Fun but Hard
The Dishwasher and a ...Chef?
Hard games are not fun. That statement may make me sound like an idiot but, hard games are not fun. If I can’t sit down and play a game without swearing more than usual or throwing a controller through my screen, than that game shit. There are two exceptions. Braid (because my brain needed the punishment) and Dishwasher Dead Samurai, an old release off XBLA.
Dishwasher is an arcade style beat them up, not unlike our co op favourite, Castle Crashers. However, unlike Castle Crashers, this game is instead focused more on a singleplayer adventure, with a storyline told through a set of comic books. From what i can work out from them, your main character has been resurrected and now wants to go and fight cyborgs(?) who stole his sister. I think. Some how zombies are also involved. The plot is convoluted, but also quite good and provides a perfect setting for a beat-em-up. Another difference between Dishwasher and Castle Crashers is the fighting system. Castle Crashers can be easily finished just by button mashing. However, if you intend to play above easy in Dishwasher, you NEED to actually use the combos and moves or you will die, repeatedly. Whats worse is you are limited to only 4 deaths per level or your progress on that level is reset. In the words of gamers worldwide “oh shit”
You think thats loads of blood? That's nowt lad. Also co op
However, do not be disheartened. The game is brilliant. The combat feels really good, and the combos you can pull off look great. After beating an ememy to a pulp, they then stand stunned. At this point, you can pull off finishing moves ranging from cutting someone in half to ripping someones head off THEN cutting them in half. All of this is done with style, spraying blood onto the screen while also zooming in to show the crazy expression on your gaunt-looking main character. A mention should actually be made of the graphics style, which is hand drawn, but in a different style to Behemoth’s happy looking characters, the particpants of Dishwasher’s combats are all very dark with a certain style that is immediatly recognisable. I personally like it, but to some people it could turn them off the game.
As well as the story there are two other modes. Arcade is a timed challenge mode, where you have to clear a stage in the quickest amount of time using the weapons given to you and the “Dish Challenge”, a competition with other XBL users to see who can last the longest fighting waves of enemies. The arcade mode also allows co op player, and as a 2 person brawler is is a load of fun.
By the end of the game, this will be like an old friend. Like Lassie
However, there is one major issue. As mentioned before the difficulty can be completely crazy. Even on normal, death is commonplace, with even the starting enemies putting up a struggle. This gets even worse as the levels progress and the bosses can lead to some controller throwing.
I have really enjoyed playing Dishwasher: Dead Samurai despite the crazy difficulty. I would give it around 70% as the difficulty is a pain in the ass. But it is still a very playable game and great fun just to go in and cut dudes up
