No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Wii

Released on 28/05/2010

• No More Heroes Review

  League of assassins

  No More Heroes 2 continues the tale of punk protagonist Travis Touchdown, the Japanese anime and pro wrestling-obsessed assassin. Having risen to the top of the United Assassins Association rankings by the end of the first game, you've dropped down the list in the intervening years, but the murder of a friend means it’s time to wage war again in order to take revenge and regain your former status.

  You'll face waves of enemies and 15 crazy bosses on your journey, once again using your trusty beam katana blades. For those that didn’t play the original, they’re science fiction-inspired sword-like weapons that utilise stored up energy capable of cutting through most matter. What ensues is a combat-heavy, pop-culture infused action fest that will leave you breathless.

  You'll face waves of enemies and 15 crazy bosses on your journey, once again using your trusty beam katana blades

  Fight club

  The fighting hasn’t changed much since the first game, which is by no means a bad thing. Using the Wii Remote or the Classic Controller, you’ll dish out a range of combos before ducking out of harm’s way as your enemies attempt to counter your blows. Hitting them without being struck in return builds up your "ecstasy gauge," which allows you to unleash attacks at a devastating speed once triggered.

  Holding the remote up or down determines Travis’s stance, while the buttons control sword strokes, kicks and wrestling moves. Later in the game you’ll get to upgrade your weapons and also briefly take control of returning characters Henry and Shinobu, who offer slightly different approaches to movement and attack.

  The fighting can become a little repetitive despite the game serving up a greater number of enemy types than the original. This is particularly evident in the latter stages when opponents take ages to wear down, but variety’s not really needed when slicing through your foes feels this satisfying. The over-the-top bosses are also of a high standard and they come in all shapes and sizes – you’ll take down cowboys, superheroes, religious rappers, all-American athletes with cheerleaders in tow, school girls and giant robots, to name a few.

  The fighting can become a little repetitive despite the game serving up a greater number of enemy types than the original.

  Sidetracked

  Unlike in the first game, Travis doesn’t need to pay an entry fee to enter ranked battles, which allows you to progress through the title at a steady pace if you choose. This means you’re not required to take on side jobs to earn cash, but you’ll be missing out if you don’t explore what’s on offer. The mini-games available are short, old fashioned 8-bit style games covering genres such as action, puzzle and racing. Like the main game - which you save by visiting Travis’s toilet - they’re pretty quirky, featuring tasks like delivering pizzas, hoovering up scorpions or cooking steaks in 2D.

  Another thing that’s changed is the removal of the first game’s free-roaming segments, which allowed you to drive around the city of Santa Destroy on Travis’s futuristic motorbike. It’s no great loss as there was never any real point to it, and you now jump back and forth between locations from the menu screen.

  Action great

  If you enjoyed the first game then you’ll be pleased to hear that this improves on it in almost every respect, adding loads of cool new things without messing too much with the elements that worked the first time round.

  A must-have title for action fans, No More Heroes 2 features gruesomely satisfying combat, addictive mini-games, a unique cartoon-like visual style, and somehow manages to be hardcore and yet accessible, making it one of the best Wii games we’ve played this year.

  GAME's Verdict

  

  • Fun combat.
  • Crazy bosses.
  • Addictive mini-games.

  

  • Fighting can get repetitive.
  • Visuals are a little shaky at times.
  • You don't get long with other playable characters.

  Review by: Tom 'Assassin' Ivan
  Version Tested: Wii
  Review Published: 20.05.10

  Published: 21/05/2010

• No More Heroes 2 - Desparate Struggle Review

  Touchdown!

  Grasshopper Studios' No More Heroes series is a defiant two-finger salute to those who have dismissed Nintendo's Wii as a platform restricted to family games and mini-game collections. The first game was an exciting, frantic hotchpotch of design ideas, all frenetic, blood-spewing beamsword combat, lewd one-liners, 8-bit style mini-games and visits to the clothes shop, gym and job centre. It was the closest gaming has come to a Never Mind the Bo**ocks.

  The sequel continues to explore this punkish approach, mixing toilet humour with lightsabre battles, guitar riffs with faux-sincere cutscenes and John Woo-esque action sequences with NES-style mini-games. The result is one of the most exciting and vibrant games on the Wii, a celebration of immature power fantasy perfectly embodied by the game's anti-hero, the aviator sunglasses-wearing Travis Touchdown.

  This sequel lifts the same form and structure that worked so well for its predecessor, but strips out a lot of the fussiness that also held it back. Once again, Travis is cast as a hitman, charged with eliminating 15 targets over the course of the game, memorable boss fights that are each as diverse as the next. Gone are most of the awkward biking sections that delivered Travis to and from his jobs before, in their place a simple menu system overlaid onto a town map, each destination one click away.
  

  Beaming

  The next boss fight in the sequence is triggered by visiting the relevant location on the map, but before you do that you're able to visit the local clothing stores to dress Travis, return home to his apartment where you can feed and exercise his overweight cat or take on a slew of different mundane jobs, rendered as 80's style 2D videogames that never were. These minigames are so well designed that time spent hovering up pixel rates and spiders in order to earn cash to buy Travis a new pair of jeans seems somehow reasonable and, moreover, enjoyable.

