Story & Playability
After playin THE Onechanbara for the Wii, a game which had virtually no plot whatsoever, I picked up this game with a
prejudice that all games of the hack-and-slash/beat 'em up genre were shallow on plot. I was proved wrong; the plot
is HUGE. not only that, but its fast pace and spontaneity is what i assume to be the main reason the game is so
"interesting." I guess the storyline/setting and style in which it's presented can be seen as like kind
of a cross between Scott pigrim/ mr and mrs smith- action-packed, fast-paced, random and a lot of silliness. However,
the way the player is abruptly put in confusing situations might get frustrating for players over time, although it
really depends on the player. The characters are all so packed with charisma and are also very random to fit the story.
Travis Touchdown, the main protagonist, is an otaku who starts killing assasins with a sort of "light-saber-like
thing" because he "runs out of money to buy video games with." yes, it does sound like a stupid joke, but
that's how ridiculous some characters are. every now and then he unleashes a profanity-laced tirade, dropping an
f-bomb or s-bomb here and there, so you might wanna cover your 3-year-old cousin timmy's ears if he's watching
you play. For all those pervs out there, the game carries an abundance of buxom and scantily clad females, most of which
surprisingly carry personalities big enough to fit their humongous brassiere. So all in all, the story is fast-paced and
often confusing, filled with colourful, flamboyant characters to match. Though the story (assassins and sex and
randomness) might not be everyone's thing, it will usually give you a smile.
Rating: 8
Graphics
The visuals, cut-scenes graphics and the like- depending on your point of view- are mostly pretty much on the
WOW-factor, that is, whenever a super-move or suplex or an enemy bursting into coins occurs, that's usually time to
stop,stare and admire. Although after a few million times they are done they get a bit stale. The cutscenes are mainly
to help the story progress , but are also there for players to just look at. like non-playable fight scenes, scenes
where characters are introduced and so on. While this digital eye candy is nice to look at, it's impossible to
ignore the "wooden" character movement, i.e, how much like pivot stick figures they move somethimes. and while
i know the game isn't supposed to be realistic, some/ A LOT OF characters are waaaaay out of proportion, or maybe
that's just me... which leads me to a more pressing point, the character design. While the inclusion of numerous
busty women can be seen as "dedicated fanservice" some of them are so disproprtionately well-endowed that
you'll go from drooling to wondering if their backs hurt. some people are into that thing, while i know the designs
are exquisite, i can't help but wonder if it's these game designs that promote mysoginistic and sexist
viewpoints. well at any rate, a game design is a game design and these game designs are-for the most part- stunning.
Rating: 7
Sound
The sound- and a lot of the people who have played the game will agree with me on this- isn;t really a thing that stands
out a lot in the game. For example, the background music is pretty much all fast-paced, "exciting" music
that's been performed by japanese rock/pop bands. while some of it's nice to listen to, after a while it will
all start to sound the same. This isn't helped by the fact that a lot of the game os running around seemingly
endless corridors smashing a bunch of enemies who look almost EXACTLY the same. I guess, however, a fan of japanese
mainstream music will appreciate the soundtrack, but otherwise... meh. On a positive note, the dialogue throughout the
course of the game is great. When Travis spouts a one-liner that's supposed to be funny, it's funny. When a
serious person is talking, you can tell he's deadly serious. The graphics help reasonably well in this respect,
although again i warn anyone reading this about the swearing. While this game isnt a House of the Dead- Overkill, it still has the occasional f-bomb.
Rating: 7
Fun
All in all, the game No More Heroes is fun, but to a point.The hack-and-slash style of gameplay is fun until running
through endless corridors hacking identical enemies into coins loses its appeal. The special moves and in-game move
animations are gorgeous- until you've seen them for the millionth time. The storyline, or rather, the pace at which
events occur, could use a little tweaking (for those who hate watching cutscenes and can't be bothered to keep up
with what's happening) and travis could stand to swear a little less; we all have that younger sibling/cousin who
overhears the f-bombs in dialogue and throws it into conversation later. Negativity aside, the creativity of the game is
admirable- i like how the save point is always a lavatory; i've never as much pleasure dropping a nice, hot
"save" in a game as i have in No more heroes. the graphics and sound complement each other; the voice acting
is much better than so many english dub animes i could mention (one piece, i'm looking at you), and the dialogue is
as good as any, providing seriousness or comic relief where needed. So in conclusion, definitely worth playing if
you're into swordplay (however repetitive), like a little humour, don't mind the occasional dodgy graphics and
love busty women and fanservice. Even though swordfighting/adventure games aren't my thing, i still found this game
enjoyable, so you should too.
Rating: 7
Final Verdict
7.3333 (above average)
Reviewed by Luggernaut, Apr 11, 2011