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Welcome to Santa Destroy
Famitsu is conducting a guided tour of some of the locations from No More Heroes' assassin-filled town, Santa Destroy. This way, you can enjoy the scenery before being challenged to multiple deathmatches with eccentric murderers.The cleverly-named No More Heroes Motel acts as home base for Travis. Seems like a classy place, as befits a serious competitor. When he's tired of watching color TV with a tethered remote, he can go out onto the beach we've seen in a lot of No More Heroes screenshots, whose name has been revealed as Body Slam Beach. Other locations include the Gasoline Stand, where-- wait for it-- Travis can get some gasoline, the Atomic Drop District (a big empty lot of some kind), and Naomi's Lab, where Travis can go to get weapon upgrades.It's the rare game where a single screenshot of a fairly tame-looking motel setting can energize us. But we are so ready to Beam Katana our way up the assassins' ranks.
No More Heroes pages packed with images
For once, we don't even mind that the text is difficult, because these new scans from Famitsu have so many No More Heroes pictures that we're too distracted to be unhappy. This is one game we never get tired of looking at; the character models are awesomely twisted, the environment is full of dirty, yet colorful images, and the whole thing has a sinister-yet-cartoony feel. We can barely tear our eyes away. We can't wait to get in there and start swinging our not-lightsaber. To check out the full scans, take a peek past the break, and get to clicking for the high-res versions.
Fast Times at Santa Destroy High
Today's No More Heroes website update is something that we can all enjoy, regardless of Japanese proficiency: a bunch of screenshots of Travis's battles with Shinobu and Holly. Shinobu's turf is Santa Destroy High School, and Holly fights on the beach, as we know from already having seen the screens featuring her, albeit in a lower quality.We see a guy beating up a bunch of high-school gang kids and our minds go immediately to River City Ransom. Of course, the player didn't have a beam katana in River City Ransom, and the brawl didn't culminate in a duel against a sword-wielding schoolgirl.
Say yes to No More Heroes details
Namely, details regarding the main character Travis Touchdown and his amazing Beam Katana. Turns out, the fine young gentleman picked it up from an online auction and will, like the lightsaber it draws inspiration from, block bullets. And, as one might imagine, such a deadly weapon will demand a lot of power, so players will need to constantly recharge the weapon by finding batteries or, should there be none around, by shaking the Wiimote.%Gallery-4611%See also: Travis vs. Holly: new No More Heroes images
Travis vs. Holly: new No More Heroes images
Considering that Holly Summers is ranked several slots higher than our antihero, Travis Touchdown, it's probably no surprise that she's kicking his ass in these screenshots. But just because it isn't surprising doesn't mean it's not cool. We've put the latest shots in a gallery for your viewing pleasure, because we figure that, just like us, you can't get enough of No More Heroes. %Gallery-4611%
Suda 51 talks No More Heroes some more
Whether it's save screens showing one of the more embarrassing parts of being a human being, or the crazy cast of characters , we want No More Heroes. We need it like we need oxygen to live. So, when head honcho Suda 51 (Goichi Suda) talks, we listen. His latest interview with Gamasutra is no different.Suda's inspiration for the game comes from a movie called El Topo, by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Can't say we've seen it, but you can bet we're planning on it. Suda says he always wanted to create a story where progression occurs through a series of battles. Also, he says he learned a lot from Ubisoft's Red Steel. Now, before you blow your top, he says he learned from the good and the bad, so at least he recognizes that the game had faults.Of course, this isn't the first time he's talked inspirations on the game, so take it as you will
No More Heroes site updates
The No More Heroes site continues to leak bits and pieces of information -- just enough to keep us drooling -- and this latest update covers some of the ground already tread by this morning's video. Our hero Travis and his beam katana are the center of the new information, which is all about combat and the tools of the assassination trade. The beam katana can be used to deflect bullets (where've we seen that before?), but it's not a never-ending source of bloody awesome; like any gadget, it can run out of juice. Luckily, there are battery packs scattered around, but in the event you can't find one and find yourself in need of a good cutting edge, you can always get your waggle-charge on. Charging the katana is as simple as jerking the Wiimote up and down. The updates also show off something we've already seen -- Travis's penchant for wrestling moves -- and a shot of a fight brought to a grappling standstill. The image isn't terribly clear, but it seems that with a turn of the Wii remote, it's possible to break free and beat your opponent down. We couldn't possibly want this game more, but at this point, all we really want is to find out just what's up with the tiger indicator on the upper part of the screen. In videos, it can be seen wiggling around, and in these screens, it looks like he takes a little tiger-journey across the top of the image, but for what reason? We can wait for the game, but we must know the secret of the tiger! Perhaps he's like a pet, feeding on the blood of your enemies. It's either that, or he's linked to all the tiger rugs we keep seeing in the game.