  In battle the game is a far slicker beast than its forebear. Regardless of whether you go for the Wii remote or Classic Controller you lock-on enemy targets and use a mixture of melee and beam-sword-based attacks to hack your way through their health bars. As you maintain and unbroken combo of hits an animated pixel tiger at the bottom of the screen is shown rising to its feet. When it turns red you can trigger a hyper-focused mode, during which you can strike at enemies in double time, a visceral, exciting reversal of the usual bullet time effect.

  In the run-up to each face-off with a boss you must clear corridors of grunts, these fights only requiring light strategy. However, when you finally reach your mark you'll need to think tactically, looking for the weak point in your foe's strategy and exploiting it.
  

  Punch Drunk

  It's in the boss fights that No More Heroes 2's creativity shines. One early battle sees you face off against a football player and his 23 cheerleaders who together join up to form a giant robot, known as the Santa Death Parade. There are even cameos from enemies you were supposed to have defeated in the first game, neat fan service for those who fell in love with Travis at first touch.

  There's no denying that No More Heroes 2 is a more streamlined, well-realised game than its predecessor. The robust visuals have been combined with a more solid structure and as such, the game feels as if it's matured and settled. But in smoothing the rough edges of the original vision, something may have been lost. There are few of the flamboyant, near unnecessary touches seen in the first game, discarded and left unreleased in this more professional execution.

  There's no denying it makes for a better videogame, but the game's 'Punk's Not Dead' slogan somehow feels less appropriate now.

  

  Hero
  + Memorable script and cast.
  + Slick, exciting combat.
  + Excellent mini-games.

  Zero
  - Will be too coarse and rude for some tastes..
  - More conservative that the previous game.
  - Less originality and innovation.

• June launch for Shadows of the Damned

  Summer is supposed to be the time when we spend more time outdoors, but Suda 51 and Shinji Mikami are set to keep us all away from the sun's rays by releasing the eagerly-anticipated action-horror Shadows of the Damned this June.

  Speaking at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco yesterday, the pair confirmed that the game would launch worldwide on 7th June. They also discussed the game's health system, which sees brilliantly-named hero Garcia Hotspur regain energy by taking a slug of booze.

  The summer release makes more sense given the central light-versus-dark mechanic, with Hotspur blasting demons and solving puzzles with the help of Johnson, a demon with the ability to metamorphose into weapons. It seems he's pretty flexible, able to transform into pistols, rifles and even torches to keep the fanged hordes at bay.

  Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse is said to be a major inspiration, though there are also elements of Rodriguez's From Dusk 'Til Dawn in there, too. And Suda's involvement guarantees a few other pop culture references besides.

  This thrilling collaboration is set to be the first major title launched under the new EA Partners banner, and is slated for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

• E3 2011: No More Heroes 3 headed to the Wii U?

  We’re getting pretty excited about the Wii U, Nintendo’s typically ground-breaking new console, which will be hitting shelves in 2012. Now, we’re starting to hear a lot more about what we’ll be playing on it. No More Heroes 3? We wouldn’t rule it out!

  Neither would the game’s developer, Goichi “Suda51” Suda, who’s been hinting as much to Destructoid. (Thanks, Eurogamer.)

  Asked whether the game would be headed to the Wii U, Suda said, “Of course, yeah,” before adding, “I promise to not break your heart.”

  But the genius designer had more: "However, I was at the Nintendo booth yesterday and today, and I actually had a chance to take the Wii U into my own hands. And as soon as I grabbed it things started swirling in my head. I don't know if it's going to be one male character [in the game this time]. It seems like maybe there's a possibility that I may come up with some ideas.”

  If you’re new to No More Heroes, you’re missing out on some of the most entertainingly chaotic open world action gaming going. The series debuted on the Wii, and No More Heroes 2 was released for Nintendo’s home console last year.

• Lollipop Chainsaw to feature Jimmy Euringer soundtrack

  Warner Bros Interactive has revealed that its upcoming action game Lollipop Chainsaw will feature musical contributions from the renowned Jimmy Euringer.

  Jimmy is the frontman of the noted US group Mindless Self Indulgence and will be providing a hectic and crazy aural accompaniment to the game's boss battles.

  In addition, Euringer will be voicing the character of Zed, a punk-themed boss enemy in Grasshopper Manufacture's latest title for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

  Lollipop Chainsaw is due out later this year and follows the over-the-top adventures of Juliet Starling, a sweet girl in a skimpy cheerleader outfit who battles zombie hordes using a massive chainsaw.

  The game is the brainchild of celebrated designer Goichi Suda, aka Suda51, who is known for off-the-wall titles such as No More Heroes and Shadows of the Damned.

  Also contributing to Lollipop Chainsaw are Hollywood screenwriter James Gunn, who penned cult movies such as Dawn of the Dead and Slither, while composer Akira Yamoaka will supply the soundtrack alongside Euringer.

  Published: 02/02/2012

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