::: No More Heroes :::

When Nintendo’s revolutionary controller was first unveiled to the public one of the first thoughts on every gamer’s minds was to do some lightsaber swinging action ala Star Wars. Redsteel unsuccessfully attempted a mishmash of sword fighting and shooting elements.  LucasArts’ very own Lego Star Wars was fun, but not quite the mature experience diehards were craving.

In comes No More Heroes, a quirky anime inspired action title from equally quirky developer Suda 51 of Grasshopper studios (yes he calls himself Suda 51). Suda 51’s previous work was the notoriously weird Gamecube title Killer 7; a cult hit that was a little too strange for the mainstream and went under the radar. So, does No More Heroes prove Nintendo’s controller can slice and dice with the big boys? Read on to find out:

You play as Travis Touchdown; a young assassin ranked #11 who must defeat ten other assassins (Heroes) to move up the ladder and become numero uno.  The game is set up sandbox style like Grand Theft Auto. There is an overworld where you do various jobs around the city like picking up coconuts or pumping gas. This is to collect enough money to participate in the next ranked battle. You can also purchase items like t-shirts and weapon upgrades. The overworld is mostly boring and the jobs get repetitive; thankfully it only serves as a change of pace from the ranked battle stages.

The ranked battles are the core of the game. Here you use Travis’ weapon; a beam katana, basically a lightsaber to defeat waves of enemies in bloody fashion. You swing your katana by repeatedly pressing the A button then at the end of the combo an arrow appears on screen which tells you how to swing the controller. Time it correctly and you unleash a violent and satisfying finishing move. Its not quite Star Wars but it’s the next best thing. The combat works extremely well and is highly addictive. The violence is definitely not for kids as there are decapitations and spurts of blood everywhere. You get a ‘Kill Bill’ type feel from the sword fights.  Special moves can also be unlocked as you progress through the game.

Graphics are fine but could have been more detailed in some areas. Music is catchy and unique with 80’s style tunes thrown in for humor.  In conclusion, No More Heroes is a fun game that is a little rough around the edges. Wii owners hungry for a mature action title should head down to their local game store and pick this one up.

Score: 8.4