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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.
More teaser videos of No More Heroes
And by "teaser," we mean "teaser"-- like the last set of videos found on the official No More Heroes site, these clips are, at best, travel size. They may even be fun size. But they're the coolest extremely brief videos you're likely to see today.Today's clips show snippets of a battle between Travis Touchdown (whose name makes us smile) and Shinobu-- a battle that looks like it'll take us a good few tries. We don't exactly know how the game controls yet, but we assume that it's as difficult as it looks.We've embedded the videos after the break. Blink a few times right now so you won't have to while watching.
Trio of brief clips from No More Heroes
When we say "brief" here, we really mean it -- these video updates from the official No More Heroes site offer no more than glimpses of the game. There's also a Grindhouse-esque grain to the footage, and we're not sure if it's simply the video quality, or the intentional look of the title -- either way, it doesn't spoil the effect. We've tucked the clips away after the break, and re-ordered them to save our pick of the best for last, since on the NMH site, it was first.
Travis Touchdown has a comfortable home life
Suda 51 is really driving home the message that No More Heroes' Travis Touchdown is, well, not a hero. Famitsu has some screenshots of the home of Santa Destroy's newest hitman, a room in the austere No More Heroes Motel. And, as if the beam katana purchased at auction, and the numerous references to pro wrestling and anime fandom we've already heard, weren't enough, Travis's room gets the point across: our protagonist is an otaku. A nerd.Travis is the kind of guy who lives in a cheap apartment (actually a motel room) filled with anime figurines and electronics. Dude's got some kind of big robot model. A Nintendo 64 is clearly visible on one of his shelves. He's also irresponsible enough to go put himself in danger when he's got a kitten at home to take care of. We can't condone that kind of behavior. Well, we can in a video game, but none of you should go join a hitman circuit unless you've got someone willing to watch your cat.
No More Heroes: more beam katanas and Raidenesque Irishmen
The latest No More Heroes site update reveals some of the different beam katana weapons that Travis Touchdown will be using in his quest to become the highest-ranked assassin in Santa Destroy for some reason. The "system" page has images of the pistol-gripped "Blood Berry," which is the katana that Travis wins from an auction, and the elegant Tsubaki, which is made for him by Naomi.We think we're going to scour eBay for a couple of hours now. We're definitely pro-beam katana, even if we feel pretty strongly anti-assassinating-folks.In other No More Heroes news, on the Kojima Productions Report podcast, voice actor Quinton Flynn revealed that he was a member of the No More Heroes voice cast, playing an Irish character named Henry. Flynn, best known for playing Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2, was on the podcast to discuss his upcoming reprisal of that role. But you guys knew all of that, because you already listen to the Kojima Productions Report every week, right?
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.
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.
Watch Kojima, Suda 51 and Mikami chatting, blowing minds
This half-hour long video isn't chock full of news or hot gameplay footage. But for those of who love Metal Gear Solid or Resident Evil, it's 26 minutes more than well spent. It's Hideo Kojima (MGS) and Shinji Mikami (RE) having an informal chat that's basically moderated by Suda 51, creator of Killer 7. The event, held this summer, was called "Snake vs. Zombie." (P.S. We need one of those T-shirts, STAT.)Come on, it's Saturday. You don't have anything to do. You owe it to yourself to spend a half-hour with these guys. If you need more convincing, know that you'll get to hear Kojima's brilliant plan to turn Resident Evil into a boring, yet profitable MMORPG and Mikami's revelation that he was drunk when he decided to be in charge of the Resident Evil remake. Honestly, it's hysterical. Go. Watch.
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.
Is Capcom planning a Wii port of Killer 7?
Capcom's European website has something kind of interesting tucked away on one of its pages. It seems to be a listing for Killer 7 on the Wii, leading us to wonder if the company isn't planning a port for the Wii. Of course, porting over Resident Evil 4 makes sense, considering the game received many Game of the Year nods and other such critical acclaim, but with such a game as Killer 7, which received mixed reviews, maybe Capcom is just pointing out that the game is compatible on the Wii? Or perhaps it's just a placeholder for an upcoming page for No More Heroes?[Thanks, Protome!]
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?
Suda surprise: The Silver Case will be localized
Back at GDC, Grasshopper Manufacture's Suda 51 announced that his Playstation text adventure The Silver Case and its cellphone sequel were getting ported to the DS. We tempered our interest in this development with doubt that the games would be released outside of Japan, due to their limited appeal and the large amount of text involved.Sometimes, we don't mind being wrong. During the Australian G03 event, Suda announced that the game, which was "a minor hit" in Japan, would receive a worldwide release. Now we should all buy it and let him know he made the right decision![Via NeoGAF]
Kojima working on a Snatcher sequel?
Hideo Kojima and Suda 51 (Goichi Suda) recently murmured about a project they've been plugging away at, aptly titled Project S. Rumors abounded that this project was, in fact, a sequel to the cult classic Snatcher by Kojima himself. Turns out the rumors are true -- this project is indeed based on Kojima's Snatcher title, but this project isn't actually a game. Oof.Turns out the project, re-named Snatchers, will be a radio drama written by Suda 51, who will also appear as a voice actor in said radio drama. Yep... radio drama. Seems we've taken a step backwards in time. There are other parts of the overall project, but Suda and Kojima are remaining hush-hush... let's see if a game is hidden between the secret decoder rings we'll need to solve the puzzle in the radio drama. More Ovaltine, please!
Suda 51 & Kojima's 'Project S' based on Snatcher, radio drama announced
According to Famitsu, Suda 51 has declassified 'Project S,' a not-so-mysterious collaboration with Hideo Kojima. As suspected, "S" is for "Snatcher," Kojima's 1988 cyberpunk adventure, which was eventually translated and released for Sega CD in 1994. During this past weekend's 'Snake vs Zombie Vol. 2' event, Suda confessed that Snatcher was his favorite Kojima effort, prompting a few snickers between the No More Heroes creator and Kojima, who joined Suda on stage. While the pair alluded to Project S's presumed connection to Snatcher, it wasn't until this week's article that the link was openly confirmed.Project S is apparently a series of works based on the Snatcher property. The first, a radio drama (yeah, you read that right, radio drama), will be written by Suda 51, who will also star as one of the voice actors. "I think I will call it 'Snatchers.' I can't talk about the details of the story at this point," he told Famitsu. Any chance it'll make it to satellite?
Kojima and Suda 51 tease Snatcher fans
Last Saturday, Suda 51's company Grasshopper Manufacture held the coolest event ever, at least for game nerds: Snake vs. Zombie vol. 2, a series of informal panel discussions by big names in the Japanese game industry, including Hideo Kojima, Shinji Mikami, ICO's Fumito Ueda, and Tetsuya Mizuguchi. There were also musical performances from Metal Gear Solid 3/Portable Ops soundtrack composer Norihiko Hibino and Silent Hill series producer and composer Akira Yamaoka.As if the mere existence of this event (and our non-attendance at said event) weren't causing us physical pain, now we have unbearable anticipation buzzing around in our heads. During a Kojima/Mikami panel hosted by Suda, Mikami, a man of taste, mentioned that his favorite Kojima game was Snatcher, to which the other two responded "Ah yes, Snatcher," followed by "Oh, should we announce it here?" To sum up, in italics, there is a possibility that Hideo Kojima and Suda 51 are collaborating on some kind of Snatcher game. We do not care if it is a sequel, a remake, a port, an action figure, or an official recipe for Neo Kobe Pizza. We want ten.
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.
