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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%
EA's Rex Ishibashi talks about missing Suda 51, Shinji Mikami project
Remember when EA announced a new project with No More Heroes' Suda 51 and Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami over a year ago? We were surprised to find that it was completely absent from EA's extravagent pre-TGS Tokyo press conference. We talked with EA Japan's Rex Ishibashi about the game's mysterious absence from the show."We'll make the updates when they're appropriate and when we're ready. In fact, EA Japan is now involved in some of the communication, helping EA Global to manage that very important relationship for us," EA Japan's Ishibashi told Joystiq. "We'll make the announcements on those games, but they look very promising."Stay tuned for our full interview later this week. Video produced by Ross Miller
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]
Suda51 'loves' Travis Touchdown, hopes he becomes a 'huge star'
Speaking with Nintendo Power (and caught by Destructoid), No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda told the magazine about his mad love for series star Travis Touchdown. OK, so he didn't exactly say "mad love," but the magazine's editors tell Joystiq that Suda51 considers the character his absolute favorite creation. In an interview published in the official Nintendo mag's latest issue, Suda expresses his hope that Touchdown will become a much more recognized character with the release of No More Heroes 2, saying, "I love him, and I want him to be a huge star." The developer joked that he'd be tickled to see Touchdown included on the roster for a future Super Smash Bros. title. "Maybe in the future, we can see him fighting alongside Link," he laughed. "That would be great." We have to agree that Travis and his beam katana would certainly make our cut for a fantasy Smash Bros. lineup. Which Nintendo platform characters would be on yours? [Thanks, Mark M.!]
Suda 51 plays Burnout Paradise (a lot) more than you
Grasshopper Manfacture boss Goichi "Suda 51" Suda likes to do everything to the extreme, whether it's the ultra-violence of No More Heroes or -- as we now know -- playing other developers' games, specifically Criterion's Burnout Paradise. The British dev's head honcho, Alex Ward, issued a tweet revealing that Suda had recently popped by his studio (likely after the recent Nordic Game Conference) and is a "hardcore Burnout fan.""Hardcore" may be an understatement, as Ward disclosed that server logs show Suda has played more than 700 hours of Burnout Paradise. So, there it is: Even more proof that Suda 51 knows great games and takes everything to the extreme. It may also explain why we haven't heard anything more about the horror title he's working on for EA alongside Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami.[Via VG247]
Suda 51: Middle market is key to refreshing Japanese game industry
GamesIndustry.biz spoke to No More Heroes/Killer 7 creator Suda 51 at the Nordic Game Conference, and while it may seem like an odd fit to ask the Grasshopper Manufacture head -- who isn't known for big sales numbers -- about marketing, that's exactly what GI did, discussing the slowing Japanese market. Suda approached the problem from a game design perspective. "Well, there are a lot of core gamers, and a lot of lighter users playing on platforms such as the DS," Suda said, "but there's nothing in-between. I think it's going to be very important for games to be created for that middle audience, and that will help bring the market back on-track."Responding to a follow-up question about Grasshopper's signature style, Suda named some mass market games with their own distinct styles. "For example, Call of Duty, LittleBigPlanet or BioShock -- you can feel different core elements in each of those games. Burnout Paradise is my favourite [smiles]."
Grasshopper's PS3 game may make Marvelous 'bankrupt'
Grasshopper Manufacture has been quietly working on a PS3 game whilst working on their No More Heroes games on Wii. The mysterious PS3 game will be published by Marvelous Entertainment, but the ambitious nature of the project may compromise the small company's financial stability. "If we do that [game] we might go bankrupt," Yasuhiro Wada, president of Marvelous Entertainment, joked to Siliconera. "We are making it, but if we make everything then it's a little too risky."Suda51's studio is known for creating hyper-violent and stylized games that tackle controversial and difficult subjects. In addition to No More Heroes, the studio has made killer7 (pictured) and Flower, Sun and Rain.
