No-More-Heroes-2
Latest
Grasshopper Manufacture hops on the iPhone case trend
No More Heroes and Shadows of the Damned dev Grasshopper Manufacture is ready to weird-up your iPhone 4, provided you live in Japan (or know someone who does). It has created two cases for Apple's smartphone: "Cockroach Maiden" (left) and "Hallo, Friends" (misspelling intentional, right). If the first one seems a little, well, creepy, that is one of the studio's areas of expertise, after all -- have you seen the stuff it's come up with? The cases are available for shipping within Japan from GhM's merchandise site and run ¥2100 ($25) apiece.
Grasshopper announcing 'charity app' at streaming event March 30
A Grasshopper Manufacture event originally announced in February will now serve as a charity function following the March 11 earthquake. The "Grasstream 2" event will be held at the Shinjuku Loft Plaza One venue on March 30, with ticket sales going to the Red Cross -- and it will also be streamed on Ustream in both English (thanks to 8-4) and Japanese. That night, Grasshopper will show a new the GDC Shadows of the Damned trailer, accompanied by a talk by Suda 51 and audio director Akira Yamaoka. A new "charity app" will also be introduced on stage by model Kayo Sato and J-pop group Vanilla Beans. "If you own an iPhone or iPad," the announcement notes, "don't forget it!" This segment of the presentation is in the same time slot as the "new game announce" that was originally planned -- and features the same personalities on stage -- suggesting that a new Grasshopper-developed iPhone game is now being adapted for charitable purposes. In addition, a No More Heroes 2 segment will feature music by Kazutoshi Iida, discussion from artists Yusuke Kozaki and Shigeto Koyama, and a talk by Suda about Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, which is notably similar in story to No More Heroes.
Grasshopper releases free songs in memory of Japan's quake victims
Grasshopper Manufacture has released a trio of songs produced by its audio team in remembrance of those affected by its native Japan's devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Two of the songs, "Otomodachi, as you wake" and "Otomodachi, before you sleep," were created by Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka. A third, "Otomodachi, in the afternoon," is by his GhM co-worker Tak Hiraoka. The tracks are available for free via the dev's Facebook page. Although they don't cost a cent, consider contributing to the relief efforts of the Red Cross (redcross.org) if you like them -- or even if you don't. It's nice to be, well ... nice.
Joyswag: Grasshopper Manufacture prize pack -- with NMH2 Hopper's Edition, OST & erotic comic
Did you know you can add a store to your Facebook page? Neither did we ... but luckily for the human race, the clever folks at Grasshopper Manufacture did know, and they used that knowledge to add a store to the official Grasshopper Manufacture Facebook page. The only thing available for now is a limited edition (only 1000 of these were made!) No More Heroes 2 Original Soundtrack CD with music from Akira Yamaoka, Jun Fukuda, The RIOT and others -- that can be yours for ¥3150 (about $38). In order to promote the new store, GhM sent us the aforementioned CD, the Hopper's Edition of No More Heroes 2 (detailed here) and the pre-order-only "Erotic Comic" to give away to one of you, so that's precisely what we're going to do with this very post.
No More Heroes 2 finally coming to Japan with deluxe edition
Marvelous has finally gotten around to announcing a Japanese release date for No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle. Suda 51's revenge-themed action sequel will be released in Japan on October 21 -- nine months after the game's North American release. Marvelous is compensating for the delay somewhat by offering a lovely "HOPPER's Edition" that contains the game, a soundtrack CD, a DVD recapping the events of the first game, and a new "No More Heroes 1.5" movie written by Suda 51, detailing what happened between the two games -- which means, we guess, that Travis didn't spend the whole time watching wrestling in his motel room. We hope. Those interested in this version will have to provide some compensation of their own, to the tune of ¥8,980 ($102). A regular edition will also be released for ¥7,140 ($81). Early purchases of either version will come with an "erotica comic" featuring character artwork and a recap of the previous game.
