IN THE WORLD OF ASSASSINS

Travis Touchdown - hero of the game - finds himself at the bottom of an assassins’ organisation after an unexpected turn of events. He will have to prove himself worthy and defeat 10 bloodthirsty killers.

All Wii owners who find themselves complaining that there are no truly satiating mature games for Wii, need to get themselves a copy of No More Heroes. Considering the violence, sex, language and absurd subject matter, it is no real wonder that ESRB has rated it Mature 17+. But, these are a few of the many features that make No More Heroes one of the best games for Wii.

No More Heroes - online game - tells the story of Travis Touchdown. Travis has many obsessions - anime, action figures, porn, video games & card collections, to name some. The story starts when Travis wins a light saber in an online auction. Armed with his light saber also known as katana, Travis decides to become a hit-man to score with girls. An unexpected turn of events leads Travis to realise that he is actually at the bottom of the league of assassins. In an attempt to prove himself worthy, he has to eradicate ten of the best assassins in town. Here commences Travis’ journey in bizarre Santa D e s t r o y, California, a dull, dry, dusty and desolate town.

SUDA-51, creator of 2005’s killer7, and director of this game, is known for showcasing wackiness, over-thetop humour, and obscenity in his games, and this game is no different. The lunacy resonates through every possible aspect of the game, characters, references, game play et al. Right at the start, you observe this as your trainer encourages you to workout in the nude, and through the game as the thugs you battle lament the loss of their organs when you slice them in two.

There are several zany characters as well; Sylvial the sophisticated seductress constantly teases Travis with her French accent and leaves him high and dry; there are boss characters who attack you with killer shopping carts, some that sing lounge music in the middle of baseball fields, and some that throw prosthetics at you. Each of the ten assassins you have to do in, also, have well-drawn up dark backgrounds, leaving you with a sense of satisfaction.

In terms of weapons, you can upgrade your katana or even buy new ones. In keeping with the other whimsicalities, you can mow lawns, and fill gas at local gas stations to increase your coinage, apart from the coins you are awarded when you kill your nemeses. Every time you manage to halve one of the mercenaries causes a seeming endless stream of blood and coins, resulting in your screen filling up with red and glittering gold. Through the game, you can earn power-ups and unlock a ‘dark side’ power, which add much excitement to the game play.
Travis can find health to-ups through out Santa Destroy, and interestingly enough, he must also ensure that his katana does not run out of electricity. Game play includes old school button bruising, along with some Wiimote waggling, and the successful combination of the two makes for an exhilarating play. There are several missions throughout the game, and although most of the game play requires the same wrist action, in the scheme of things, this hardly becomes boring. When you aren’t busy massacring enemies, you are free to roam in a moderately open-world Santa Destroy on your motorcycle.

As you play, it is apparent that in creating the game, no idea was chucked for being too far out and it is in its nonconformity that the game shines. Love it or hate it, this blood-spewing cartoon animestylised game is sure to leave you with a ‘never done that before, but glad I did it’ sense of contentment.

NO MORE HEROES

PUBLISHED BY
Ubisoft / Marvelous Entertainment DEVELOPED BY Grasshopper Manufacture
GENRE
Action NUMBER OF PLAYERS 1
PLATFORM
Wii
RELEASE DATE
January 22, 2008
ESRB RATING
Mature 17+ (for Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language)
GAME SCORE
9.2/10