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‘Travis Strikes Again’ is an indie-sized comeback for Suda51
In 2010, Goichi Suda seemed unstoppable. The Japanese game developer, known by his nickname 'Suda51,' had just released No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, a vibrant clash of stylized decapitations and eccentric, oftentimes sexually-charged humor. The Wiimote-waggling hack-and-slash reviewed favorably, cementing Suda's status as a risk-taking auteur similar to American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. The next few games he released, however, didn't fare so well. Shadows of the Damned, Lollipop Chainsaw and Killer is Dead were all criticized for their groan-inducing jokes and general lack of polish. The excitement around Suda and his once-promising studio, Grasshopper Manufacture, slowly fizzled out. The punk-rock developer isn't finished, though. Two years ago, Grasshopper released Let it Die, a free-to-play dungeon crawler that blended Suda's unmistakable style with some procedural level design and light, Dark Souls-inspired combat. The game wasn't perfect, but the roguelike elements and freemium price-tag made it easier to overlook the so-so level design and occasionally cumbersome battles. Now, Suda is back with a No More Heroes spin-off called Travis Strikes Again. It's launching on Nintendo Switch next month and is, unsurprisingly, pretty weird. But maybe in a good way?
'Travis Strikes Again' puts 15 indie titles in one Suda51 game
Nintendo went all out this week showcasing a slew of high-profile games heading to the Switch, 3DS and 2DS -- titles like Doom, Wolfenstein II and Pokemon Gold. But, just last month, Nintendo was all about indie love. That's when the company and renowned ultra-violent game director Goichi "Suda51" Suda revealed Travis Strikes Again, the third title in the No More Heroes series. And, this time around, he's brought 15 indie video game creators along for the ride. Suda51's studio, Grasshopper Manufacture, debuted No More Heroes on the Wii in 2008 as a pop-culture-infused, cel-shaded, hack-and-slash adventure game starring Travis Touchdown, an anime-obsessed assassin with a lot of sass. And a glowing beam katana. Of course.
'No More Heroes' sequel hits Nintendo Switch next year
Suda51 and the snarky, over-the-top, ultra violent titles he makes -- like the Wii's No More Heroes and the more recent free-to-play experiment on the PS4, Let It Die -- are some of the best gaming experiences around. During Nintendo's live stream focusing on indie developers Wednesday morning, Nintendo revealed a brand new title from the auteur, Travis Strikes Again, which is coming to the Switch in 2018. There's even a new fourth wall-breaking trailer here, which sets up the new game's story.
Hey, you sitting there reading this, buy No More Heroes already!
Look, folks. We've presented you with many opportunities to pick up Suda 51's amazing game for a lot cheaper than the usual $49.99 price tag. Now, Amazon is selling this game at a ridiculously low price of $29.99. That's thirty frickin' dollars. Thirty!Whatever your excuse for not opening up the Amazon page right now and ordering the game, know this: it isn't a good enough reason. We're serious about this; if you don't own the game and read our site, we're going to call your parental units and rat you out. That's how serious we are about you needing to buy, and play, this game. Especially when it's this cheap. %Gallery-4611%[Thanks, Steven! You're a kind and wonderful person!]
Zero Punctuation believes in No More Heroes
Zero Punctuation discovers that we could use another hero (and a way home) in this week's review of Suda 51's No More Heroes. Rightful finger-pointing at Suda 51's pretentiousness starts the review, but it soon gets slashed away by Yahtzee's belief that No More Heroes does offer something "different." As we all know, "different" is this industry's version of the Monopoly "Get Out of Jail Free" card. It won't save a game from nasty reviews, but the cuts are certainly less deep.Thunderdome your way to this week's NSFW review of No More Heroes after the break.
Europe is the wind beneath the wings of No More Heroes
We're making your BFF bracelet right now, Europe. As folks that are very good at taking credit when they have absolutely no business being within the same room as it, we thank you for listening to us and buying this amazing game called No More Heroes.According to MCV (via Chart Track), the game was #4 in the Wii charts for sales following the game's release. And in the All Format charts, the game took a rank of 20th. The strong sales for No More Heroes are something that we're glad to report (we have a hard time shutting up about this game) and hope helps lead to one thing: a sequel.%Gallery-4611%
Wii Warm Up: Franchise mash-ups
With the impending release of Smash Bros. Brawl, we've had franchises on the mind lately. This game is pretty much guaranteed to be the best cross-franchise game ever made, including tons of folk that normally wouldn't be anywhere near a first-party Nintendo game.Then, reader Chris sent in an email showing us his latest creation. It's a mash-up of Kirby and Travis Touchdown (you know, from that game we can't seem to stop talking about). It's quite a nice statue, if we may say so.Now that you have franchise mash-ups (we hope hope hope No More Heroes will become a franchise) on the mind, what other pairings would you like to see? Mario in a Star Fox game? Yoshi stuck in Silent Hill? What do you think?