Is it worth watching X-Play to see some No More Heroes footage?
We say it is! No More Heroes is the pinnacle of Wii awesomeness. Unfortunately the G4 website is the nadir of annoying Flash navigation. You have to click "Videos," then the X-Play icon, then the No More Heroes link. But once you've jumped through all those hoops-- beautiful gameplay footage. And English voice acting!No More Heroes looks as stylish and cool in motion as it does in stills. Sword combat looks great, with insane duels ending in explosions of blood. It looks like a real action game-- much more so than Killer 7. The motion-controlled Beam Katana charging is, well, inspired. The wrestling moves appear numerous. And then, as if merely to fill space, there's a surprise Suda 51 interview.No, there's no explanation of the tiger graphic. Yes, we're a little disappointed too.[Via NeoGAF]
No More Heroes character bios
The official No More Heroes page has updated with three brief character bios. We immediately put on our Secret No More Heroes Fan Club Decoder Rings and set to the task of figuring out the mysterious secret code in which they were written.Travis Touchdown is #11 in the assassin ranking. He loves pro wrestling, competitive fighting, and a "Japanimation" (their word) called "Bizarre Jerry." Sylvia Christel is an agent of the assassins' group. A mysterious, cool woman, she organizes the ranking competition herself (we think.) Holly Summers is ranked #6. She is a model who also works as an assassin.None of this is entirely new, but it does have the benefit of being about No More Heroes. And it's another excuse to go look at the character art.
Need more No More Heroes?
We do, too, and though the countdown has ended, we've been left a little unfulfilled by the No More Heroes site. Guess we can't expect much from these countdowns, eh?The good news is that the site is open, and there's lots of unactivated tabs ripe for expansion. Looks like the real wait begins ... now. But from everything we've seen of No More Heroes, it's worth a few months of thumb-twiddling and breath-holding. We just hope it doesn't suffer the same fate as Manhunt 2 .... Luckily for those of us who burn for more on Suda 51's latest effort, Famitsu has some updates for us, including some hot shots of rocket-legged female assassin Holly Summers. Expect more coverage in the coming months, as No More Heroes is tentatively scheduled for release this winter.
Mysterious No More Heroes countdown surfaces
A mysterious countdown teaser site for No More Heroes has emerged online, teasing us with the proposal of a future update. This future update is apparently coming in 9 days, as you can see in the image above, counting down to ... well, we have no idea. So, might as well put the kettle on and pour yourself a hot cup of Earl Grey. We're all going to be waiting for awhile.[Via NeoGAF]
Wii Warm Up: Suda 51
He's got a weird name, he makes weird, violent games, and he's got really, really cool friends. He's also writing the Snatcher radio drama, which makes him our best friend. Grasshopper Manufacture's Suda 51 applies a punk-rock philosophy to game design, and the results are always interesting.He seems to have made the Wii his home console for the time being. Do you welcome his contributions? Are you looking forward to No More Heroes as much as we are? The kind of stuff he likes to make is pretty far outside the usual Wii fare, but we feel that the Wii all about shaking up the norm. Is there merit to his disruptive game design ideals, or are they just disruptive for disruption's sake? If you're a Suda fan now, would you still be if he didn't have the glow of Wii association? Can we put some more question marks in here?
No More Heroes may go online
Online swordfighting of the most violent proportions on the Wii? Perhaps. Game developer Suda 51 (Killer 7, Contact) has told CVG that he is "very interested in online play" but that its inclusion in the upcoming Wii title No More Heroes is still up in the air.No More Heroes is about Travis Touchdown, a character inspired by Johnny Knoxville, who wins a beam katana via an internet auction site and joins an assassin's league by killing the 11th best (named after a Beatles song associated with Charles Manson). Other assassins you must face off in the free-roaming city of Santa Destroy include a Japanese school girl reminiscent of Go-Go from Kill Bill, a superhero assassin named Destroyman and a French-born assassin named after a French softcore porn actress. Sound crazy enough? We think so. Suda 51 has also said he wants to make the game "as violent, or even more violent than Manhunt 2!" No More Heroes is being planned for a Summer 2007 release in Japan and late 2007 / early 2008 for North America and Europe. The latest trailer, from GDC 2007, embedded after the break.
No More Heroes could be offline no more
Suda 51's No More Heroes has been the topic of plenty of discussion here at Wii Fanboy Manor. Some of us liked Killer 7, some of us didn't. As such, some of us are hopeful that No More Heroes will kick plenty of ass, some of us still remain skeptical. Well, with the latest news regarding the title, us skeptics are slowly being pulled to the other side.Mr. Suda, when speaking with CVG, said that online play in his upcoming game No More Heroes is still up in the air, however he is very interested in adding that capability. Suda said, in a very straightforward fashion, that it "is still up in air. Personally, I am very interested in online play." Suda 51 says, also, that even if online gameplay doesn't make its way into No More Heroes, his next project is almost guaranteed to include online play. "I want to undertake an online game once the No More Heroes project is completed," Suda comments, bringing much relief to ourselves and, we're assuming, you all.
