NO MORE DELAYS: DESPERATE REVIEW! or Brotha Kyo's NMH2 Review + Story Analysis finally.
Well, I've put this off for sometime now, mostly because I'm between programming, work, and playing NMH2, ironically enough. Also because I've been waiting for at least a good handful of people to play through the second one, but if I've learned anything from the first one, only five of you will actually care about this entry, so I don't feel bad for saying there will be spoilers for both Game 1 and Game 2, so tough titties.
And speaking of... well, we'll get into that, shall we?
So without a doubt I'm just going to say this; My favorite Wii series (There's not much to choose from, honestly.) of all time created by one of my favorite game designers finally gets a sequel. Do I like it?
Short (obvious) answer: No shit. Fucking love it.
Long TL;DR Answer: For me to FULLY appreciate the game was like the subtitle itself: It indeed was a desperate struggle.
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is the surprise second entry from Grasshopper Manufacture, published by both Marvelous Entertainment and Ubisoft and from that fucked up mind of Suda51 (aka Mr. Killer7). I say surprise because... well, in order for you to understand, I need to backtrack to 2008.
Ok, so at the end of the first No More Heroes, Travis wound up fighting Rank 1, who didn't turn out to be Steven J. Blum, but rather Jeane, Travis' ex crush, WHO ALSO APPARENTLY IS HIS HALF SISTER. Travis was about to get his heart literally ripped out by his retrospectively-incestuous crush until one Miss Shinobu Jacobs, a young assassin of whose life was spared by Travis, crashes the party chopping off Jeane's hand, signaling Travis to finish her. Travis, with no regrets and just a small hint of being backstabbed, after wishing for her to be a better person in another life, puts an end to his aggressions with a few swipes. Feeling like it was finally over, Travis goes home to "save his game", only for that to be interrupted by that black dude from killer7, wanting to be-head Travis to be the new Rank 1. Of course, this doesn't play out well when a certain bastard from a cop-out fight shows up and kills him, sparing both Travis his life, and what little dignity he has left. Travis winds up fighting this guy, aka Sir Henry Motherfucker, aka the fucking snatcher, who turns out, in a cliche twist, to be Travis' long lost twin brother. Henry even points out that both you (the player) and Travis should have figured this out by now, considering it's one of the oldest cliches in the book. Speaking for the you (the player), Travis wants this game to end and to finally have a conclusion, but has no idea on how to do this. Henry re-assures since that Trav is the main character he's the only one who can find a way to end this game. More or less, Travis is like "fuck it." and Henry's all "Good." so they clash in the style of Rocky/ Bruce Lee, giving you (again the player) the assumption that they both offed each other, which that scene turned out to be a painting to which a young girl NAMED JEANE is being pulled on by her mother, WHO AT THIS POINT IS SYLVIA FUCKING CHRISTEL, so they can get going.
Oh, and by the by? Sylvia reassured us that there WON'T be a sequel and smiled. Suda51 said at one point the game was a one-shot deal. The game ENDS WITH A Back to the Future styled "TO BE CONTINUED." WHAT THE FUCK, at this point is what was running through my mind, considering it was probably one of the freshest video games I have played in a long while.
At this point, I kept staring at the screen like so:
Like most Suda51 games, the ending was supposed to leave you with an empty feeling, but No More Heroes was the closest to CLOSURE in any of his games I have felt in a long while, so I was pretty upset when the troll of the series (Miss Sylvia) told me not to bother forming a fandom over the game.
Wait, I actually thought about what I said: TROLL. By the end of the year, I was told Marvelous Entertainment (original publishers) were going to make an announcement. When I saw the familiar "Santa Destroy flag" I ALMOST pooped myself. Actually, now that I think about it....
For the first time in my life, there was a video game character that was a white version of me; just sat at home watching anime and playing video games during the day, has an excellent taste in T-shirts and aviators, and just lived his life the way he wanted, not giving a shit of what his peers (or lack there of.) thought about him.
Welllllllllllllll now it's 2010. A game that people deemed was "too shallow" is now pretty much the talk of alot of hardcore gamers, funny that. After the painful fucking wait (Just kidding, Bayonetta tied me over, and that is an awesome game, too.), I finally got home holding in my bag, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (Which I played a bit of before sinking my teeth into the main course.) and "Travis Touchdown's Fucking Atomic Wowee-Zowee Picnic 2010". I finally popped that bad boy in thinking to myself "Oh MAN! The first one surprised the fuck out of me! Maybe I can finally see what Travis was up to for 3 years! Oh man, maybe Travis will do Shinobu, or! or! Maybe it'll be like a samurai film where Travis kills the last guy and walks over to his friends and is all like "bang." and faints. OR SYLVIA IS THE FINAL BOSS! HO SHIT!" To say the least, I was surprised. I was VERY surprised. Not the bad kind of surprised, but rather more like... "Well, THAT SHIT was unexpected" kind of 'killer7-branded' mindfuckery.
I think this comic, drawn by some butthead over at Gamefaqs describes the insanity better than I can:
If you drew this comic, nice work, love the detail on Trav's face when he goes for the boobies. Still a butthead.
...ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration. But the plot is still pretty out there.
