There are some games that receive a bad reputation based on content. It could be the main character, the story line, or even the way the game presents itself. Over the years, developer Masaya has been developing a controversial shooter called Cho Aniki. This game, for lack of a better explanation, is very mantastic in its presentation. The imagery is very sexual in content; half-naked, muscle-bound men fill the screen, miniature male appendages spin out of control, and gender-bending bosses dance around the screen or attack with over-exaggerated body parts.
Cho Aniki has been ported to many consoles over the years. Ironically, versions appeared on the PC Engine, Super Famicom (as a 2D versus fighter), Sega Saturn, PSOne, and Playstation 2, but inside Japan only.
If you strip away Cho Aniki’s erotic nature – and for some this may require some tongue-in-cheek – you’re left with a solid shooter that actually delivers on gameplay. As far as options are concerned, they leave little to the imagination. You can increase or decrease your Gallons of Man Juice on a scale from 1 to 5, along with the Number of Eruptions. With innuendoes aside, these features actually determine the number of special attacks you can have.
Cho Aniki caters to both novices and experts. Easy Mode reduces the amount of on-screen enemies, bosses take less damage, and there are 3 stages total. To quote the mode description, “ Even a wuss like you should be able to handle this mode.” This isn’t entirely true. While the game is much easier, don’t expect it to be a cakewalk.
Normal mode is the entire game. Enemies clutter the screen, bosses are relentless, and there are 5 stages total. To quote the mode description for Normal, “ If you’re a real man, shut up and get busy with those hands, capiche?”
Coincidentally, Cho Aniki includes a selectable female character named Benten. Her Super-Shots and shooting abilities are far less powerful than the selectable male character, Idaten, but this isn’t surprising when you consider the direction of this game.
Each character is accompanied by a helper that increases fire power. Idaten can choose between Adon or Samson; these two are familiar to the series. They’re large, muscular men with devious grins. Benten doesn’t have the luxury of choosing her helper; she is given two male angels – Micha and EL.
Cho Aniki plays like your typical shooter. The analog stick controls your character, Square button fires, X button launches bombs, Triangle unleashes your splash beam, and Left trigger and Right Trigger will allow you to turn around. While the game isn’t a hell shooter and moves at a much slower pace, there is still plenty of enemies to avoid. There is a constant supply of odd-ball enemies that include (but are not limited to) naked men with wings, machines that resemble helmets, and bombs that look like male appendages. The bosses are a collection of oddities: floating male heads with mustaches and ponytails grin evilly, naked men ride on platforms, and a train that looks half-human trails across the screen. If you think these sound strange, wait until you encounter the others.
As mentioned earlier, Cho Aniki is a solid shooter. It offers just enough to keep any fan of the genre happy, while also appeasing anyone looking for a unique experience. I will give you fair warning; Cho Aniki is an unforgiving experience that will take hours to master. The enemy patterns are sporadic and sometimes very unpredictable. In fact, enemies will sometimes appear out of nowhere, making it difficult to avoid them. This will test anyone’s patience, regardless of their accomplishments as a gamer. Boss battles seem to tread on similar ground. When bombs are dropped, they don’t always seem to inflict damage. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it can be quite frustrating.
You will find yourself enjoying Cho Aniki as long as you can overcome the subject matter. As a game, it offers decent 2D graphics, goofy soundtracks, solid gameplay, and some of the strangest characters to ever grace a video game. I suggest giving this shooter a chance even if you’re skeptical; you may be pleasantly surprised.
Mike ‘STGuy1040’ Pittaro
Platform: PSP (Available on PSN)
Size: 121MB
Price: $19.99
Developer: Masaya
Publisher: AKsys
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| The graphics are a nice collection of 2.5D sprites. | |
| Sound | |
| Loud explosions and really strange soundtracks create a very unique experience. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Cho Aniki is a solid shooter that offers countless hours of enjoyment. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| As a shooter, Cho Aniki will not disappoint. | |
