It is hard to find a gory game which has not had to be toned down in order to be released in certain regions. With that in mind, it is refreshing to see companies such as Rising Star, still publishing games that incorporate that risk factor. While the first “No More Heroes” ended up being published by another company, it was Rising Star that grabbed the reigns for releasing the sequel in European territory. With “No More Heroes 2”, Grasshopper Manufacture has changed its strategy and presents a game that is more accessible to a wider audience. Should anti hero Travis Touchtown have come out of retirement, or would it have been better to just call it a day?
In this sequel the controls continue to be more or less the same when compared to the previous title. Although very subtle it can be noticed after playing for a while that wii remote sensitivity feels more accurate. While madly swinging the wii remote still produces the best results, there is a better chance now, of doing combos by efficiently swinging it with timed movements. Once again Travis has his trusty beam katana to accompany him. It is a shame that he is still not using duracell batteries, as its energy source still gets depleted fairly quickly. Then again that was the appeal of the first game and continues to be the same on this sequel. Travis never really was a serious fighter and the need to constantly recharge it while pulling funny faces, or finding batteries for his weapon, is part of his personality. The weapons can be upgraded too and best of all is the inclusion of a new weapon. The double beam katanas are a nice addition to the game halfway through and a welcome change of style. There are some insane combos that can be done with them, and pulling them off is a pleasure on its own. The only slight downside is how powerful it can be as some enemies can be taken down with two swift swipes. But it get more balanced towards the grand finale which is what really matters. As a whole the controls are very responsive and button mapping is done so that any action is easily available to player. An example is being able to easily dodge an enemy, by locking on him and then doing a quick counter stab. Although it does not use the wii plus add on, it feels just about right how it is anyway and is not a game that requires a great deal of precision.
Where the game has seen a major overhaul is in how it makes the gamer play it. In the previous title there used to be mini game jobs, which players were required to play, in order to earn cash to pay for ranking battles. This process quickly became tedious and made an otherwise game, seem more of a chore than a pleasurable hobby. Although the mini game jobs make a return, they are not required to be played in order to proceed with main storyline. Instead the player can play them at his/her own leisure. What is interesting though is how much the mini games have changed in terms of how they are played. In what must have been the brain storming meeting of pure genius, Grasshopper decided to make these mini games in 2D.Each mini game will have tasks reminiscent of those found in the previous game. What makes them less dull is the nostalgia factor. It is truly a sight to the eyes for example to see a pixelated Travis, vacuum bugs in a bomber man style grid. Each time a player advances in rank, more of the mini games are unlocked too. It is fitting that what made the previous game less fun turns out to be one of the strong points for its sequel. Then again it doesn’t hurt that the player is not forced to play the mini games. Other major changes to game play include the fact that Santa Destroy is no longer a free roaming area. Although those long bike rides are missed, this new straight to the point system works too. The player can now pick from a series of locations to navigate to. As always the game also provides some nifty extra such as the loveable cat Jeane which must be trained, so that she can lose weight, or side scrolling shootemups. The centre of game play continues to be focused on the fights that Travis faces in order to be number one assassin. Although they consist of clearing out areas of bad guys to progress, it still continues to be fun. And as always, the game continues the tradition of being completely over the top with finishing moves.
These finishing moves can be practised on many of the bad guys that come along throughout the game. While most standard enemies continue to be mass produced, it is in the ranked assassins that players will find plenty of charisma. There are lots of assassin types from funny characters that resemble individuals from other games to insane shrieking anime girls. These characters will put up a fight right to the end changing tactics throughout the heat of battle. The same cannot be said about some of the early underlings who mostly seem to wander around trying to kill Travis with little enthusiasm. It gets better towards the middle of the game when more powerful standard enemies are introduced though. But in terms of main characters the game continues a tradition of making them seem as depraved as ever. It is fitting that Travis would seem to be the sane one, when put around a bunch of characters, whose goal seems to be focused solely on killing, It is also very nice to see the effort put into making each character unique in terms of clothing, appearance and behaviour. In fact it is amusing to see how each one reacts whenever Travis is fighting them.
In terms of level design it looks like the free roam area was sacrificed in exchange for more varied levels. There are plenty of different locations to be explored while going through the ranks. All of them have their own individual design and are quite large, in terms of how long it takes to go from start to end. The visuals also look a lot more detailed when compared to the first game. It can be seen just by looking at the cut scenes that this is a game which pushes the graphical boundaries offered by the Nintendo Wii. Another welcome inclusion is the added blood effects when enemies are finished in a brutal manner such as decapitations. In this type of game it helps to truly see how much damage can be achieved and the gore is one of its key concepts. Something that is lacking though is the fact that each level is very limited. The player can only move between areas when all enemies are defeated. This is a game purely based on the pleasures of fighting, but it would have helped to get some variety in it. Instead it becomes quite apparent that each level will consist of killing enemies in an orderly manner, until getting to the ranked assassin battle. It is not much of a major flaw but one that could have done with some changes from the first game.
To accompany the carnage in each level is an individual music track to set the right mood. There is a lot of variety when it comes to music tracks. What is important though is that it does not become a nuisance after a while. Instead it is pleasant to listen to while slicing off enemies into various parts. It is surprising to not have seen a soundtrack for the game considering just how many tracks it has. Its mix of Japanese pop and angst filled music tracks is perfect for the revenge setting that the game represents.
As for the story it may feel like deja vu in some parts but that is not necessarily bad. This time around Travis returns to the competition with a sense of purpose, channelled through revenge. As always there are lots of cult references which fans of movies will enjoy figuring out as they play through. The dialogue is also excellent and it makes the player care to what happens to their favourite characters. It also continues to blur the line between what is right and wrong, as Travis struggles to continue being involved in the fights. What is important though is that it is a pleasure to play through, while it lasts. The main story may last around six to seven hours, but there is much more beyond it. The player can choose to try and get through various levels for each mini game, while shopping for new material in the stores spread throughout Santa Destroy. It is the addition of these quirky details that makes the game be more than the standard hack and slash game. It also offers new features after completion such as a proper hardcore difficulty setting and new modes.
It is not often that a developer tries to amend any weaknesses in a sequel to a game with success. It often leads to more shortcomings but it seems like Grasshopper has managed to do just that. With “No More Heroes 2 : Desperate Struggle”, it creates a game which can be enjoyed by not only the most hardcore of gamers, but also the less experienced ones. It also had the wise idea of not making the player go through repeated tasks, that would otherwise make an extremely fun game, very monotonous. Overall, it is a game that anyone can just pick up and enjoy for the sheer quirkiness that has gone into making it. Everything from the 2D mini games to the adorable interactive tamagochi like kitten and the hilarious dialogue, makes for a most enjoyable experience. Only slight downside is that the levels feels like they could have been more challenging, with different paths or even some quick puzzles. Otherwise this is a most worthy sequel to be proud of and one that Nintendo Wii gamers must try. Another quality title from Rising Star that shows how enjoyable a sequel can be, when the developers try to focus on fixing any issues found in the previous title.
9/10
Tags: nintendo wii, no more heroes 2, no more heroes 2 : desperate struggle, review, rising star
Tags: nintendo wii, no more heroes 2, no more heroes 2 : desperate struggle, review, rising star