2012 will doubtlessly go down as a sexually-charged year in video gaming history. With each passing year, video games are becoming more progressive, and are pushing the boundaries of what is considered acceptable. Let's take a look at the most noteworthy events in 2012 that turned heads and got people thinking about sexuality in games.
Namco advertises Soul Calibur V with close-up shots of breasts and butt cheeks - The year started off on a good note, with Namco choosing to promote their new title Soul Calibur V using very detailed, high-resolution, close-up shots of Isabella Valentine's breasts and buttocks. This series has never been shy when it comes to dressing up its female characters in revealing outfits, but has never gone as far as to advertise using a picture of cleavage and nothing else.
Ken Levine is disappointed that gamers are obsessed with the breasts in BioShock Infinite - BioShock Infinite features a character named Elizabeth, whose buxom figure, low-cut dress, and always-visible cleavage have attracted more attention than anything else in the game's trailers. BioShock's more conservative fans reacted negatively to Elizabeth's design, stating that her "perfect body" and "enormous breasts" were too cliche for their tastes.
The sexy costumes and cosplay of Lollipop Chainsaw - Lollipop Chainsaw was released in June of last year, and was preceded by dozens of photographs of Jessica Nigri cosplaying as the game's main character. The game also featured pre-order DLC that allowed players to dress up Juliet in sexy outfits that were as revealing as three tiny clam-shells strapped to her body.
Jessica Nigri was asked to leave PAX for exposing too much skin - When Jessica Nigri showed up at the Penny Arcade Expo wearing a pink jumpsuit that was zipped down below her navel and showed more than half of her breasts, PAX received so many complaints that she was asked to leave. One can only hope that this does not foreshadow a dystopian future where booth babes are shunned and shamed.
The Babes of Anarchy Reigns - Anarchy Reigns still has not been released yet outside of Japan, but that hasn't stopped gamers from importing the game to get an eyeful of its beautiful heroines. Almost every female in the game is a buxom babe wearing a skintight, body-hugging outfit that clings to her every curve.
Ubisoft begins their E3 conference with a topless lapdance and breast-groping - Nudity has been in games for many years now, but this year marked the first occasion that a company began its E3 conference with a video of a topless woman gyrating on top of a man as he ran his hands over her breasts.
IO Interactive's sexually-charged trailer for Hitman: Absolution causes controversy - The "Attack of the Saints" trailer for Hitman: Absolution involved eight women dressed in nun-themed fetish clothing being methodically killed by the main character of the game. Many conservative journalists and gamers considered this to be exploitative and immature.
The Lingerie Football League teams up with the developers of Rumble Roses - The Lingerie Football League announced a partnership with Yuke's, the developers of Rumble Roses, to develop an official LFL video game. Little is known about the game so far, but gamers can rest assured that the character models will be goregous.
Gamers who pre-ordered Dead or Alive 5 got sexy bunny costumes - Tecmo Koei is well aware that their flagship franchise gained popularity because of the skimpy outfits and bouncy bosoms of their female characters, and have designed their pre-order bonuses accordingly.
Demons' Score is a sexy rhythm game from the makers of Elite Beat Agents - Ask anyone who played Elite Beat Agents if they'd like to play another rhythm game made by it's developers, and you will hear a defening "YES!" Well, the developers of EBA have finally released another rhythm game, but the expensive in-app purchases have lead to low review scores.
Resident Evil 6 is the most sexually-charged Resident Evil game yet - Ada Wong gets naked twice, one of the bosses is a naked woman, and the 12-year-old girl from Resident Evil 2 returns as a hot babe with multiple skimpy outfits to wear. It was a good year for Resident Evil fans.
Sexually-charged Korean MMO "Queens Blade" comes to the West as "Scarlet Blade" - There is an entire demographic of gamers who choose to play MMOs for the sole purpose of using the character creation system to design their ideal woman and watch her run around in a virtual world. Scarlet Blade is an MMO that targets this audience.
Without a doubt, it can be said that 2012 was definitely one of the most sexed-up years that the video game industry has ever seen. If the controversies of 2012 are any indication of what the future holds, then 2013 will be chock-full of sexy surprises.
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