No More Heroes (2) for you!

[Wedge]

A sequel to this year's cult Wii hit is already in the works. A teaser trailer can bee sen over at Shacknews (http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/55190).

Now correct me if I am wrong (I'm not) but didn't the game's developers whine alot about how poorly this game sold at launch in Japan? Apparently it sold enough to warrant a sequel.

Great news for me as I enjoyed the first game, and I believe it was just shy of being a really great piece of entertainment.

[BLeeP]

There's already a couple of other threads on this. One being the Microsoft TGS presentation thread, and the other being in the handheld forum. No big deal, though, since who wants to talk about a Nintendo game in the Microsoft thread? Also, no one knows for sure if it will be on the DS or Wii.

EDIT: Also, I really enjoy your topic title. Carry on.

[KidCactus]

I wanted to like the first one, since I loooved Killer7, but the tedious mini-games and parts between the bosses were just too not so much fun for me.

[Wedge]

Yeah, I saw the topic in the handheld forum after posting it. Didn't even think this could be a DS title (which would be fitting concodering the subtitle) My topic title is better though! ;)

[BLeeP]

My topic title is better though! ;)

Yarr, that it be, me hardy!

[Kelegacy]

Bring both games to 360 and I'll buy them.

[boratika]

This is good news. Very good news.

Re sales:

It tank super horribly in japan. Real bad, like. But that's perhaps just indicative of the jp home console market at the moment. However, the game has done quite well in the west. It's definitely sold over 400,000, which might not sound great, but is actually pretty big for a Grasshopper Manufacture game. And it may have pushed a few copies since.

This being on the DS would make sense, since it means it might sell in japan, but also GM is doing all the remakes of their old games on the DS so it seems to be a bit of a focus.

[Doctor Setebos]

Yeah, I saw the topic in the handheld forum after posting it. Didn't even think this could be a DS title (which would be fitting concodering the subtitle) My topic title is better though! ;)I am cry. :(

[Mike Kelehan]

http://www.mmv.co.jp/common/images/var/ir_news/232/081009TGS2008.pdf

Wii, early 2010.

[crazyD]

Bring both games to 360 and I'll buy them.

Why? The first game only worked as well as it did because of the excellent use of the Wii controls in combat. A port would be pretty lame.

[Doctor Setebos]

Well, this (http://www.mmv.co.jp/common/images/var/ir_news/232/081009TGS2008.pdf) is interesting.

＜ゲーム概要＞
■ゲームタイトル NO MORE HEROES Desperate Struggle
■対応機種 Wii
■欧州発売予定 2010年2月～3月発売予定
■北米発売予定 2010年1月発売予定
■価格 未定No More Heroes Desperate Struggle
Platform Wii
European Release 2010 February~March
North American Release 2010 January
Price to be determined

No mention of Japan? Not even a "TBA"? NMH did horribly in Japan. Might the sequel not even garner a Japan release? I have to imagine the Japanese probably wouldn't mind too much.

[Talanvor]

Woo! I really enjoyed the first game. It just had a great, twisted atmosphere. Very happy to see this.

[Variable Gear]

This is great news. Travis strikes again!

[JayVe]

Looks like there may not be a Japanese release (http://www.gamecyte.com/no-more-heroes-desperate-struggle-announced)...

...though the game is being developed by a Japanese company and announced at a Japanese game show, there’s every chance native Japanese will never play it.Though the game is slated for the US in January 2010, and Europe in February or March of that same year, a Japanese press release at the website of publisher Marvelous Entertainment notes that any plans for Japan are still up in the air.

Unless my Japanese is rustier than I thought, that is not a matter of when, but if.

[Sl1pstream]

Please don't be censored this time. Freeloader's dead and I'd like to see some blood instead of that black smoke crap they had in the first one's PAL release.

[crazyD]

Please don't be censored this time. Freeloader's dead and I'd like to see some blood instead of that black smoke crap they had in the first one's PAL release.

Looks like both censored and uncensored will be released in EU.

Source (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=256788)

[boratika]

Please don't be censored this time. Freeloader's dead and I'd like to see some blood instead of that black smoke crap they had in the first one's PAL release.

In it's defence, the PAL version had the video clip for heavenly star (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL2od1AF_Cs).

[JayVe]

Here's some more details

- First time Grasshopper is doing a sequel
- Wanted to make another game with Travis
- This time Travis is fighting for revenge
- He’s going to get really serious about fighting as opposed to the first title
- The team that worked on No More Heroes 1 is also working on the second game (same character designer, mecha designer)
- When they made No More Heroes 1, they felt they had one of the best teams for a Wii title so they wanted to make another game with the team

source (http://www.nintendoeverything.com/?p=4795)

[quidmonkey]

http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/HappyCow.jpg

[TheFlyingOrc]

I'd like the boss battles to go by a wee bit faster, but still cool that a sequel is coming.

