"If I become number one, will you do it with me?"
Under The Radar Game!
Game: No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise
Developer: Grasshopper Manufacturer
Publisher: Konami
Rating: Mature
Platforms: Ps3
MSRP:39.99
"No More Heroes" is a series that began on Nintendo's Wii which became a cult favorite. With so many games on the Wii being family oriented, "No More Heroes" was the first game to bring crude humor, blood and gore to the system, something its older audience needed desperately. Times change and the developers have since left Nintendo, bringing their prized product to the Sony PS3 with better graphics and new game play modes. Is this a shining gem hidden in the desert of Ps3 titles or is this a game that was better left unknown.
Story
The story of "No More Heroes" revolves around a twenty something anime nerd named Travis Touchdown. After spending years being a Mexican wrestler he decides to change his profession. He then buys a beam katana (light saber) in an online auction and decides to become a hired killer. His first night on the job he meets a beautiful woman named Sylvia Crystal who gives him a gig assassinating a person known as "The Drifter". After "The Drifter" is dealt with, Travis finds out that the woman who hired him is a representative of the United Assassins Association and by killing him he has entered himself into a competition of sorts. He is ranked as the 10th best assassin in the world, and anyone who wants to claim this title must kill him to do so. Being trapped in the situation where he can only advance by killing the other assassins, and with death being the only way out he asks Sylvia that if he becomes number one will she sleep with him. With her only answer being "Maybe" that is good enough for Travis and he sets out to kill the 9 killers above him to become number one.
I wish I could say I made some part of that up, but it's true. No More Heroes is a wacky story about you helping a nerd kill people to get laid. The game itself acknowledges this is a flimsy plot but argues that "gamers these days don't have much patience", gamers want an excuse to cut people in half and "No More Heroes" churns out a simple one for them. And despite its simplicity it is a memorable plot. No More Heroes is a game that doesnt take itself too seriously and given its style and theme its acceptable.
Grade: B
Gameplay
No More Heroes is essentially what a game would look like if it were made by Quentin Tarantino. Travis cuts down enemies with blood squirting cartoonishly like fountains out of enemies. His fighting style is a combination of sword play / mexican wrestling moves so enemies can either be cut down or finished off with real life wrestling moves with the hit of a button.
The games set up itself is open world based. Travis lives in a small U.S / Mexican border city called Santa Destroy and the player can traverse this environment at anytime during the game. Using Travis you go to different sites on the map to do meniel jobs to earn cash. When you've earned enough cash, you can have Travis arrange his next ranking fight and the game essentially repeats this process over and over.
For this very simple reason the game is kind of needlessly repetitive. The jobs Travis does to make cash are nothing like the gorey main stages of the game but include games where he; collects coconuts, finds lost kittens, and mows grass. Unless you find some kind of humor in the randomness of these games, you will probably be bored at these parts of the games hoping for them to be over quickly.
However it is the boss fights that make this game shine. Every Assassin is a colorful and unique individual in which you have to kill an ungodly amount of henchmen to get to. This is where "No More Heroes shines" as a fun mindless hack and slash game as you cut through tons upon tons of enemies to get to your next Assassin battle. And when you do arrive, the bosses themselves dont take the same hit, hit, and repeat motions. Each boss requires a different strategy to bring them to their knees, and the game feels so rewarding when you figure out how.
When your done with the game the Ps3 version offers three more ways to kill time. There is ranking mode which allows you to fight all of the games bosses for points and high ranking statuses. Then there is the leader board viewer which allows you to see how well you rank with other people playing the game. And finally there is character viewer mode which allows you to see all the characters up close and personal in different poses and costumes. While this doesn't seem like much it is a nice addition compared to the original version where there was nothing to do after the story was completed.
Grade: B+
Graphics and Sound:
While this is a port of a Wii game the graphics have been completely remastered for the Ps3. And even though the graphic style of the game is cell shaded, there is an extreme amount of details present in this version than when compared to its original. The game carries a punk rock aethestic and it fits perfectly to the story its trying to tell. Load screens have cool punk rock sticker effects, and all the original clothing that Travis can decorate himself in shine marvelously. The soundtrack while acceptable is nothing special, you essentially hear the same theme remixed five times, with a few stand out tracks when you encounter bosses.
My personal favorite is the song that plays when you fight the 2nd ranked assassin, "Pleather for Breakfast".
"Don't think your better than me, this is just a job, y'know, the daily grind."
Grade: B+
Verdict
In the current age of gaming where every company is obsessed with making sequels or shooters its nice to see a studio try something new. While "No More Heroes" may not be the most polished game it does have soul and its clear a lot of effort went into making it. Does it get repetitive at times? Sure. But you should give it a chance because as of right now there is no other game quite like it. It's weird and embraces itself for it, and if you give it a chance you might learn to love it for its weirdness too.
Final Grade: B+
Is it worth your money?: If your having a bad day and looking for a nice violent way to blow off your steam this is the game for you. It's quirky, fun and brings you all the violent action your heart can desire. I would wait a while if your not to keen on repetitive content, I would wager this games true value at 25-30 dollars.
No comments:
Post a Comment