From Boobs To Beef To Back To Boobs

Swords-and-sandals saga Gladiator Begins for the Wii quickly became known as an underboob-and-slave-girl saga at the 2009 Tokyo Game Show thanks to a model in a teeny bikini. The PSP version, however, ditched the slave girl and went all beefcake.

Like his slave girl predecessor, the beefcake gladiator had his own office hijinks – much to the delight of fans of strange nipples.

But his popularity never really translated into a hug pillow or a saucy game guide cover. His strange nipples just weren’t as appealing as the underboobs, I guess.

A tweaked budget version of the game is heading to Japanese game shops next January, sans beefiator. In his place? An overboob female gladiator, who doesn’t look like she’ll be nearly as much fun answering phone calls and making copies.

“This ‘Best’ version comes at a lower price point, but instead of just slapping a discount sticker on it like is par for the course in these situations, we decided to give ‘er a fresh coat of paint,” Acquire tells Kotaku. “The bright reds and oranges pop, so it’s easy to see, and people seemed to like the Medeia character, so she gets top billing this time.”