|
No More Heroes 2 takes place 3 years after its predecessor. Travis Touchdown our No More Hero has been absent from the assassin scene and Santa Destroy his hometown has changed much since we last were here. The city has been taken over by large corporations and it seems a lot more assassins have taken notice of the town due to Travis basically becoming an urban legend.
Travis returns to the world of the UAA (United Assassins Association) for revenge after the head of big corporation Pizza Batt had his good friend Bishop murdered. He must once again make his way through the ranks to number one but this time it’s for revenge. Armed with his death dealing beam katana he sets out on his desperate struggle to the top. The story doesn’t tie up all the loose ends from the previous instalment and does leave you wishing it did, but still creates a solid enough plot to move the game forward.
 The game plays just as the first one using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, with waggling limited to finishing moves, but this time around, support for the classic controller has been added. Navigating around Santa Destroy has been limited to a map with selectable locations, a welcomed change from riding around on Travis’ bike in a town where there just wasn’t that much to see. You will earn money for upgraded Beam Katanas by playing various mini games created in the 8-bit style reminiscent of the NES glory days, or increase stats through other games done in the same style. There is definitely a bit of nostalgia to be felt here to remind you of the hell/heaven that used to be those 8-bits of loveliness. Just as there were the assassin jobs to be earned in the first game this game also comes with its side missions, but this time it’s all about the revenge for Bishops death.
You fight your way up from rank 52 to get your revenge and encounter some unique bosses to keep you wanting more and the goons do seem to be a little bit smarter though the game isn’t much harder than the first. Although they are familiar faces, you now have the option of playing as the teenage “ninja-esque” Shinobu Jacobs and Henry (Travis’ Brother) who both add their own spin on the game play. The beam katanas in No More Heroes 2 definitely makes a difference in game play, with each one having a distinct feel. Being able to switch katanas during fights definitely adds another dimension to the game play which I know I enjoyed very much. The super move system has also gone through a bit of a change as now you have a meter which when full allows you to activate a high speed slash mode while each death blow still allows you a chance on the slots to gain various other super moves.
The game did suffer from bad camera mechanics which was quite annoying at times, replacing what were once camera controls to give more evasive dodging options, so you will find yourself constantly centering the camera behind you. While the graphics are nothing to phone home about, the game does look good for a Wii title and the flashy effects and bits of gore fit perfectly and will have you waving your beam katana to get some more goon blood on your hands. The soundtrack is also great just as in the first game providing good music for the hack and slash action with some tracks returning from the first, some original and the rest being remixes of the theme. The voice acting also continues to be of good quality allowing conversations you would probably never encounter in your entire life to seem believable.
The game is an improvement on what was already a great game, fixing some issues from the first (removing the annoying overworld) and adding to the experience. Overall whether you played the first one or not you are bound to enjoy this game as it delivers one hell of an experience.
0-5 = Lame
6-10 = Mediocre
11-15 = Potential
16-20 = Average
21-25 = Great
26-30 = Awesome
31-35 = Must Buy
To view or leave a comment signup to our website
Back to Reviews
Back to Wii Reviews
|