Suda51: No More Heroes 2 got bumped from Ubisoft keynote
Yours truly and JC ran into the one, the only Suda51 last night, and proceeded to approach him. Despite his inability to understand much of the English language, he was accommodating and posed for a picture. We asked his translator why No More Heroes 2 was nothing more than a small mention during the Ubisoft keynote, and she told us that it was simply bumped due to time. Sadly, she couldn't elaborate any further than that, but we have a feeling James Cameron had something to do with it.
No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle at 'very end' of production, won't be playable at E3
Well, today officially sucks, because the game we anticipate the most -- Suda51's No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle -- won't be available to play at next month's E3, Goichi Suda told 1UP. We'd cancel our trip, but we already bought the frakking plane tickets! It's not all bad news, however, as Suda51 does hint at the game being at the show, just not in playable form. He also says that the game is "at the very end of production," providing hope that it will meet its scheduled US release of January 2010 on the Wii.
Rumor: Grasshopper Manufacture working with Square Enix
The website for Suda 51's development company, Grasshopper Manufacture, features a list of the No More Heroes developer's "principal business partners" -- publishers and developers with whom the "video game band" has worked. The products of each company's collaboration with Grasshopper can be identified (well, kind of in the case of EA and Q? Entertainment, both working with GHM on a currently unknown "action-horror game"), with one exception: Square Enix. According to the site, the only work done for Square Enix has been sound design for RAD, and GHM doesn't count the companies for whom it does sound work as "principal business partners."It's possible, then, that Square Enix could have plans to publish an unannounced Grasshopper Manufacture game. The company has at least one project in the works that it has yet to divulge details on -- the mystery game with the Kennedy quote that we believe to be a Front Mission series entry. The more GHM games in the world, we say, the better![Via Siliconera]
Voice actor says Destroy Man returns in No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle
Josh Keaton, voice actor extraordinaire, recently dropped a huge bomb during an interview about his work on a new Spider-Man cartoon. Gaming enthusiasts will likely recognize Josh as Ocelot from the Metal Gear Solid games, but he's expanding his gaming portfolio, as he just finished doing Destroy Man for No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle. Considering Destroy Man faced off against Travis Touchdown in the first game, we're wondering just how he could make a comeback. Son of Destroy Man, maybe? Keaton describes Destroy Man as an "unapologetic jerk of a character," which we guess is techincally correct. We'd personally go with the awesome guy with the crotch laser. Or maybe the world's best handshaker, but that's just us. [Via Go Nintendo]
Inafune, Suda51 to speak at Nordic games summit
Should you find yourself in Malmö, Sweden during the third week of May, you'll be able to pop in to Nordic Game 2009 and catch presentations by Capcom's R&D boss and Mega Man creator, Keiji Inafune, along with Goichi "Suda51" Suda of No More Heroes fame. The duo has signed on to the two-day event's roster of notable industry figures, which also includes reps from Media Molecule, Insomniac, Tigon and others.So, what are two big-name Japanese devs doing at a Swedish games event? It could be that Inafune-san might be in the area to visit Grin, the Stockholm-based developer that's finishing up Bionic Commando for Capcom. As for Suda51, we're guessing he's taking advantage of a "two fly for the price of one" airline promotion. [Via Develop]
Fumito Ueda, Suda 51, Fallout 3's Pagliarulo together in GDC panel
This year's Game Developers Conference will feature a presentation by two Japanese game designers who even Atsushi Inaba probably finds noteworthy: Team Ico's Fumito Ueda and Grasshopper Manufacture's Goichi Suda, aka Suda 51. The Shadow of the Colossus creator and the man behind No More Heroes will join Fallout 3 lead designer Emil Pagliarulo and localization company 8-4's Mark MacDonald for the panel discussion "Evolving Game Design: Today and Tomorrow, East and West Game Design."The one-hour talk will discuss "recent trends in modern game design" as well as upcoming trends in games, as they relate to both the Japanese and Western game industries. Of course, the short-sighted hope is that everyone involved will reveal a new game, or at least that Suda will let out a bunch of details about No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle.[Via VG247]
Suda51 says changes coming to Desperate Struggle's open world
Some people didn't find Santa Destroy to be as open and navigable in No More Heroes as the rest of us did, and Suda51 has definitely heard those concerns. During a recent interview with GameSetWatch, he said to "expect big changes for No More Heroes 2's open world." If by big changes, you mean bigger lawns to cut, more trees to shake, and bigger alleyways to mutilate dozens and dozens of enemies in, then we're on board with Desperate Struggle! Other than that, the interview mostly focuses on the difficulty foreign talent has adapting to their new surroundings at Grasshopper Manufacture. That doesn't mean you shouldn't read the interview in its entirety, however. So hit up this link right here. Need to catch up on the latest No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle news? Well, you're in the right place! Read up on who will publish the thing, as well as some of Suda51's goals with the new game. Also, jump into the discussion about MotionPlus and online play, both of which Suda51 is thinking about implementing.
