Bikini Karate Babes

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Creative Edge Software

After downloading Bikini Karate Babes 3 for Android, it made me curious if I had lost my opportunity to play the other two games, which I had assumed were also for Android. To my surprise, I discovered that Bikini Karate Babes is actually a series that has been around since 2002, with the first two games being released on PC. Unfortunately, since I was unable to find anywhere where those games were on sale, I had to search around a bit until I was able to find a playable copy. Then I had to find a PC that it would work on since it crashes on Windows 10. After getting everything all straightened out, I finally got to play it…and it’s pretty bad. Amusingly bad, mind you, but bad all the same. Much like the current game out on the Android store, the game looks impressive. It transitions pretty seamlessly between the fighting and closer-up, higher-quality video cutscenes. Also like the third game in the series, visual aspects aside, this is a pretty poor fighting game. It’s not difficult at all to get perfect rounds by simply pressing a single key the entire fight. And while some of the special moves are head-scratchingly bizarre and amusing (like a lady that shoots jets of fire from her bosoms) it’s still not a fun enough of a game where I was willing to put too much time into it to see what every woman on the roster can do. I don’t consider this to be quite as bad as I’ve seen some critics say…but that still doesn’t mean that it’s very good. It requires a bit of effort if anyone wants to play it these days, requiring someone to both track down a copy of the game as well as an operating system capable of running it… and it’s simply not worth the effort required.

Review added: 12/15/2021

Bikini Karate Babes 2: Warriors of Elysia

Also known as:  Bikini Karate 2: Elysia no Josenshi (Japan)

Developer: Creative Edge Software

Say what you will about the original Bikini Karate Babes, but despite how awful it was, it was impressive in terms of how it used video footage to create a fighting game. About 9 years later, a sequel came out - Bikini Karate Babes 2: Warriors of Elysia. While the gameplay doesn’t improve much, the game does include several new fighters to go alongside returning combatants as well as several game modes…I’d dare say that if the combat was better that this would actually be a solid game with plenty of options and modes to keep you coming back for more. I found myself continuously playing through the arcade mode, not because I necessarily enjoyed it, but because I would notice new modes and fighters waiting for me after the credits rolled each time, and I wanted to know how much was packed into this game. And I’ll admit, it grew on me by the time I was done playing…and admittedly, part of that was discovering that Dina Al-Sabah (a former fitness model and seemingly an all-around good, intelligent human being) whom I’ve had a bit of a crush on for most of my life, plays a character in the game. But anyway, Warriors of Elysia is the best game in the franchise, in my opinion…Even if that’s comparable to being the nicest guy in prison. Warriors of Elysia may not be a great (or even passable) fighting game, but I was able to find some enjoyment in it. If you’ve got to play a game in the series, this is the one I’d recommend, if you can track down a copy, that is.

Review added: 12/15/2021