Incoming 2012: Lollipop Chainsaw

What we know:

Lollipop Chainsaw is the upcoming hack and slash game coming from Grasshopper Manufacture and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, masterminded by famous Japanese designer Goichi Suda (Suda51, as fans affectionately call him).

The game puts players in the cheerleader uniform of blonde teenager Juliet Starling, as she needs to defeat the legions of zombies that have just invaded her San Romero high school. Luckily for her, she comes from a long line of zombie killers, so it’s quite easy to kill them thanks to her bedazzled chainsaw.

Along the way she’s helped by her old mentor, as well as by her boyfriend who’s currently a dismembered head that’s hooked to her miniskirt.

Lots of different zombie bosses will be encountered by Juliet along the way, culminating with their ring leader, Swan. This evil goth sorcerer is Juliet’s former classmate who wants to start a zombie plague right from their high school.

Just like with previous games made by Suda51 and his team at Grasshopper, expect a tongue-in-cheek story complemented by extremely stylized gameplay that will no doubt focus on Juliet’s sex appeal.

Why it matters:

For Western gamers, Suda51’s name might not mean a lot, but he’s certainly one of the most unique game designers from Japan. He’s already proven it with the likes of No More Heroes, which featured all sorts of pop culture references, not to mention some interesting gameplay, and he’s now at it again with Lollipop Chainsaw.

While it’s easy to judge the game from its looks, the actual gameplay is quite impressive and will certainly entertain hack and slash fans, as well as those that want yet another game where they kill lots of zombies.

Throw in Suda’s crazy ideas and Lollipop Chainsaw might be the breath of fresh air gamers need after being assaulted by more and more sequels.

Lollipop Chainsaw is out later this year for the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles.