No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle

[Cosmonautical]

So, I finally got a copy of the first NMH, since I saw a used copy for what I consider reasonable Wii game price (Sorry devs, I'm not paying a hundred AU$ for a new copy of any Wii games except maybe another Metroid or Zelda). Anything I should know while playing it?

[Valigarmander]

Enjoy the boss fights.

Uhhh, I can't think of anything else.

[Valigarmander]

Six more days until release in the US.

Gonna get.

[Valigarmander]

No More Heroes 2 Desperate Struggle Review for the Wii from 1UP.com

I liked No More Heroes, but I didn't love it. I do love developer Grasshopper Manufacture, though, so I always expect something promising from them, even if it lets me down. Sure, NMH took something as simple as jerking the Wii remote in one direction and made a competent, if not entirely satisfying, action game, but there were lots of weaknesses too, causing me to wonder why Wii fans were so quick to put it on a pedestal. Regardless, it struck a nerve, and became a go-to recommendation. With time and love on their side, Grasshopper pushed ahead with the sequel, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, and delivered a pleasantly surprising (and guiltily pleasuring) game that I, well, love.

The story involves returning hero Travis Touchdown, the slightly punkified otaku who, after two years of retirement from the assassin scene, finds out that his friend Bishop (owner of Beef Head Video) is murdered, seemingly without pretense. Travis goes into a blind rage and vows to find his friend's killer(s), all of this happening at the same time that Sylvia Christel, the sultry agent of the United Assassins Association, invites Travis back to the world of ranked assassin combat.

Superficially, Desperate Struggle is amazing: The first game's muddy, low-detail, harshly-shadowed characters are completely refined here, boasting greater detail all around. Throw in better animation, flashier effects and even nicer-looking environments as you run around the city, and Desperate Struggle makes itself one of the best-looking Wii games in its category. But naturally, the city is going to look better when you take out the option to explore it. The open-world part of the first NMH felt like wasted potential, adding a few extra minutes in between missions for no real reason. Now it's just a big, pretty-looking menu, where you can jump back and forth between Travis' place, boss areas, and side jobs. In short, dumping the exploration is a pretty smart design revision that deserves praise.

But the beat-em-up nature of NMH's combat is what made the first game stand out, so it's no surprise that Desperate Struggle doesn't try to rewrite the book. Except for a couple of tweaks, the fighting looks and feels pretty much the same: Slash guys, run up to the next guys, repeat. The added bonus is Travis' "ecstasy gauge," represented by a sleeping tiger in the corner of the screen. If you keep striking enemies without getting hit, the tiger turns red and increasingly ready for rage. Once triggered, Travis launches into a hyper-focused mode where you can go up to any enemy and mash on the attack buttons to hack and slash away at them with lightning speed -- it's much faster and more effective than the returning "slot reel" mechanic that gives you a randomized special attack after killing an enemy in a certain way. Against persistent enemies (especially bosses), the ecstasy powers become a godsend.

In the same manner as the streamlined city menu, Desperate Struggle also cuts the fat from the levels you fight in, shortening each bloodbath to about two to three "rooms" before getting to the boss. The levels in the first game had a tendency to run over-long before you were finally able to fight the boss. But here, you'll be relatively rushing through areas before reaching the save point and subsequent exit to the ranking battle.

That said, there will still be times in Desperate Struggle where you just want things to end already. Take, for example, one level that takes place almost entirely in a parking lot with groups of thugs coming in by the truckload: You'll be slashing away for upwards of 30 minutes (at the extreme end) in this one space before finally opening up the next area. With experiences like that, I had to wonder if this is another case of Grasshopper playing the players. It's possible that creator Goichi Suda and the development team wanted to throw in a few "reminders" that you're still in a game, by god, but this is not really a game that needs Killer 7-style cleverness -- whether or not that's the intention, it results in painful slogs that (still) keep the game from being truly great.

In previews, a lot of attention was drawn to Desperate Struggle's new side jobs, almost all of them now presented as 8-bit-style 2D games (the only one not in that style is a retread of a job from the first NMH). In truth, they're not insanely special -- they're simply more compartmentalized minigames that serve the same purpose as before: to earn money on the side. While brief, some of the side job games can still be challenging. "Pizza With a Vengeance," in particular, is simultaneously the most difficult and the least boring one: It's an evident riff on Mach Rider that forces you to dodge cars while you try to reach the end of a course.

But the side jobs are tolerable compared to Travis' gym training, which is also set up in 8-bit-style games that make you run on a treadmill to increase your max health or dodge barbells to grow stronger. However, missing too many times in those games causes you to fail without any bonus, and they get increasingly expensive after each upgrade. In other words, you can waste money at a fast pace if you don't start honing your reflexes. In spite of all the trimmed corners in Desperate Struggle, there will still be times, like in the original game, where you'll have to buckle down and "grind" for money in order to afford new beam katanas or stat upgrades if you happen to be doing especially badly against a boss.

What will probably be more upsetting -- at least to bystanders -- is going to be Desperate Struggle's extreme content. The game really goes for its "M" rating this time around, with a greater emphasis on blood, vulgarity, and, uh, jiggly parts. In fact, dismemberment becomes the de facto way to put the cap on boss battles. It arguably ties into Travis' newfound sense of vengeance; a man whose view of honor has been clouded by the desire to find his friend's killer. Nevertheless, sensitive souls will find plenty to scoff at.

