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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 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.
Best of the Rest: JC's picks of 2010
Dragon Quest IX DQIX is secretly two games: when you're playing through the main quest, it's a traditional JRPG with a light but interesting story populated by unexpectedly engaging characters and perfectly brisk pacing; then as you approach the end, it becomes a dungeon crawler driven by a dungeon map trading mechanic using the passive communication of the DS. How compelling is that "tag mode" mechanic? I can't think of any other game for which I would go hang out at a GameStop and then a Best Buy, but that's exactly what I did when Nintendo held DQIX events this summer. I needed those maps. That's how I know this is my favorite game of 2010.
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: Heroes' Paradise on PS3 includes bosses from No More Heroes 2
Those "additional boss characters" added to the Western PS3 release of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise? "All of the additional bosses in the game are from No More Heroes 2," Konami's Tak Fuji told GameSugar, "making this much more than just the original Wii game." That's welcome news for people experiencing the series for the first time through this PS3 game, as it now encompasses at least a bit of a sequel. He didn't mention which bosses or how many -- but we can guarantee that whichever bosses are included, whether it's the revenge-obsessed young man who pulls his own head off, the flamethrower-wielding ghost of a murdered child, or the robot filled with cheerleaders, they're going to be weird. Fuji also indicated that Konami is at least considering a Kinect-enabled release on Xbox 360. "We have, and are still tossing around ideas for linking NMH with the Kinect for Xbox 360 gamers," he said, "but since the Kinect is such a unique device, it's a bit more difficult. This isn't to say that the Kinect is a poor interface by any means, but more that in its uniqueness it requires a bit more care and planning to bring Travis to the Xbox 360. So if we were to do so, we'd need more time." It's worth noting that Heroes' Paradise was released on both Xbox and PS3 in Japan, so there is a 360 version to work with.
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.
EEDAR: No More Heroes 2 sold less than 30k in January
It's sad to admit it, but we never expect any third-party "core" Wii game to sell well -- regardless of its quality or the hype behind it. Lowered expectations mean that when such a title doesn't absolutely tank, it's great news! And the sales of No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, as reported by EEDAR in its "Retail Sales Review for January," fall somewhere in that "didn't absolutely tank" area, especially since the game was on sale for less than a week in January. (There's certainly room for a few more people to go out and pick it up, though.) "No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle has scored top reviews averaging a 90 (out of 100) since its release," EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich said in the EEDAR report. "However, sales came less than 30,000 units for its first week (January 26, 2010 release)." Divinich compared the lowish sales to Dead Space Extraction and MadWorld, both of which also had "low marketing budgets, which is likely the wrong strategy to use when attempting to target the Wii consumer, even if you are targeting the 'core' market." When is that ever the right strategy?
Suda 51 interested in continuing No More Heroes on next Nintendo console
First look at the next Wii's controller In an interview in July, Suda 51 told Edge that the next No More Heroes game wouldn't be on Wii. Speaking to Game Informer, the Grasshopper Manufacture head clarified the statement. It won't be on Wii, but it could end up on the Nintendo system that comes after the Wii. "If there is a chance to continue No More Heroes, I am interested in making NMH3," Suda said. "I personally think that NMH is a game for Wii, so I would be very happy if I could make a game for the Wii's successor, whenever that might be." We're already delighted about using futuristic space waggle for the next generation of beheadings.
No More Heroes 2 touches down in Europe in April
Europe has been waiting patiently for No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle -- except, of course, for those within Europe who imported it and had to wait only for shipping from the US. Rising Star Games has finally announced a release window for Grasshopper Manufacture's mass-assassination adventure: the end of April. No coin fountains this time for the European market, either. Unlike the first game, the European release of No More Heroes 2 will be completely uncensored. In fact, Rising Star was careful to point out in the press release that the game contains "red blood. Lots and lots of red blood."
Metareview: No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
The sequel to one of the Wii's best (and best-known) games dropped this week with approximately zero fanfare. Yes, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is in stores now. Reviews are starting to come in for Suda 51 and Grasshopper Manufacture's latest -- let's find out if the new story and new bosses hold up to the first extraordinarily bizarre game, and if the removal of the navigable Santa Destroy is truly a good thing. GameSpy (5/5): " If Metroid Prime can be imprudently named "the 'Citizen Kane' of gaming," this is gaming's "Wu-Tang Forever" -- an intensely focused return to gritty braggadocio form, backed by high production values and a gang of inimitable emcees." 1UP (A-): "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." Gamepro (4.5/5): " It's evident from the game's tutorial battle that Suda has paid close attention to what his fans wanted out of a No More Heroes sequel, and Desperate Struggle delivers from start to finish Game Informer (8.5): "In interviews about the game, Suda51 implied that he was reluctant to do a sequel -- usually a bad sign -- but perhaps forcing his team to focus on refining a single idea was the best thing that could have happened. In No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, they have crafted everything fans could want out of a sequel. All the bad stuff from the original is gone or fixed in some way, and all of the good elements are magnified and improved."
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: Marching to the muscular beat
This week's Nintendo Channel update has been pumped up beyond all recognition, and not because there's a bunch of new stuff to look at. In fact, there's really not that much at all, save for some new No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle teasers; however, the inclusion of a brief Muscle March info trailer is enough for us to question whether or not this week's update is on some kind of performance-enhancing drug. We've contacted the appropriate authorities, but in the meanwhile, head past the break for this week's content. %Gallery-79350%
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 driving around Santa Destroy in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
When Suda51 said there were big changes in store for the open-world segments of No More Heroes, we didn't expect a change this big. According to GameSpot's preview, roaming around Santa Destroy in search of t-shirts and Lovikov Balls (and odd jobs) has been nixed in Desperate Struggle in favor of a world map. It should speed up the pace of the game significantly, and we know there were plenty of complaints about these segments of the game, but we'll personally miss tooling around the city on the Schpeltiger. You can read way more details about the game at GameSpot, though we wouldn't necessarily suggest it if you're trying to live a spoiler-free lifestyle.
