Our first Co-op International Column focuses on Onechanbara Z: Kagura, a recently released Japanese Xbox 360 game. Kagura is as bizarre as past Onechanbara titles, but boasts much sharper graphics and combat. Get the full co-op scoop on Kagura before it reaches domestic shores (if ever)!

It's not often we cover games that have only been released in Japan, but in this case, we'll make an exception. The Onechanbara series made it to American shores in 2009, with releases for Xbox 360 and, oddly enough, Wii.  The formula for Onechanbara seems to be tough girls skimpy outfits zombies cool moves co-op - your brain.  Our review of the 360 release didn't pull any punches: it wasn't very good.  Still, there must be a market for cowgirls in bikinis wielding swords to decapitate the undead, and so D3 published Onechanbara Special for PSP.

Co-op is be included, using the ad hoc capabilities of the Playstation Portable.  Though it's currently a Japan-only release, you never can tell when a game might make it stateside.  We've got the cheese-a-rif-ic trailer for you to check out; maybe it will sate your hunger for pink blood.  You know, if you had such a hunger to begin with.

The title Onechanbara is a combination of two Japanese words, onee-chan, meaning “big sister,” and chanbara, meaning “sword fighting.”  The game Onechanbara is a combination of zombie slaying, Dynasty Warriors-type action, and co-op.

Being a fan of all of those elements, I thought Onechanbara might actually have some potential to be a good co-op game, even in spite of its outward appearances.  After all, previous titles that have combined co-op and zombie slaying have been pretty big successes, and one can hardly go wrong with the mindless action of hacking and slashing your way through hordes of enemies.  What I got was a co-op game that only demonstrated co-op in the vaguest sense of the term, and an overall game that further proved how it’s not the pieces that make a game great, it’s how they all come together.

What happens when you take the Bikini out of Bikini Zombie Slayers or Bikini Samurai Squad?  You get a girl in a cowboy hat with samurai swords and a backache. 

D3Publisher, who was recently purchased by NamcoBandai, in their infinite wisdom decided to create a few less than safe for work pictures of the Onechanbara game's heroin.  Partnering up with Playboy they released a review (NSFW) for the game.  The review actually praises the game's co-op mode, saying it's a great way to blow off steam with a friend.  It also points out another feature in the game, "Dress mode," which apparently is anything but.  

To think they missed some serious co-op possibilities in these is mind blowing...Happy Valentine's Day.

Warning, the following post is going to confuse, baffle and perhaps excite you.  

Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers and Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad are nearing their early February release dates.  The former is a Wii title while the latter is a 360 title.  Both feature Asian Girls in Bikinis.  Both features Zombies.  Both features realtime co-op ginsu slicing action.  Both feature Awesome.

As you can imagine the marketing for something like this is truly limitless - so what did D3 Publisher do when presented with this opportunity?  They made comedic skits, that's what!  The three skits called "Wed then Dead", "Bikini Girl Birthday" and "Don't be Rude" are interesting to say the least.  The low budget production values add to the already over the top name of the games.   

As evidence from the Xbox 360 screen above, this game is a bit on the...shall we say eXtreme side.  We have a handful of new screenshots from this two player co-op hack and slash as well as all three video shorts after the Read More link.  Though really...there's no reading required.