But if you fit the rating, and are indeed "mature" enough to see past all of that, you'll find that Desperate Struggle is a fine sequel that takes the fun parts of the original (the combat, the characters, the dialogue) and tries to make those the focus while practically quartering off the weaker parts. By being the high-quality, consistently enjoyable action game it wanted to be the first time around, Desperate Struggle is now a must-buy, and at the very least, finally makes the series deserving of the evangelism surrounding it.

They gave it a A-.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go purchase my copy. I'll tell you all how it is.

[X-3]

okay, this is what I've done so far

Spoiler Below

I've decapitated Cloud, had a crazy battle against an irish guy, played a fun and moe shooter hell, worked out with Freddy Mercury and had a robot battle against a football player and some cheerleaders.

Okay.

[Rainbow Dash]

i love Spoiler Below

skipping half the ranks

[X-3]

Okay, wasn't expecting to see returning faces like this...

Spoiler Below

Letz Shake, the brain who got 1-shoted by Henry, gets a return, having apparently frozen Henry somehow. Then later, Shinobu fight DestroyMan. Make that "Men", because Travis cut him in half, and then each side got cyborg'd into a different body. Don't think I explained that well.

Also, Shinobu keeps saying "moe". I don't think she knows what that means judging by her comments when she takes a shower to save.

Also also, that ranked fight against that...kid with the axe was awesome. Because it doubled as a flamethrower. And he was apparently already dead.

Game is alright so far. Seems a bit harder, but that's obviously because I went straight to "Mild" instead of the easier mode.

[Valigarmander]

I made you all a Godhand edit. Censored for VGF.

[heh]

argh argh **** it came out and i don't have my wii ****

[X-3]

I feel disappointed. And maybe trolled.

Spoiler Below

Final boss is some guy related to those guys you killed last game. You know, those optional assasination missions. He has three phases, and it starts getting bad when Henry leaves because he has standards.

EDIT: thinking back though, having him be related to some guys you randomly killed for cash in the first game is actually kinda genius. You thought nothing of them: you just cut them into pieces. However, because you killed without a care, someone suffered. You can't just kill people without thinking about the consequences, riiiiiiiight?

You play through two levels as Shinobu, then she never appears again.
You fight some anime girl inside Henry's mind. That's all the time you get as him. I'm reminded of how Nintendo advertised Yoshi in NSMBW, and then he appeared once in every world. Now I'm just whining, though.

The game's ending is this: you beat bad guy. He explodes. Credits. Syliva throws you off her motorcycle. The meaning behind that women on the phone is explained, sorta.

On the plus side, beating the game unlocks a "Deathmatch" mode, where you can fight bosses.

The game was good, but not great. I guess it's better than the original, but not by much. I'm still trying to sort out my feelings.

edit: Upon further thinking, the story as a whole isn't bad, so I'll take back my harsh meanie words regarding that. Still a bit annoyed about other stuff, though. Also, the new katanas are so much better than the normal katana, IMO. I found myself switching between dual-wielding katanas and 2-handed katanas a LOT, which is nice.

major spoilers
Spoiler Below

By the way, Sylvia has multiple personalities. Kinda puts an interesting perspective on everything, I suppose.

EDIT: Like Sylvia's mother last game. Or the fact that she sometimes calls on Travis's home phone, and then his cellphone other times.

one of the best scenes was
Spoiler Below

After defeating Mimmy the...anime-girl in his dreamworld/head, Henry wakes up in Travis's apartment. Travis is just in the other room, and is watching anime. As soon as Henry wakes up loudly, Travis quickly...pulls up his pants.

And this is worth mentioning: you know how Travis could go Super Sayian last game?
Spoiler Below

This time, he turns into a ****ing tiger. Enemies literally run and cower as you slash them to pieces with one swipe of a claw.

I feel like tormenting you guys, so here's the Rank 4 music. This is so good coupled with the battle.

Click to view video.

and here's something before Rank 1

Click to view video.

[ChuckleHuck]

ohai.

@X~3

Spoiler Below

That Henry gig was great, but I missed playing as him soon after. So don't feel too bad, you're not the only one "whining". Although, with those dashes and speed, you could tell he was solely meant for a good bossbattle.

oh, and...

Spoiler Below

That chick with the two scythe-guns was awesome.

kthnxbai.

[Valigarmander]

Got around to beating the game today.

Spoiler Below

Pretty good game, progressed a lot more smoothly than the last. Some of the bosses were awesome, others lacked character and were forgetable. Playing as Henry was awesome, and I wish it could've happened more than just once. Overall, while it has its flaws, it's still an awesome game.

Though the final boss was one of the stupidest in any game ever.

[Rainbow Dash]

Originally Posted by Valigarmander

I made you all a Godhand edit. Censored for VGF.

missed one.

[Valigarmander]

DAMN IT

PRETEND LIKE IT ISN'T THERE

[Rainbow Dash]

MODS MODS MODS HELP MY VIRGIN EYES

[Ace Mercury]

I just picked up No More Heroes today.

If I fail a mission, do I really have to drive all the way back to K-Entertainment, and then all the way back to the mission site? Because that's totally messing up my flow, mang.

[Valigarmander]

Myep.

Sadly.

[Valigarmander]

[X-3]

There's evidence that there may have been more battles: in one trailer, there are less cheerleaders, I believe.

I was still entertained by the game, and I think it was better than the first.

[heh]

hah hah some people actually thought there would be 50 battles.