Possible No More Heroes t-shirt surfaces
This weird-looking t-shirt with the phrase "NO MORE HEROES" was spotted in Japan recently. Just from looking at the shirt, we have no idea if it's related to the Wii game, but the 4cr poster who purchased it seemed to think so, indicating that it is part of a line of No More Heroes shirts. We'd like to see the full line of these shirts; we'd be unlikely to purchase this one, but we really like the idea of having some No More Heroes memorabilia. Suda 51's games and his company Grasshopper Manufacture's website prove that they are capable of remarkable stylishness. Check their shop for some amazing stuff that doesn't look like it was designed by a video game company. Of course, the store is for Japan only, but go and gawk anyway.
Suda 51's inspirations for No More Heroes
This video interview with Grasshopper Manufacture's Suda 51, the eccentric auteur responsible for Contact and Killer 7, shows off the stylish semi-cel-shaded graphics and bizarre second-person camera angles we've come to expect from a Suda game. In addition, we get a few details about the storyline, which concerns an otaku named Travis Touchdown who wins a beam sword in an online auction and then (naturally) gets involved with a bunch of competitive professional hitmen.Suda goes on to discuss some of the influences that he synthesized into his new Wii game No More Heroes, including Ultimate Fighting, Grand Theft Auto, and Johnny Knoxville. No mention is made of the title, which is also the title of a Stranglers song-- no surprise from a guy who titled his GDC presentation "Punk's Not Dead." The video is embedded, after the cut.
Suda 51 announces 'The Silver Case' remakes for DS
During a GDC presentation last week Grasshopper Manufacture frontman Suda 51 revealed that his studio would be remaking its first two games, porting them onto DS. The two installments of a mystery-riddled adventure series, The Silver Case (PS1) and The Silver Case Word 25 (mobile) were released only in Japan. Because these are both text-heavy adventures, there's a good chance the remakes will never be localized for non-Japanese markets either (Objection?!). Sure, you could import, but if you can't read the text featured in the image here, don't bother.But don't fret either, Killer 7 fans jonesing for a Suda fix have No More Heroes to look forward to. Peep the new footage and decide if this Wii game will live up to its ultra-violent billing.[Via DS Fanboy]
Friday Video: No More Heroes
There's nothing like a blood-drenched trailer to wrap up the week, now is there? This one delivers, but what else could we possible expect from No More Heroes? We really, really hope this one ends up as good as it looks, and so it's this week's featured video. Check out Travis and his lightsaber of doom after the jump
No More Heroes brings the violence
Goichi Suda, who you might recognize as Suda 51, recently sat down and talked with IGN about his company's upcoming game No More Heroes. Being developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, who were responsible for the stylish Killer 7, No More Heroes is aiming to be "as violent, or even more violent than Manhunt 2!" That's the exact challenge that Suda has presented to his team, ensuring that the end user (that's all of us!) are satisfied in the bucketfuls of blood in the game.So what is No More Heroes about? Well, it's a "free running/roaming style action game" that is set in Santa Destroy, a fictional town located on the West Coast of the United States. Game progression is handled through mission completion by the player (both main and sub-missions will be available). The main character, Travis Touchdown, is a man stuck in a life of poverty and must rely on a single form of transportation in his favorite motorcycle "Schpel Tiger." No stealing cars folks!The rest of the interview confirms that No More Heroes is running on a new engine created solely for the game and Suda's thoughts on the Wii hardware.
No More Heroes to be most violentest Wii game. EVAR!
Take Jackass Johnny Knoxville, make him an anime and Star Wars otaku, give him a lightsaber and martial arts skills, call him an assassin, and then toss the concoction into an open-world game infested with more assassins ... that's the premise for Suda 51's Wii game No More Heroes -- but it doesn't stop there. The Killer 7 developer has proposed a particularly un-Wii-like challenge for his Grasshopper team: "make No More Heroes as violent, or even more violent than Manhunt 2!"And afterwards? Well, there's that secret "Project S" collabo with Kojima (a Snatcher sequel?) that's been floating under the radar; and, as Suda reveals, there's interest in developing for Xbox 360. "I want to develop games for Xbox 360 as soon as possible. In fact, I am planning the next project for Xbox 360," says Suda. "As for PS3, I don't have enough materials/topics to comment on this because there is only a small chance for us to develop for the console at this point in time." Small chance? Why's that?[Via Evil Avatar]