In fact, let's get to that. The Plot and the Bosses.
Now. In a straight-up video game, how it plays out is usually fucking FUCKING important; Oh sure, you can have the GREATEST STORY EVER, but if it plays like cock ass it don't mean SHIT. Well, I mean the story still counts, but then that game will be known as "Hey, That Cool Story that Felt Like a Monkey Strapped to a Chair With Duct Tape and Laced With Goof Balls Programmed."
I could name a few games off right now:
Brotha Says RELAX: I'm kidding... those games' stories all sucked anyways. Back on topic.
Pretty much, the gameplay in a Suda51 game isn't the most important thing, believe it or not (But it STILL matters...), but rather it's every single element - game, music, graphics, and plot.
The main idea behind Travis' adventure this time is simply REVENGE. Three years past since the events of the original NMH and we are greeted by a familiar character from a certain Seventh Entry of a Very Long RPG Series. Also, it should be noted, for those who didn't play the first game, that the scene is from the original trailer of the NMH1. So when the elevator reaches the floor, this spiky-haired bastard pulls out his gun and starts blasting away at the elevator, tearing apart the "coated dark figure" to which he finally sees there's no one in it. Looking around, he feels the cold steel of an unactivated weapon we've all become familiar with and a figure we've been waiting to see, just like this guy. The figure greets him (and I'm sure, in a way, us.) in his usual brash manner:
"It's called fashionably late, fuck face."
Do that to your boss some time when you walk in late, he'll reward you with "unpaid time-off forever", followed by a swift kick in the junk...
So this guy turns out to be the younger brother of the first guy Travis has EVER killed (Helter Skelter from the first game's trailer) and he's out for revenge. Travis doesn't remember his brother, and to add more fuel to the fire, goes as far as to declaring that the guy must have been REALLY weak and that he's only gotten stronger ever since. So now this Light-Buster-Saber wielding guy starts whining like an emo brat (Funny, that.) and declares that Travis won't get away with this. Travis simply tells him that when gets to hell, to remind his brother that he's a douche right before they jump into a battle.
Upon finishing the fight however, is when you do learn the name of Skelter Helter, this little whiny brat. (More on this "presentation" later.) Upon killing him it turns out you just got yourself back into the UAA; that's right Sylvia Christel comes back, wearing a modified version of Henry's old coat by the way, acknowledging to Travis that he's now ranked 51 (Save the "f-f-f-f-fifty boss fights" reaction, that illusion dies real fast. Besides, it's just a joke off of the creator's name.), but Travis isn't really too happy, suggesting that Sylvia at least explain what the hell's been going on, especially to you (the player). But Sylvia is pretty much like "Who the fuck cares about continuity" (Well, I do for one...) and promises Travis a BIG surprise if he jumps into the games this time. (If you recall, Travis only entered the UAA last time because he was promised some "Merry Christmas" from Sylvia Christel... of course, alot changed later in the first game that made him focus more on a new goal.) Travis really doesn't want to get tempted by some succubus in high heels, but alas - he's still a horny teenager in an adult's body, and she goes on to brag about her mad Yoga skills, stuff like Downward Dog (Hahahaha, aaaah man...). Upon teasing Travis via Blood Berry-pecking, Travis' weapon extends (I'm being literal, not perverted.) and declares he'll be the NUMBER ONE AGAIN!
And then, there's THIS asshole; Skelter's still alive after being beheaded (and having his head re-attached in one swipe.) setting the whole game's plot and overall atmosphere in motion, telling him that [OUR] plan will finally go through. He takes off his shackles of vengeance so to speak and throws them onto Travis, putting on a curse on him to feel the same pain that he went through, reminding Travis that for every one he kills, there's always a consequence. With that said, Skelter pulls his own head off and finally ends himself there, with a really deep-looking Travis pondering what he said.
Finally, we see a scene over at Beef Head Videos where a couple of thugs storm in to catch Bishop, Travis' oft-mentioned best friend, with his pants down. (Bizarre Jelly 5, am I right?) They came to collect, and by collect, they mean to deep-six him, and by THAT, I mean they're going to kill him. At a small point, you'd wonder, for a guy who is supposedly Travis' best friend, Travis never makes a big deal of it, nor brags about it in the first game, but I digress, especially in the part of the scene pretty much told me "Disregard that, you suck cocks."
With Bishop's last words "Travis...", his face catches bullet, letting the crimson spread.
The next morning, a bag crashes through Travis' window (That same window that seems to always be cracked into since the first game.). Travis opens up the blood-covered bag, wondering what the hell it was, to find his best friend's head in it. Upon crying his name out, the motivation for Travis' quest this time is set in motion.
Whew, that's pretty much the opening of this game; WAAAY different feeling than from the first one, yes? NMH2's plot is a more twisted, more fucked up (both good and bad), and darker setting than the first one; Which really is bittersweet at times when you know shit about the the bosses you go up against.
Yeah, I feel this is the weakest element of the game; in the first NMH, you actually KNEW ALOT on who you fought, from the MacSpeak splash right down to their witty anecdotes.
