a personable enough. You're sure to find at least one character you can relate with. 

The graphics look pretty cheap, with frequent frame rate drops, inconsistent quality of animation, and medium-to-low polygon character models by 3DS standards. Given that the game was put into development at a time when the 3DS was struggling to build an audience, there's reason to guess that the developers weren't able to summon much budget from their publisher,?? and it shows. Without the money neede??d to generate a well-crafted product, they seemed to rely on the kinds of things that don't require much craft to deliver. Things like sex and violence. 

While I appreciate a token attempt to show these characters as sympathetic underdogs, it's clear that the developers' main objective was to find yet another way to get the player to think about breasts. The breast obs??ession in the writing borders on self parody. Playable characters threaten to motorboat each other with very little provocation. Serious-faced rival ninjas mock each other with the nickname "Jugs." There is actually a lot of story here, often times quite touching and heartfelt, focused on overcoming trauma, the i?mportance of friendship, and the dramatic process of finding love. That said, the main character of the game is definitely boobs. Every other narrative element feels like a side story or a supporting role

Breast exposure also plays a part in the game design. You start each level wearing a standard school girl uniform, but through building meter, you'd quickly be able to cause your clothes to explode off and for a new, unique, stat-boosting outfit to form over your body. It's almost a nice message about how shedding the trappings of conformity can lead to empowerment, b??ut like everything with this game, the idea is obscured by the gratuitous boob and butt shots.

If you want to take the clothes explosion even further, you can have your clothes explode at the very start of a level by activating "Frantic mode." While frantic, you're left in just your underwear, making you more vulnerable to damage, but more nimble. Completi?ng each level in Frantic mode offers an end-game reward, but it's pretty clear that the developers feel that seeing a voluptuous teenage ninja girl in her underwear is its own reward.

The combat is equally flashy and shallow. Most levels consist of straight courses filled with largely disinterested enemies waiting for you to hit them. The safest and fastest way to take? them out is with long aerial rave combos. The combat system is simple, uninventive, but relatively fun if you like dialing in long chains of attacks. There is a light attack, heavy attack, dash, and jump, though you'll be using light attack and dash the majority of the time.

Start a combo with light attack, wait for a green ring to explode off an enemy, then hit dash to fly into t?he air and start a floating mid-air combo. Keep mashing light attack, wait for the green ring, repeat until dead. You can mix it up by finishing with heavy attacks, or starting off with a jump or dash attack, but it's rarely necessary. The combo meter is extremely lenient, allowing for a few seconds between attacks, or even a hit or two from an en??emy, before it resets. It won't be long before even the most bumbling, numb-fingered goof is pulling off 1,000-hit combos. 

Each of the two games here have five initially playable characters, with one secret character each, making 12 playable characters between them both. Each of them have their own unique attacks and characteristics, including screen filling "limit break" ninja magics that offer up quite a spectacle. My favorites "magic" comes from Mirai, wh??o pulls a giant stationary machine gun from her dr??ess, holds it between her thighs, and proceeds to blow away every enemy on screen.

Second place goes to Yagyu, who summons the spirit of a giant squid as she utilizes her weaponized umbrella to take on all comers. Each character has ??slightly different movement speeds, jump heights, and their attack animations are all varied and stylish. They all have their own personality, but the most eye-catching is Homura, who attacks with six katanas at once, using her swords like over-sized claws. Still, the same light attack-aerial rave-repeat combo will work with any character you might choose, against just about every enemy you face.

Enemy characters often carry a light-hearted surrealism with them, like giant muscular schoolgirls, living artist model dolls, and giant pink robots. They may look different, but they all fight the same. Outside of a few projectile throwing? jerks that may require a little more planning, you'll def??eat them all with the same strategy -- approach fast, hit until dead.

Boss fights are mostly against other playable characters or rival sexy ninjas, and like the rest of the game, they don't offer much challenge. I beat at least one boss in 12 seconds. Every once in a while, the game will suddenly spike?? in difficulty, but its never due to there being any actual design ideas -- just cheap shots and arbitrary time limits that make things more challenging than you might be used to.

There are token attempts to provide the illusion of greater depth. You can level up characters and learn new moves, but they don't mean a whole lot when the en??tire game ??can be completed with your mind on auto-pilot. There's also plenty of in-game achievements and unlockables, including text-based profiles, art, animation, and a lot of new costumes for your characters. The amount of new outfits in the game actually borders on the absurd. There is a dressing room mode that allows you to spend extended periods of time trying on different outfits, with the prerequisite boob-jiggle and adjustable camera. Surprisingly, there's no up-skirt shots. My guess is that it's not out of lack of interest, but lack of budget. It costs money to render crotches.

Senran Kagura Burst has a lot going for it. It's often times quite charming, the 2D illustrations are very well done, the almost-all girl world they exist in offers a nice fantasy for those that are sick of the male-dominated ?game industry, combos are fun to pull off despite their simplicity, and the character designs are pretty expressive (sexually and otherwise). All that is held back by the fact that the low-budget graphics, distracting breast-obsession, and overall lack of actual game design. There's potential for this series to be more than sex and combos, but so far, that's all it has going for it. It's cheap, sweet candy with little nutritional value that might make you sick after a while. 

