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| Let The Bloodshed Begin! |
Suda51's, No More Heroes, was a pretty wacky game for the Nintendo Wii. returns better and bloodier than ever in the form of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise for the PlayStation 3. Packing an improved presentation, a score attack mode, new assassinations and side-jobs, and more. As a fan of the original Wii game, playing Heroes' Paradise was a blast. Without any further delays, let's get straight into the review.
STORY- The story follows Travis Touchdown, an otaku obsessed with anime and wrestling, living in Santa Destroy, California. After meeting an attractive babe, Sylvia Christel, she offers him to participate in the United Assassins Association. His goal is simple: be number one, even if it means killing 10 deadly assassins during the process. Aided by his beam katana, a weapon he won in a net auction, we follow Travis as strives to become rank 1 in the UAA rankings.
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| Meet Travis Touchdown... and whatever he's doing. |
No More Heroes packs an unpredictable, wacky story filled with likable characters and unexpected plot-twits. I immediatly loved the twisted world of the game. Travis may start-off as a goof, but we get to know more about him as the story progresses. Sadly, we don't get backstory for interesting characters such as Dr. Naomi, who offers Travis new beam katanas and their parts, and Thunder Ryu, Travis's master. However, the story still rocks. Without delving in further, let's head for the gameplay of No More Heroes.
GAMEPLAY- The gameplay is pretty straightforward. You control Travis aided by his beam katana as he kills everything that's in his way. Also, he also can use wrestling moves for more damage and to mix things up a bit. Additionally, "Dark Side" mode which gives Travis a Super Saiyan-like hair and makes him insanely overpowered. It's a hack and slasher at its core. There are 10 levels each with its own boss at the end. You start off killing easy goons and eventually making your way into the boss, which tends to pack a slight challenge. Heroes' Paradise adds five extra boss from No More Heroes 2, which are pretty easy compared to the ones you'll be fighting here. At times, the camera tends to feel clunky, making it hard to see what's around you. This can be a pain when dealing with large numbers of enemies. Aside from that the game still has more in terms of gameplay.
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| "MY SPLEEN!" |
When you're not on missions, you can freely explore Santa Destroy using Travis's oversized scooter, which tends to be clunky to control. Various locations include: Dr. Naomi's lab where you can buy new beam katanas and their parts; Beef Head, where you can buy wrestling videos and learn new wrestling moves; Area51, a store in which you can buy new clothes for Travis; Master Thunder Ryu, whre Travis can train to boost his characteristics such as combo length and stamina.
In order to proceed to the next boss, Travis has to pay the UAA a set amount of money. That amount increases after each boss, so Travis has got make enough dough to proceed. Fortunately, there part-time and assassination jobs that rewards Travis with loads of money. The assassination jobs are simple enough, pick a job and eliminate the target. The part-time jobs, however, are not. They include lawn mowing, garbage collecting, saving little kitties, and more. While they may sound mundane, they're pretty fun when you get the hang of them and most end up paying well.
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| Santa Destroy is a fun little place to explore. |
Scattered throughout Santa Destroy are some collectibles to collect. T-shirts and money found in trash dumpsters are a treat to find. Also, there are over 49 "Lovikov" balls to collect for extra abilities for Travis. Score attack, which is a mode in which you beat previous bosses for best time and points. It's nothing big really, just there in case you would like to take on all 15 bosses again.
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| While repetitive, the gameplay is pretty fun. |
PRESENTATION- The HD makeover gives the game a fresh, new look. Character models are more clear and detailed now, however, some environments sadly didn't receive the same amount of care. The voice-work is still great as it was back in 2008. Robin Atkin Downes delivers a fantastic job as Travis Touchdown. The soundtrack by Masafumi Takada (The Evil Within, Danganronpa) nails the game's crazy atmosphere. Tracks such as the battle theme is infectiously good. There were some aspects of the presentation that can be a bother. Examples are the screen tearing and slowdown you'll meet throughout the game. While not game-breaking, they can be a bother when facing a large group of enemies.
OVERALL- No More Heroes was and still is a fun game to play, it's even one of Suda51's best titles yet. Heroes' Paradise improves on the experience with some nice added features. The fun factor is high, the satirical writing and interesting characters are fun and engaging, the gameplay is great with cool wrestling moves and katanas at Travis' disposal. Despite some shortcomings, It's a blast to play for those looking for a good adventure.
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| Blood and crazy is what you'll be seeing the most. |
IMPRESSIVE
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