No More Heroes (Nintendo Wii)

No More Heroes is unlike any other game you’ve ever played. Find out why…

The Nintendo Wii is known for many things. It’s gotten people up from their seats and playing games in what might be seen as an unconventional method. It’s shown people that sports games can be more than just button mashing. It’s even shown the world the love of mini-games again and again and… well, again.

But it’s also deterred a lot of gamers looking for a less casual and more “adult” or mature gaming experience. Well, if you ever stuck yourself in this category, fear not because your time is at hand with the new game No More Heroes.

Quite possibly one of the quirkiest games we’ve ever had in the Cyber Shack – and that’s saying a lot – No More Heroes puts you in the shoes of Travis Touchdown, a down on his luck sort of guy who meets a girl in a bar. From there, things take an unusual turn as this isn’t you regular “boy meets girl” love story. Instead, it’s more of a “boy meets girl, boy wants girl, boy has to kill people in order to sleep with girl” love story.

But the good thing is that you don’t really have to worry about keeping up with the story as that’s covered in the intro video before you get launched head first into one if the most unique gaming experiences you’re ever likely to play.

To fight enemies, you’ll use the Wiimote with button and motion controls to strike, kick, or block while the Nunchuk controls you who target and how & where you move. You’ll also have wrestling moves to use from Travis’ wrestling past as time progresses and you’ll get to use motion controls when things start to head this way.

For the most part, things are always going to be fun & intense when dealing with the fight scene. Characters are often pretty simple to beat but when they start attacking you in groups, you’re going to have to work out if it’s better to hold your sword in a high or low position and who to block before your next slashes. Bosses can be seen as a little hard but that’ll be dependent on how many times you block at what might be seen as unfortunately predictable segments.

Now if No More Heroes was just non-stop fighting, it would probably resemble too many other random non-stop fighting games and just tire you out in minutes.

Luckily, it’s not.

Because you’ll need to earn money in the world of No More Heroes, you’ll have to go around the city completing the occasional odd job. Some of these side jobs take on the role of mini-games while others are more killing based, but instead of giving you pre-determined places to go, you’re given free reign of where you want to go. Like Grand Theft Auto, you’ll be able to traverse the city either on foot or by transport. In Travis’ case, this means taking his futuristic motorbike.

So whether you choose to stay at home and play with Travis’ cat Jeanie all day or drive around and find jobs is left entirely up to you.

Then there’s the truly unexpected, unusual, and for all intents & purposes quirky part of the game: its historical eccentricities.

Instead of just playing a game without any personality, No More Heroes shakes things up by throwing in retro game graphics and sounds on top of everything. Already, the game is very comic-styled with it etched line-art and cel-shaded graphics, but when you throw in kill combos with old school slot machine animations and high score boards from Star Wars-inspired games from the eighties, you know you’re in the presence of something entirely unique.

The weird thing about this is that I haven’t even touched on the things like how you save a game, how you recharge your sword, or how the game uses the Wiimote to make mobile phone calls and give you information throughout the game.

If all of this sounds like a truly brilliant ride for a system you didn’t expect this sort of thing on, it’s because it is. Whether you’re a Japanese game nut, an action buff, or someone who actually wants something truly different, you’ll be sure to find something to love in No More Heroes.

For a better look at the No More Heroes, check out our video review.

Should you buy it?: Yes. Absolutely yes.

Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher: Red Ant
Classification: M
Formats: Nintendo Wii
URL: No More Heroes

Reviewed by Leigh D. Stark

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