WRUP: The last time we make this about No More Heroes edition
None of the releases this week really appealed to us, just as they didn't appeal to any of you who bothered to comment. So, we figured we'd talk a bit about No More Heroes and the fact that the boss fight with the #2 ranked assassin is driving us crazy. Seriously, how cheap can you get? We'd go into further detail but we fear that there are still a few of you out there who have not picked up the game. Shocking, we know.Anywho, enough about what we're playing. What about you all? What game(s) will get you through the days ahead?%Gallery-4611%
Suda51 talks Xbox 360, American market
An Edge interview with Grasshopper CEO Goichi Suda has recently been reprinted by NextGen, and features a few insights into Suda51's development of No More Heroes, as well as the punk-rock designer's future plans.Regarding the Wii, Suda51 felt that No More Heroes was a unique opportunity to appeal to the wide user base for the console, and set out to make the title appeal to both hardcore gamers, and those that might be experiencing their first action game.Beyond No More Heroes, Suda51 expresses interest in developing for the Xbox 360, citing the console's tremendous performance in the States. According to Suda, America is the "Major League" of game development, and it's a market he'd most definitely like to conquer. We'll just have to wait and see what his crazy brain cooks up next.
Suda says U.S. version of No More Heroes is closest to his vision
During a rather extensive interview with Goichi Suda, the man behind No More Heroes and Killer 7 (GameCube), it's revealed that the Grasshopper Manufature CEO has found his experience of working with the Wii a very enjoyable one. And, in regards to the whole bloodless/bloody No More Heroes fiasco, Suda is of the mind that the U.S. version (see: the one with the buckets of blood in it) is definitely closest to his final vision of the game.Nintendo was totally cool with the blood from the get-go, as well. Suda says the U.S. version was the closest to his initial vision for the game, and that the "issue of having blood spilt is an interesting one. Today's technology makes a very realistic visual experience possible, so does that mean blood has to be sprayed all around? I'm not sure." Well, we're glad the blood was added, as looking at the comparison videos shows the blood adds a lot more to the game. %Gallery-4611%[Via Go Nintendo]
Wii Warm Up: Travis wears his sunglasses at night
It's no secret that we've had No More Heroes on the brain since the game's release a few short weeks back. We're doing our best to climb the UAA ranks, but that doesn't mean we don't have time to stop and smell the roses. Some of our time has been spent dumpster-diving for t-shirts and checking out the Area 51 for new apparel. Do you spend any time messing with Travis' looks, or is it all about the Beam Katana upgrades and UAA ladder-climbing for you?And yes, that is our Travis above. Show us yours!%Gallery-4611%
No More Heroes video compares bloody and blood-less versions
We know already that the European and Japanese versions of Suda51's No More Heroes are a tad less bloody than their American counterpart. But exactly how much blood are they missing out on?As the above comparison video shows, there's certainly a lot of blood in the American version that's absent from the others, but whether you'll actually miss it depends on your preference for riotously excess gore. We already know that Suda51 believed the American version simply needed more blood than the others; whether the game is actually better with fountains of ruby will ultimately depend on personal taste (or, apparently, your country of residence). [Via Wii Fanboy]
Comparing the censored and uncensored versions of No More Heroes
Spoiler alert: This is the first boss fight in the game.If there's one thing we can't get enough of right now, it's No More Heroes. Suda's masterpiece (yeah, we went there) came in to our video game collection and proceeded to decapitate every single other game in its pursuit to be the top title of our library. We're so smitten, we've cuddled with the game's case every night in bed, clenching it tight against our chest like our teddy bears of old. But enough about our rampant love of the game. One of the biggest concerns for Europeans is how the censored version would stack up the bloody affair that is the U.S. release. One gamer was kind enough to do just that, taking video of each death scene in the game from both censored and uncensored version of the game. So, if you're beaten the game or just don't care about spoilers, hit up the link below. For the rest of you, go play No More Heroes already!%Gallery-4611%
No More Heroes first planned for 360, says Suda51
No More High-Definition Heroes was almost a reality, had Grasshopper Manufacture's Goichi Suda not been privy to some Wii whisperings during his project's planning stages. "Originally, I'd wanted to make this game for Xbox 360, actually," he told MCV. The No More Heroes designer, also known as "Suda51," explained that he was swayed by Marvelous Interactive president Yashiro Wada, who shared "information about the new Wii and how the new controller would work before it came out." Suda51 admitted to being pleased with his choice, feeling that the distinctive wack 'n slash worked well with the Wii's control system. We're inclined to agree ... but then we wonder if anybody's ever expressed concern over the Xbox 360's "hardcore" audience.