Suda51: 'Big changes' in store for No More Heroes 2's open world
One of the most significant criticisms leveled at Wii's superb and stylistic No More Heroes was that its "open world" wasn't, well, very open. That's set to change for the sequel, says creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda.In an interview on GameSetWatch, Suda51 was asked about his long-time desire to build a true open-world game. He acknowledged that No More Heroes was a step towards realizing his goal, but as for the sequel, he said to "expect big changes for No More Heroes 2's open world." And what of series star, Travis Touchdown, now that there are truly no more heroes in the game's universe? "Actually, there are still some heroes left," he teased.
Suda51: No More Heroes 2 to be more serious -- but not too serious
We've recently featured excerpts from Suda 51's Eurogamer interview, but Eurogamer has just now posted the entirety of the chat, and it's excellent reading for anyone interested in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle or Suda. Talking about the new game, the charismatic game director mentioned his desire for a somewhat less jovial tone this time around: "I think it's time for No More Heroes to become serious. But it's going to have humour, don't worry. It won't be too serious." The revenge-based plot seems to fit in with this idea. In the first game, Travis Touchdown was essentially competing in a big game; having a real, personal stake in the fighting definitely changes the feel of the game. Suda even has a vendetta against Santa Destroy: "I wanted to make a lot more stuff, more detail. So this time in No More Heroes 2, I want to take my revenge. And actually, the theme of No More Heroes 2 is revenge, so..." There's also the all-important "weirdness" contingent. There's no poop talk yet, but Suda expressed his admiration of a past E3 promotion in which booth babes threw pants at attendees. "One day, I want to be able to throw pants to the public. That's one of my main goals."
Suda considering MotionPlus, online play for No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle
"Give us MotionPlus!" That seemed to be the most popular response when we asked you what changes you'd make to No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle. Luckily for us, Goichi Suda seems to agree (does he read Wii Fanboy reader comments? If so, hai, Suda!). Speaking to IGN (hit the break for the full video interview), the maverick developer discussed how he'd like to utilise Wii MotionPlus in the No More Heroes follow-up, despite not having touched the add-on yet. 1:1 beam katana action? Um, yes please. He's also "very interested" in online play, though sounded slightly less committed to the idea when he discussed it with CVG, describing it as "still up in [the] air." We'd probably take MotionPlus over some online mode, though if Suda feels like adding both to Travis' next outing, we suppose we can accept that as well. %Gallery-34131%
TGS08: Suda51 confirms censored version of No More Heroes 2 for Europe
But, wait, before you break out that pen and paper and start writing that angry letter, know this: you're also going to get a fully-featured, bloodtastic game, just like those of us in North America! This time around, you're going to have the option of choosing which version of No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle you want, though we can't imagine why you'd want one without the buckets of blood and over-the-top violence. "We won't be able to make the same game for all territories," Suda 51 said. "For Europe, we're going to release two versions. One extreme version, and one with less violence." Why? Well, because so many Europeans bugged him about the version that released to their territory and how it was the same as the Japanese version of the game. "With No More Heroes 2 we want to please the fans too. I want the European users to be able to experience the extreme version." So celebrate, Europe. For once, you're being taken seriously! %Gallery-34131%