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New trailer introduces girls of Hebijo Clandestine Girls? Academy

Ninja brawler Senran Kagura Burst crept onto Nintendo 3DS yesterday, and thereby can be acquired now for $29.99 via the system's digital storefront. Our official review is still in the works, but, having put some time in with the Skirting Shadows campa??ign, it seems like a decent littl??e side-scrolling action game.

XSEED also released a new trailer for the title. The video introduces characters from the Hebijo Clandestine Girls' Academy??, who are playable in the game's secondary storyline, The Crimson Girls.

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XSEED announces provocative side-scroller for release next week

Senran Kagura Burst is hacking and slashing its way to North America on November 14, XSEED Games has announced. The "buxom ninja brawler" will be available exclusively vi?a the Nintendo 3DS eShop for $29.99. 

The story follows a number of female ninja trainees attending a pair of schools which serve as fronts for their covert shinobi operations. A new trailer for the upcoming title introduces players to the girls from one of the rival institutions, Hanzō National Academy.

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Nothing set in stone just yet

Senran Kagura Burst will descend upon the Nintendo 3DS eShop in November or sometime thereabouts, XSEED has revealed. The publisher hasn't quite nailed down a definite launch date ??just yet, but is still on targeting an autumn release for the Nintendo 3DS action title.

The side-scrolling brawler initially hit shelves in Japan in August of last year. The package sports a pair of campaigns, bundling the original Senran Kagura: Skirting Shadows with its sequel, Crimson Girls.   

Senran Kagura Burst will be available exclusively via the Nintendo eShop in North America. Meanwhile in Europe, regional distributor Zen United is planning to unleash a physical edition alongside the digital version early next year.

XSEED Games [Facebook via Siliconera]

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Huge tracts of land

Gentlemen, get your oils and scented candles ready, because Senran Kagura Burst will be arriving in Europe some time in Q1 2014. Americans received a localization confirmation from XSEED earlier this week, seemingly leaving our brothers across the pond out in the cold. Publisher Zen United has thankfully taken up th??e cause of bringing 3DS schoolgirl ninja brawling to Euro Land.

Though the American version is slated to be digital only, the European version will receive both an eShop and retail release. You may remember back when XSEED executive vice president Ken Berry explained that a physical release of Senran Kagura would likely be out of the cards "due to the subject matter and difference in attitudes between Japanese culture and the more conservative culture here in the US." The whole of Europe apparently does not share the same attitudes, which cements the States? as the biggest prudes in the developed world.

But at least now everyone will have the chance to purchase Burst. I've been legitimately interested ever sin??ce watching the manic gameplay clips on YouTube, so count me in.

Senran Kagura Coming to Europe, Retail Confirmed [Rice Digital via Gematsu]

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It's official!

Senran Kagura Burst is coming to the Nintendo 3DS in North America, XSEE??D Games has announced. The ??Tamsoft-developed side-scrolling brawler will launch exclusively via the Nintendo eShop this fall. 

A two for one following a group of female ninja trainees, the digital release will include an enhanced version of the original title, Senran Kagura Skirting Shadows, as well as its follow-up, Senran Kagura: Crimson Girls.? XSEED reports the titles will feature the original J??apanese voice-overs with alongside English subtitles.

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Omedetou!

Senran Kagura Burst has shifted more than 100,000 units, series producer Kenichiro Takaki has announced. It's taken 37 weeks for the Nintendo 3DS title to reach the milestone, a mark its PlayStation Vita successor achieved in its opening week.

Marvelous AQL has yet to localize an entry in the sidescrolling action series for Western audiences. Despite overwhelming fan support, XSEED boss Ken Berry has expressed concern about how the game's risque subject matter ?will play with the more conse??rvative culture in the United States.

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Monday can be depressing. In an effort to cheer you miserable gits up, I direct you to 10 minutes of busty school girls kicking the crap out of people, and at least two handfuls of screenshots. Senran Kagura Burst will be poppi??ng out of bras on August 30 for the 3DS in Japan for ??you import fiends. 

Senran Kagura Burst [GoNintendo]

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Senran Kagura Burst, the sequel to last year's 3DS ninja booby high school brawler, is scheduled for release i?n Japan on August 30. Time for one last marketing push, ?right?

Until August 19, you can visit Cafe Euro in Akihabara for one of two special treats: "Leaping Breast Senran Kagura Nyu Nyu Gelato" for ¥400 or "Leaping Breast Senran Kagura Nyu Nyu Soft Cream" for ¥350. Both are served in a Senran Kagura-themed cup and are...

...

If nothing else, Marvelous knows its target audience pretty damn well.

Senran Kagura Collaboration Cafe Features?? Busty Deserts [Andriasang via Tiny Cartridge]

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