[crazyD]

- He’s going to get really serious about fighting as opposed to the first title

Lame. I enjoyed the lighthearted take.

[Variable Gear]

Lame. I enjoyed the lighthearted take.
It depends on the execution. It could be badass, or it could be melodramatic.

We won't know which until the game actually comes out. ;)

[Doctor Setebos]

Lame. I enjoyed the lighthearted take.Dude. The trailer for NMH2 shows a crazy chick wearing a jetpack with six arms, each holding a beam katana.

I think you needn't worry.

[Doctor Setebos]

Suda talks (http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/207431/no-more-heroes-2-desperate-struggle-is-wii-exclusive-suda-says/) Wii graphics and the 360:

We wanted to do it for the Xbox 360, but the Wii’s motion controlled interface feels the best. We don’t have plans for an Xbox 360 No More Heroes. There is nothing of that sort scheduled in our development cycle. There’s still room for the Wii’s graphics to get better and better.NMH was almost a 360 game?

:eek:

[Variable Gear]

It'll be cool to see if Grasshopper utilizes the Wii Motion Plus and how that could impact gameplay.

[Evil Avnovice]

Whereas Ubisoft was the publisher for No More Heroes, XSeed and Marvelous will be the co-publisher for No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle. (NintendoEverything (http://www.nintendoeverything.com/?p=4851))

....And, unlike the first No More Heroes title, it has been confirmed that Ubisoft will not be publishing No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle in North America. Rather, Marvelous and XSEED will co-publish the game. As far as Europe goes, Rising Star will be handling the game.

[Variable Gear]

That's good. Hopefully the instruction booklet will be in color this time around.

[IncredibleScott]

This is exciting! I absolutely loved No More Heroes and is one of those few games that I don't mind playing over again. Hopefully they can improve a bit on the city mode and driving as it was perhaps the weakest portion of the first game, and also remove some of the grinding to afford the entry fees (ughh!). The bosses in the first game were fantastic and I hope they have some equally impressive bosses in this next installment.

Release date is early 2010...looks like I have time to go through a second playthrough and finally start on playing Killer7.

[pseudopseudo]

I know I've said this before...

...but so far, I've got a boner.

NMH is easily my favorite Wii game up to this point. NMH2 can't come out fast enough. I have a feeling they'll make Travis "serious about fighting" without sucking all the humor out of the game - no problem.

[mister slim]

NMH is easily my favorite Wii game up to this point. NMH2 can't come out fast enough. I have a feeling they'll make Travis "serious about fighting" without sucking all the humor out of the game - no problem.

Serious about fighting... and kittens.

[Widgetcraft]

This is exciting! I absolutely loved No More Heroes and is one of those few games that I don't mind playing over again. Hopefully they can improve a bit on the city mode and driving as it was perhaps the weakest portion of the first game, and also remove some of the grinding to afford the entry fees (ughh!). The bosses in the first game were fantastic and I hope they have some equally impressive bosses in this next installment.

Release date is early 2010...looks like I have time to go through a second playthrough and finally start on playing Killer7.

Personally, I wouldn't mind at all if they eliminated everything outside of the actual combat levels; none of that shit was fun.

[Variable Gear]

Personally, I wouldn't mind at all if they eliminated everything outside of the actual combat levels; none of that shit was fun.
They could just make the player click locations on an overworld map in order to move to different combat missions. That would be a nice correction. The Schpel Tiger was fucking awesome, but that doesn't mean that slowly moving across Santa Destroy was inherently fun. In addition...

I'm sure that Heretic already knows about this, but NMH was kind of a parody on open-world games like GTA. That's part of the reason Grasshopper chose to make navigating the city so boring and unsatisfying. It's only the assassination missions that matter. The city environment also represents Travis' psyche, how he can only see one path forward, which is the path that requires bloodshed. Very few open-world games are that nuanced, but that's no excuse for intentionally creating a game that is, at times, a chore to play.

[Doctor Setebos]

A few more scant details (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/rising-star-games-at-tgs-overseas-media-event-at-the-tokyo-game-show-hailed-a-success), including a comment that the sparse overworld from NMH might not be going away:

Taking place three years after the end of the first title, No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle sees hero Travis Touchdown embark on a mission of revenge following the murder of his best friend. Featuring improvements to the game engine and graphics, Suda51 also promises a far busier Santa Destroy, much darker tone and also a few surprises to come.

[JayVe]

I'm sure that Heretic already knows about this, but NMH was kind of a parody on open-world games like GTA. That's part of the reason Grasshopper chose to make navigating the city so boring and unsatisfying. It's only the assassination missions that matter. The city environment also represents Travis' psyche, how he can only see one path forward, which is the path that requires bloodshed.

