No More Heroes
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TGS07: No More Heroes says yes to more videos
Now that we know that one of our favorite games has a publisher outside of Japan, we undertook the watching of the latest footage from TGS with a particular zeal. While neither offers sound, we do get a glimpse of the controls and a long, lovely look at the game in motion, which puts all the short clips offered by the official site to shame. Before, we were excited; now a new word will have to be created to communicate the passion with which we approach tSuda 51's offbeat No More Heroes. If anyone has any linguistic suggestions, please let us know. In the meantime, hit up the videos after the break.
Ubisoft: our new Heroes
Perhaps as an act of contrition for the DS Imagine games, Ubisoft has signed on as the U.S. publisher of a game people want to play: No More Heroes. Suda 51's cel-shaded, free-roaming wrestling/swordfighting/havin'-the-name-Travis-Touchdown game will be released in February, just two months after the Japanese release.Ubisoft's Tony Key cited a need for mature games in the Wii lineup-- a need insufficiently filled by their own Red Steel, right?-- as a major motivator for the decision to pick up No More Heroes. He also said that No More Heroes won't be cut to pieces for American audiences: "The game Ubisoft publishes in North America will have all of the content that its Japanese counterpart does. We wanted to make sure that gamers here would not miss out on any of the action or storyline details created by the talented development team in Japan."Keep doing stuff like this and Jam Sessions, Ubisoft, and we're going to stop making fun of Prince of Persia: Warrior Within.
No More Uncertainty about No More Heroes' Japanese release date
Grasshopper Manufacture's violent, stylish, nerdy free-roaming action game No More Heroes finally has at least one release date. It'll come out in Japan on December 6. That doesn't help the rest of us directly, but any forward progress in getting this game out the door is a good thing. Since the voice work for the game is already in English, localization shouldn't take a terribly long time, leaving only one major obstacle to a U.S. release. Unfortunately, that obstacle is finding a publisher. Check after the break for another bite-size No More Heroes video-- they usually go up on Friday, but we suppose Grasshopper wanted to get one online before TGS.
No More Heroes videos are short, but oh so sweet
Just as we previously reported, the act of saving in No More Heroes is a bit on the relaxing side. Now, we have video of Travis "marking down" his save. If that isn't your kind of thing, there are also lots of other videos, but for the sake of keeping things nice and organized, we tucked them past the break.
Get a slammin' burger in No More Heroes
There's a bizarre cohesion to the environments in No More Heroes: everything seems to be violence-oriented, even when it completely shouldn't be. For example, the local burger joint is called Burger Suplex. Yes, even the place names are violent, and mostly wrestling-related: within the town of Santa Destroy, there's the aforementioned Burger Suplex, the Atomic Drop District, Body Slam Beach, and Destroy Stadium (which is not a command). It reminds us of the restaurant in Itchy and Scratchy Land.The linked article has some new screenshots of No More Heroes, including a map of Santa Destroy, interspersed with some not-so-new ones. The game continues to straddle the line between high art and B-movie ridiculousness, and we continue to be entranced.%Gallery-4611%
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%
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.
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.
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 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]
Heroes gets a new name
Forget Heroes -- we don't need no stinkin' heroes. Looks like Suda 51's latest is going through a rechristening and will sport a name not unlike the old name, just without all that messy implied hope. The forthcoming Grasshopper title will now be called No More Heroes. We're at a loss for which title is a better choice. Here we have a game rife with murder and mayhem, with light sabers katanas and a city named Santa Destroy ... it's hard not to see heroes in that!
New name, details for Suda51's Heroes
Japanese magazine Famitsu has published new information on the upcoming Wii game from Suda 51's Grasshopper Studios (Killer 7, Contact). Once called Heroes, the new name for the title is No More Heroes. Unlike Killer 7, you can roam freely around the Santa Destroy, a city purported to look more Westernized with a name so god awful we cringe typing it.In No More Heroes, you play assassin-wannabe Travis Touchdown (*cringe*), who fights with a beam katana. Sword fighting, however, sounds pretty hands-off: you position the Wiimote either up, down, or centered to indicate one of three fighting stances. Fighting is then accomplished via repeatedly tapping the A button. Repetition reprieve comes from shaking the control to build up an energy meter (Dragon Ball Z, anyone?) and swing the controlling following on-screen prompts. We're a bit dismayed by how the control scheme is described, but we'll await a hands-on impression before we make any judgments. When will a game designer figure out how to implement a fun-but-accurate sword fighting simulator?Suda 51 is hoping to sell one million copies worldwide, so expect a US release. No More Heroes is due out Summer 2007 in Japan.[Via Evil Avatar]See Also: Suda 51 reveals Heroes (Wii) game trailer