Beam saber savings: No More Heroes 2 for $35
If you couldn't find room in your budget for No More Heroes 2 amid the first quarter's overloaded lineup, perhaps Amazon's latest deal will encourage you to spend a little of that tax refund on the temporarily discounted sequel. Earth's Biggest Bookstore (remember when Amazon called itself a bookstore?) has marked down Travis Touchdown's revenge story to $35. It's the Deal of the Day, so when supplies run out or the clock strikes midnight Pacific Time, there will be no more cheap No More Heroes 2. If you have yet to experience the delightfully bizarre original, the Xbox 360 and PS3 ports were released in Japan this week.
Suda 51 hoping for a 'diarrhea'-like No More Heroes 3
[Famitsu] Not only has Suda 51 been thinking about a third No More Heroes game, he's been working on his scatological simile for its development -- so you know he's serious. To recap: No More Heroes was like taking a dump, and No More Heroes 2 was the result of lingering on the toilet afterwards. Yes, this is how the man sells his games. "What we are hoping to do now with No More Heroes 3," the Grasshopper Manufacture leader told The Guardian in a video interview, "is probably to digest everything we eat and then purge absolutely everything in our guts, just like diarrhea!" In no way is this ... vivid ... description a confirmation that the game is definitely being released, but it is further indication that Suda wants to make such a game. Speaking about the troubled state of the Japanese game market (without the use of poop metaphors), Suda said, "I am aware of the importance of the Japanese game industry, but we need to try not to think about how the market is behaving. Instead, we should concentrate on polishing our creativity, and taking our creativity to a higher level." [Via Siliconera]
No More Heroes 2 set for May 28 in Europe
Okay, now we have an official European release date for No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. Rising Star Games has finally announced what we hope is the final date: May 28. Rising Star didn't mention a reason for the delay, though at least you can take heart in the fact that none of the extra time was spent removing blood from the game. If you're feeling put off by the four-month wait -- or if you're having a flashback to the past of European game publishing, when everything came out half a year or more after the North American release -- at least you don't have it as bad as Japan. There, No More Heroes 2 still has no release date at all.
Rumor: No More Heroes 2 delayed in Europe
Remember when we triumphantly announced that No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle would finally arrive in Europe this April? Yeah, about that. GoNintendo reports that the game has been delayed until May 21 in Europe. The Amazon listing corroborates this new date, but we have yet to see an official announcement from Rising Star (so we're checking with the publisher). We'd say the game is well worth waiting for, but we doubt our endorsement would actually help anyone wait. In fact, it would probably make the wait even harder. Good thing we decided not to say that.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Slim pickings
This week's Nintendo Channel update is light on the content. There's the obligatory fresh episode of Nintendo Week (this week's episode is about marshmallows and marketing games on Nintendo platforms), but, outside of that, it's just a bunch of info videos for this week's NintendoWare Weekly offerings and some new, brief teasers for No More Heroes 2. Head past the break for a breakdown of this week's content.
No More Heroes 2 dev diary is the swirling eye of madness
All things considered, you probably shouldn't watch the No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle dev diary we've posted above. It's pretty NSFW, it's chock-full of spoilers for the original Heroes (and even some for the sequel!), and it features more shots of Suda 51 sitting on the toilet than we're really comfortable with seeing. On the other hand, it also sets a new precedent for how enjoyable these developer diaries can be. Instead of a bunch of dudes sitting in a dimly lit room talking about how awesome their game is, it's just Suda, sitting in a bathroom stall, talking about how awesome his game is, and then his head explodes. We take back the entire first paragraph of this post. If you don't watch the video posted above, then we simply can't be friends anymore.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Calling has a story
It seems the Nintendo Channel is still in vacation mode, because there isn't much in the way of new content this week. Sure, there's some No More Heroes 2 footage to check out -- odds are you've already seen it on our site -- but the only genuinely new and interesting video is the story trailer above for Hudson's survival-horror game, Calling. Check it out then be sure to head past the break for the full list of this week's content. %Gallery-67748%
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: No More Heroes 2 teasers
To say that No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is an odd game is a gross understatement. The first game was certifiably insane (in a very good way), and the pair of new trailers for the game (one above, one past the break) on the Nintendo Channel keep that theme alive. They're both just downright odd, mixing together -- you know what? Just watch them. We're not even going to attempt to define what's here. Head past the break for the full list of this week's Nintendo Channel content.
