Rumble Roses XX [X360]

Konami's inarguably gorgeous (if arguably flawed) all-female wrestler Rumble Roses met with mixed reviews when it was released in 2004 -- it was at once campy and solid, yet dumbed-down from its virtual Smackdown genes. But at the end of the day, even its sharpest critics seemed to tacitly agree that it was a great idea: Hi-res, hot girls fighting each other, occasionally in virtual mud, with high attention to presentation. The publisher of some absolutely revered games (like those of the Castlevania and Silent Hill series) was finally cutting loose -- getting in touch with its inner pig, as it were.

A follow-up for the Xbox 360 is on the way, tentatively titled Rumble Roses XX, and we've been getting information in dribs and drabs since our off-the-floor sneak peak at September's Tokyo Game Show

Sexy fighters Reiko, Dixie, and crew will return -- along with a few new characters, as well as a tag team mode, which includes new team combos, "accidental" attacks, and the dramatic possibility of team "breakups." There's also a new Battle Royale mode, which can accommodate up to four combatants, wherein it's every woman for herself. And in the Elimination mode, you'll have to take out both opposing players, instead of one. And there are still some gameplay modes the designers won't talk about.

Producer Akari Uchida, who joined Konami ten years ago, summed up the switch to the 360 by joking that "Microsoft is giving us money" -- but the real, obvious impetus was the fact that the specs of the 360 would allow the inclusion of tag team matches while maintaining the game's incredibly high-quality character models. "Last time [after the release of the original Rumble Roses], I learned that many people wanted new locations, so we added a pool [with reactive water, in the vein of DOA]. We also created a Death Valley."

The previous game had Baby Face and Heel designations for fighters, but now they can also become Superstars. As players nurture their wrestlers into Superstar status, there are some new benefits -- costumes will change, moves will change, and there will even be new entry animations. For example, when a certain Ninji-esque character from the previous game becomes a Superstar, she's presented in a new light, her body covered in a see-through mesh costume.