No More Heroes (video game)

No More Heroes
File:NoMoreHeroesLogo.png
Developer(s)	Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher(s)	Marvelous Interactive Inc. / Spike Ubisoft Rising Star Games
Designer(s)	Goichi Suda
Platform(s)	Wii
Release	December 6 2007 February 2008 February 29, 2008
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single player

No More Heroes (ノーモア・ヒーローズ, Nō Moa Hīrōzu) is a video game directed by Goichi Suda (aka Suda 51), developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, and published by Marvelous Interactive Inc., Spike, Ubisoft and Rising Star Games for the Wii video game console. The game was previously titled Heroes and HERO'S.

The game is not a sequel to Suda's earlier game, killer7, but an all-new game running on a new engine. Though the two games have stylistic similarities, Suda has said that while killer7 focused on political issues, No More Heroes focuses on social ones.

Gameplay

Unlike killer7, the player controls Travis Touchdown only. The game has a free roaming world, allowing Travis to move around on foot or on his motorcycle, the "Schpel Tiger". Game play is open-ended, with the concession that the player must kill the top ten assassins for the storyline to progress. There are numerous part time job side quests to earn money and gain additional weapons. The player also levels up through experience points.

Control is be handled through the Wii Remote and Nunchuk attachment, with the Remote controlling the katana beam and the Nunchuk moving Travis. Most attacks are performed using the "A" button, with certain other moves, including finishing strikes and sword lock breaks, executed by following on-screen instructions. Further, since the sword runs on batteries, the player has to shake the remote from time to time to recharge it. While the sword does not follow the exact position of the remote, it is able to distinguish between different height levels and the angle of attacks. Successful execution of these moves provide additional chances for attacks. Travis has also been shown demonstrating professional wrestling maneuvers to subdue opponents, including an array of suplexes, done by manipulating both the Wii Remote and Nunchuck.

Plot

The story revolves around Travis Touchdown, a stereotypical otaku who lives in poverty in the fictional town of Santa Destroy, California. After winning a beam katana in an internet auction he becomes a hitman and kills another hitman, Helter Skelter, which earns him rank 11 by the UAA, the governing body of assassins. For the rest of the game the player lives Travis's life, earning money and climbing the ranks of the UAA, eventually discovering secrets of his past.

Characters

Main article: List of No More Heroes characters

Above Travis in the UAA are ten other assassins, such as Destroyman, Death Metal and Dr. Peace. Travis is aided by a weapons maker named Doctor Naomi and Thunder Ryu who instructs him in both swordfighting and professional wrestling techniques.

Development

Suda 51 has cited the "violent and bizarre" film El Topo among the inspirations for No More Heroes, and saying the game is violent. In one interview he went so far as to say it is "as violent, or even more violent than Manhunt 2", a game that received an AO rating from the ESRB in its original form. A trailer shown at the March 2007 Game Developers Conference featured Travis Touchdown using the beam katana to cut characters in half and cut off enemies' heads, with copious amounts of blood being spilled. Later videos featured clouds of black pixels and objects resembling coins spurting from enemies instead of blood. it was later explained that the "black clouds" version would be released in Japan, while the United States and Europe would receive the game with the previously seen blood. Later, however, Rising Star Games decided to release the bloodless version in Europe as well. A petition nwas set up shortly after this announcement located here http://www.petitiononline.com/nmh3r03s/petition.html. Thousands of fans in Europe were outraged by the decision and many emails were sent to Rising Star games.

Yūsuke Kozaki, who has previously designed characters for Speed Grapher, is designing the characters for No More Heroes. Others on the team include costume designer Okama, who designed the OP for Densha Otoko, and weapons and mechanics designer Shigeto Koyama, who worked on Eureka Seven as an illustrator. Suda 51 has stated that he is "very interested in online play" and that if it is not incorporated in No More Heroes, then it will be used in his next Wii game.

Reception

The Japanese release received a 34/40 from Famitsu.

Staff

Production staff

• Director: Suda 51
• Character designer: Yūsuke Kozaki
• Costume designer: Okama
• Weapons and mechanics designer: Shigeto Koyama
• Writer: Suda 51
• Voice-over director: Kris Zimmerman

Voice actors

• Robin Atkin Downes – Travis Touchdown
• Vanessa Marshall – Doctor Naomi
• Paul Nakauchi – Thunder Ryu
• Fred Tatasciore – Randall Lovikov
• Quinton Flynn – Henry/Helter Skelter
• Kari Wahlgren – Jeane
• Paula Tiso – Sylvia Christel
• Steve Blum – Dark Star
• Kathryn Fiore – Bad Girl
• Mitzi McCall – Speed Buster
• James Horan – Harvey Moiseiwitsch Volodarskii
• Dee Bradley Baker – Letz Shake
• Kim Mai Guest – Holly Summers
• Josh Keaton – Destroyman
• Kimberly Brooks – Shinobu
• Richard McGonagle – Dr. Peace
• J. Grant Albrecht – Death Metal

Three voice actors from Suda 51's previous production, killer7, returned for the voice casting of No More Heroes: Robin Atkin Downes (who voiced Hiro Kasai, Hasegawa and the maître d' in killer7, and Travis Touchdown in No More Heroes), Steve Blum (who voiced Kenjiro Matsuoka, Benjamin Keane and Trevor Pearlharbour in killer7, and Dark Star in No More Heroes), and James Horan (who voiced Jean DePaul in killer7, and Harvey Moiseiwitsch Volodarskii in No More Heroes).

External links

• Official site
• Screenshots from Famitsu
• No More Heroes at IGN
• No More Heroes at GameSpy
• No More Heroes at GameStats