No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle trailer bonanza
Three brief new trailers for No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle have appeared online, each highlighting a different aspect of the game. The first trailer (after the break), from GoNintendo, shows off the cute retro-themed job minigames that Grasshopper has added for Travis's second outing. There's some kind of motorcycle racing game, a training game in which you kick weights back at your trainer, and ... oh, no. A plumbing game that's like the bane of our existence, Pipe Dream. Great. The second trailer, from IGN, features quick clips of fighting from all three playable characters (plus Jeane the cat! Plus NSFW language). The third, from 1UP, features Shinobu being really creepy.
No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle trailer introduces one more hero
This No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle trailer introduces Henry, who appears in the first game in a series of very exciting, eminently spoilable sequences. It appears to do for the former villain what Metal Gear Solid 4 did for Raiden -- make the fans love a once-despised character. Coincidentally (according to the tenuous comparison I've set up for the two), both characters are voiced by Quinton Flynn. He's just got a talent for characters that you'll probably like better the second time! The end of the trailer features Henry fighting a young girl with some kind of giant robot arms. Thanks for existing, game.
TGS 2009: Interview: Suda 51
When we came into Marvelous Entertainment's hotel room, we witnessed another outlet recording a video interview with Suda 51, producer of No More Heroes and its sequel. Marvelous brought this, well, marvelous beam katana prop, which lights up and makes appropriately lightsabery noises, and someone pretended to attack him in the conclusion of the video interview. Suda gamely displayed mock fright at the beam katana attack for multiple takes while someone waved the device around in front of him. All we did was ask him some questions about No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle and Grasshopper's other work.
TGS2009: Shinobu decapitates, Travis works in No More Heroes 2 videos
Above, you'll find a look at one of No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle's playable characters, Shinobu, straight out of TGS 2009. You may recognize her from the first game -- if you don't, we're no longer BFFs and we totally want our mixtapes back. Shinobu's going to be fully playable in Desperate Struggle and looks like quite the killing machine, though we must say her weapon's lack of beam and laser technology is somewhat off-putting. If you're wondering about series protagonist Travis Touchdown, know that he's also here in this Joystiq post. Past the break, we've got two videos showing off some of the jobs Travis will undertake for spare cash in the sequel: coconut gatherer and rare steak preparer. What? You've never gathered coconuts for some extra spending money? %Gallery-73949%
No More Heroes 2 is last installment on Wii, next game on new Nintendo platform
Clarifying an earlier statement that No More Heroes 2 would be the franchises' last installment on the Wii, creator Suda 51 told 1UP that the upcoming sequel is "the last iteration for this current platform." Suda believes there will be a "Wii 2," and he'd like to do another "game in the series on the next Nintendo platform." It appears we're now just waiting on Nintendo to unveil the Wii HD (or Wii 2). Then we can ask Mr. 51 about when we can expect an HD-ified No More Heroes.
No More Heroes 2 supports Classic Controller, thanks to Monster Hunter
We happened to think that the motion control finishers in No More Heroes made the fighting a lot more interesting, but if you disagree, Grasshopper Manufacture has a solution. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle will allow players to use the Classic Controller, according to 1UP. Suda 51 told 1UP that the Classic Controller functionality is intended to attract Monster Hunter fans, many of whom play the game with the Classic Controller or Classic Controller Pro (which is bundled with Monster Hunter 3). It's a purely optional move that may help get the game in the hands of more people. Warning: Some of the information in the 1UP article may be considered spoilers by more sensitive readers, including news about playable characters.
No More Heroes 2 trailer serves up mouthful of details
Suda Goichi takes the throne once again to narrate (in curiously deep voiceover) a new trailer for No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. While the last trailer was mostly narrative-focused, this trailer (posted after the break) goes into detail about new features in the game, including new controls for the Beam Katana(s), the ability to kick and punch with the B button, and the new 8-bit-style job missions! Be warned (explicitly, if not by knowledge of previous No More Heroes promotion): there is some toilet humor. Additionally, we've posted two gameplay clips below the new trailer, as featured on IGN. While the footage in the trailer is from the Japanese version and therefore blood-free, the gameplay footage is very bloody and includes some tasteless (even for NMH) violence. The clips also include proof that if you thought the sword's battery charging couldn't get any more phallic, you were mistaken. [Thanks, Ihar]