WRUP: Mr. Boombastic edition
We can't really explain the parallels in our mind between Bomberman and Shaggy's "Boombastic." Something about the boom makes us think about bombs or something. We really can't understand why we're just so damn insane sometimes.Anywho, Bomberman Land is the only new game this week. For us, we're still chipping away at No More Heroes. What about you all? What are you playing?
Fanswag: And the No More Heroes winner is ...
With over two thousand entries in our giveaway for No More Heroes, the task of selecting a winner would be a very difficult one. Thankfully, we take the easy way out and select the winner via random drawing. So, without further ado, let's congratulate: Patricia Mortimer, who said her favorite hero is Oprah Winfrey Congratulations to Patricia and better luck next time to the rest of you! Be sure to keep an eye out for our next Fanswag giveaway!%Gallery-4611%
Reminder: Today is your last chance for No More Heroes
Well, all good things must come to an end. And, as such, today is your last day to enter for a free copy of No More Heroes. Arguably a masterpiece of a game, it deserves to be in every Wii owner's library. So, why not try and get a copy into your library? Get to entering already!%Gallery-4611%
WRUP: There's only one hero in our book edition
And his name is Travis Touchdown.His moves are without equal. His ability to care for and nurture his small kitten Jeane shows the ladies he has a soft, emotional side. His Beam Katana shows his enemies that he means business. And his bike shows Santa Destroy that, on the road, he's just as much of a badass as when he's on foot, Beam Katana at the ready. So, are you, like us, steadily climbing the list of top assassins in Santa Destroy? Were you able to track a copy down? Or, perhaps you're traversing the depths in Endless Ocean?%Gallery-4611%
Wii Fanswag: No More Heroes
Santa Destroy is a rough place, unless you've got the moves to make it to the top of the assassin's ranking list. And we want you to give the game's protagonist, Travis Touchdown, a helping hand. So we're going to hand you a copy of No More Heroes for the Wii. How does one enter for such a prize? Well, each day, from now until Wednesday, January 30th at 11:59pm EST, you can leave a comment telling us who your favorite hero is. It can be a superhero or just your dad. We want to know who it is! But, you can only leave one comment per day, so any more than that and you'll get disqualified. Again, the contest is open from today, January 25th until Wednesday, January 30th at 11:59pm EST. Also, you must be 18 years of age or older and a current resident of the United States. And, be sure to give the official rules a read.Good luck!%Gallery-4611%
Suda 51 clarifies Wii remarks on third-party sales
No More Heroes creator Suda 51 wants to clarify a few comments. In a post on Grasshopper Manufacturer's website (click on "What's New"), the developer points out what he considers is a "misquote" in an interview with CVG. In response to a question concerning the sales of No More Heroes in Japan, Suda 51 said, "Whilst the sales weren't as high as I hoped, other titles for Wii aren't selling so well either. Only Nintendo titles are doing well," adding that this is the case outside of Japan, too.The clarification posted asserts that "unlike a lot of Nintendo Wii titles currently available, [NMH] is the kind of product which will attract a different kind of consumer to the hardware, i.e. gamers who are looking for a different genre to the products which have been successful on this platform thus far." That "different kind of consumer" we're guessing is a more hardcore gamer, given comments earlier in the CVG interview where he said, "I wasn't expecting that Wii would be a console targeted only at non-gamers. I expected more games for hardcore gamers." Obviously, he doesn't want to comment on the sales of other third-party titles, but do you think he might have a point?For those looking for a reportedly more hardcore Wii experience, No More Heroes comes out today in North America.
