Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble (Sony PSP)

This is the funniest game i have played in a long time.

Setting: you are a high school student on a class trip and you go around trying to kick the asses of all the other high school students from other schools in order to become number 1.

Gameplay: three demensional walking around and beating people in the streets. you gather money to buy new clothes, hair styles, etc. You also learn new moves as you progress and learn special attacks as well.

Difficulty: adjustable, but pretty easy to just complete because it's a 7 day scenario and when time is up, you will "complete" the game. however, there are amny different endings depending on your performance throughout the game.

Storyline: very simple, but i was able to enjoy it immensely. i elaborate below why.

Basically, some people might find the game monotonous after a few play throughs, but it was very funny and enjoyable for me. I can pick this game up and play it just for a few minutes a time or a few hours a time. I have lived through a similar experience. I can't speak for the other countries, but in Japan and Korea, high school students always have a big class trip and there aren't that many destinations to go, and you always have many schools congregating in the same cities and everyone has differnt uniforms, and there are always fights that break out.

But having said that even if you don't get a nostalgic feeling like i do playing this game, it'll still be fun if you are looking for mindless bash em up type gaming experience.

The loading times are a bit annoying because you walk into a store, load. you walk out of the store, load. you get a bus, load. basically ANYTHING you do besides walking and beating people in the streets, load.

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Kenka Bancho Badass Rumble is a sweet game for the PSP. Featuring tons of customizable options and multiple story branches, theres plenty to do and see. The gameplay is like a modern version of 2d brawlers from yesteryear like Double Dragon, Final Fight, and River City Ransom. Fans of that genre should definitely pick this up!

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You think you know badass? You think you know what it means to be badass? Let you tell you something: You don't. Not until you've played "Kenka Bancho", you shabazo. What is a "shabazo"? Why, that would be you, if you haven't played Atlus' new (well, relatively) import with all the flavors of Japan it has to offer.

The premise of "Kenka Bancho" is but simple: You are a Bancho, a title awarded to the best fighter in your little high school class, perhaps even the entire school. Your job, my friend, is to seek out other Banchos from other schools and beat them into submission. There can only be one ultimate Bancho in the district, and that's you. And if you're daring enough, you can even become the greatest Bancho in the country. Maybe. But wait, there's a problem - how do you go about accomplishing this?! That's easy. You see, your class decided to have a little field trip to some boring museum and, guess what, the other high schools across the country also felt obligated to partake in this really uncool idea. But hey, an opportunity is an opportunity and you should take the chance to prove your dominance. Your manliness. Can you do it?

When it comes right down to it, "Kenka Bancho" is a beat-'em-up brawler with RPG elements. You can travel to different parts of Japan via bus and train to scour for other supposedly Banchos. Or you can walk, if you really feel badass enough for it. As you're busy punching the ground with your feet, you'll find yourself challenged by lesser peons with no brains - you can take them on, or you can ignore them. Choose the former, and you and said peon Ignoramous Maxamillionaire will partake in a mini-game that's one part staring contest (with LASERS!), one part button prompt, and one part trash talking. Win the game and you get the precious first punch. Fail and you get smacked upside down, but you better be quick to jump back on your toes! Boss battles are constructed in the same manner, except the fights are mandatory. Mandatory because if you're not willing to fight other Banchos, then you, sir, need to put down this game and go do some yoga or something. Once you've beaten a boss Bancho, he or she will surrender their digits so you can call them to help you in fights. Not that this would be cool or anything.

The entire story of "Kenka Bancho" takes place within seven days. Because that's how long a typical Japanese school trip is, apparently, and after those magical days are over, so are your adventures. If, for some unmanly reason, you fail to defeat all 40-something Banchos within that allotted time, you can start the game over with New Game+, and all the moves you've unlocked will carry over. The win/loss record of the Banchos whose brains you've bashed in previously will also slide over, but you'll have to fight them again in order to regain their servitude. You don't have to, but the opportunity is there so why not? Just make sure you make time for the ones you missed last time. Once you've defeated ALL the Banchos after the consequent trips, you'll unlock a special storyline and a new ending to go with it.

The graphics are pretty sweet for a PSP game. Visually, you'll get a nice mix of the Land of the Rising Sun -- suburbs, temples, strip malls, it's all there. For what it is, the world is a nice decent size, certainly big enough for you to enjoy the atmosphere. It might start to become a bit crampy when you're fighting five different guys and then five decide to jump in, but there's always wiggle room. The art is done in traditional anime style, but hey, this game is set, made, and manufactured in Japan -- what were you expecting? There are also plenty of sight gags and subtle inserts for you to discover.

"Kenka Bancho" is a fun game. It may not be suited for everybody, because not everybody can be badass like a true Bancho should be. At the core, it's a fun game and certainly great to mess around with. The quirky humor and the old school beat-'em-up brings out a nice experience that's sure to impress.

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