You know... this is a REALLY interesting take on the game. Where can I learn more?

[Evil Avnovice]

1. I never had a problem with Santa Destroy. At the very least, add in a few more activities to engage in and iron out the framerate, as it would chug every now and then.

2. Steal Princess. Bring it over here. :)

[Variable Gear]

You know... this is a REALLY interesting take on the game. Where can I learn more?
From me. :o

I'm really sorry...I know I heard about this somewhere, but I just can't find it at the moment.

Also, if you're interested in NMH at all, you should check out this introductory manga (http://nomoreheroesgame.us.ubi.com/media.php) that was cut from the US version's instruction booklet. It's at the bottom of the page I linked. :)

[IncredibleScott]

You know... this is a REALLY interesting take on the game. Where can I learn more?

I'm not sure if that's sarcasm or just an honest inquiry. But for me it seems a bit far fetched for a group of developers to say "Hey! You know those boring portions of GTA...let's expand on this, build the game around it; and if someone asks our motive, we'll just say it's a part of Travis' psyche!" It just seems like a very bad design decision.

I do admit that I had a lot of fun with the side-missions. Picking up trash and mowing lawns was a nice distraction from the main game, but the overworld itself felt dead, as if it was just filler. If the game was centered around more mission-based gameplay (similar to God Hand), then I wouldn't mind as much; or improve the driving portion so it's not just a time filler.

[Variable Gear]

I'm not sure if that's sarcasm or just an honest inquiry. But for me it seems a bit far fetched for a group of developers to say "Hey! You know those boring portions of GTA...let's expand on this, build the game around it; and if someone asks our motive, we'll just say it's a part of Travis' psyche!" It just seems like a very bad design decision.
That's true, but it's also a very interesting gameplay decision. If that's true, No More Heroes has a unique connection between gameplay and story, especially for an action game. Like I said, you don't see this from GTA IV, which is considered to have a more mature narrative.

And, remember, punk's not dead.

[mister slim]

I'm not sure if that's sarcasm or just an honest inquiry. But for me it seems a bit far fetched for a group of developers to say "Hey! You know those boring portions of GTA...let's expand on this, build the game around it; and if someone asks our motive, we'll just say it's a part of Travis' psyche!" It just seems like a very bad design decision.

There are two perspectives to balance here. There's the game mechanics side and the experiential side. While the game design is the key element of the player's experience, the cutscenes, art and music all play a key role in influencing the player's enjoyment. Watching you-know-who die in FFVII is not a plus in terms of game mechanics, as it's completely non-interactive and fills space that could contain gameplay, but it has a huge effect on the player's experience. More and more we're having designers choose to implement game moments not for the clever game mechanics but instead for the experience they give the player. A couple examples: The opening credits sequence in Chronicles of Riddick or a couple different events in Call of Duty 4. Suda 51's previous game, Killer7, is most notable for how much of the game mechanics are built around the experience he's trying to create rather than optimizing for maximum fun in each button press.

[JayVe]

According to this (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13222295&postcount=48), there is no announced US publisher... yet.

[JayVe]

Joystiq says that Suda 51 is considering Wii Motion Plus AND Online Play for No More Heroes 2 (http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/10/14/suda-considering-motionplus-online-play-for-no-more-heroes-des/).

That seemed to be the most popular response when we asked you what changes you'd make to No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle. Luckily for us, Goichi Suda seems to agree (does he read Wii Fanboy reader comments? If so, hai, Suda!). Speaking to IGN (hit the break for the full video interview), the maverick developer discussed how he'd like to utilise Wii MotionPlus in the No More Heroes follow-up, despite not having touched the add-on yet. 1:1 beam katana action? Um, yes please.

[pseudopseudo]

Joystiq says that Suda 51 is considering Wii Motion Plus AND Online Play for No More Heroes 2 (http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2008/10/14/suda-considering-motionplus-online-play-for-no-more-heroes-des/).

I think adding 1:1 motion for the beam katana would be a BIG mistake.

A big part of what worked for NMH was that you weren't tiring yourself out swinging the crazy Wiimote everywhere - the battle controls were excellent. If they change the battle where you actually swing the Wiimote to swing the katana... I don't think it'll be as good. (IMHO)

If they used online to either 1.) play online co-op or 2.) play ranked assassin battles against each other... that'd be fantastic. Hell, more than fantastic.

[Variable Gear]

I think adding 1:1 motion for the beam katana would be a BIG mistake.

A big part of what worked for NMH was that you weren't tiring yourself out swinging the crazy Wiimote everywhere - the battle controls were excellent. If they change the battle where you actually swing the Wiimote to swing the katana... I don't think it'll be as good. (IMHO)
That's true, but you've got to remember that the finishers in the original NMH were kind of inconsistent. Wii Motion Plus would help improve that, for sure.