QUICK! Tell me, what do you know about Dr. Peace?! Right, he finally got to meet his daughter, who was disgusted at the man he became. Also that he loved Karaoke. Ok, how about Shinobu? Yeah, she did watch ALOT of samurai films, out looking for the man who killed her father (Which I felt that copped out on that too from the first game, especially when you think "IT WAS THAT GUY WITH THE OTHER BEAM KATANA!"). She is impressionable (More on her either later or in another entry.). And Bad Girl?
Well, she was just batshit. Oh shit, I made funny without even trying. (+1 to me. I'm soooo awesome.)
OK! Quick what do you know about Ryuji?! Huh? You don't know who I'm talking about huh? How about Mimmy?? You don't know who Mimmy is?! Well you sure would, if they had actually told you who you were fighting just like in the first game. But in a way, and ESPECIALLY after my second playthrough, that's menial; like Travis, later into the game, he's so fucking filled with rage, he just doesn't give a shit about who he is killing, just as long as he finds the guy who called the hit on Bishop. And since Travis is supposed to represent the everyman who isn't corrupted by greed and popularity, in a way, he represents you (again, the player.) and the more I just kinda felt for Travis' attitude in the game, the more, I too, stopped caring about some of the fuckheads I was going after, just so as long as I finally got closure for whoever did this to his best friend.
Closure. That's a funny word, that ironically, you don't TRULY get until you rethink it over twice. I say this because after playing through the game the first time, I didn't know what the fuck was going on. This alone just angered me when every just "suddenly ended", but upon watching the post credits cutscene, I raised an eyebrow and thought. "Wait... I didn't get that." So I played through again ON FUCKING BITTER THIS TIME, SO YOU DAMN WELL KNOW, I HAD BETTER HAVE GOTTEN MY MONEY'S WORTH. [/fuck-the-final-boss-ow-my-popeye-arms].
It's that second time I went over the entire story... that I got everything. I found enlightenment in Travis' story. It seriously opened my eyes on the ENTIRE plot, and not just the physical "go and kill those guys" plot; the focus of both this game AND THE FIRST GAME was simply this: Travis Touchdown's evolution of his self-being. This game really WAS about social issues. (Also, it helps when you finally realize what movie Suda was trying to spoof with the "phone-sex" cutscenes. Oh that man, and his Western movies.)
Of course, you'd think "I should have gotten it on the first run, right?" This is true, but with my experience with Akira, I can't be in that same boat. (For the record? Six times until I fully understood that movie. I was a dumb kid, shut up.)
Upon discussing this with my other friends, we started racket-balling ideas, theories and "no-shits" behind every little element in the game and in the series as a whole. It was then, I really REALLY can say that this might be one of my favorite video games series until I die. Streets of Rage didn't make me do that, Devil May Cry didn't make me do that, FUCK, I'm pretty damn sure that not even Sonic would EVERweeeeell, that "get up and go no matter what" attitude is what actually kept me sane in my childhood. And that same "Get up and Go" attitude has become the "Do What You Feel Like and Knock Over Who Ever Is In Your Way If They're Just Going To Slow You Down" attitude instilled from one Mister Touchdown.
He's quite the influential icon, if I do say.
I rabbit-trailed, I'm sorry. Onto the bosses, not much is known on them until after you kill them (Or when you finally make sense of certain cutscenes.). It's spoiling time, so let me list what I pretty much gathered:
Skelter Helter: Whiny kid who wants revenge for his big bro.
Nathan Copeland: An up-and-coming rapper who grows tired of the materialistic world and seeks the champion who cares not of physical recognition.
Charlie MacDonald: A prideful egotistical lunkhead who thinks he's God's gift to women. Also, giant robots.
Kimmy Howell: A huge Travis Touchdown fangirl who feels in order to impress him, she must dethrone him.
Matt Helms: A fat fucking bastard who likes killing people because of a past aggression.
Cloe Walsh: A lust-filled woman who mixes "pain" with her "pleasure." Also, what a dumb boss fight.
Dr. Letz Shake: GUESS WHO?! A human brain strapped to a glorified warhead who is surprised to see Travis Touchdown.
Million Gunman: A greedy old man who loves money. Under-developed boring characters is just that.
New Destroymen: That fucking cosplay bastard from the first game who is now TWO people and represents all unadulterated evil in the world. Also, a bit of a rapist.
Ryuji: A mysterious warrior who just seeks a strong fight. And man. Was THAT brutal on Bitter. Also, fuck motorcycles, am I right?
Mimmy: A figment of innocence. A turnip-headed loli anime girl with mecha arms? Oh, Japan.
Margaret Moonlight: REAPER, REAPER, THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE CALL ME!
Captain Vladmir: A cosmonaut who is also a bit delusional it seems, or stuck in his own world, rather.
Alice Twilight: A woman who is just sick of it all, and wants to learn how the "king" quit three years ago.
Pizza Batt Jr: FUCK HIM! FUCK HIM! FUUUUUUUUUCK. HIM.
So you learn the character either during the fight, after, or with a few, before the actual fight. There's actually alot more to it I'd rather not bore you with, but come to me personally and make sure you have a free two hours from your life for an extended character analysis.
Also, when you find out why Bishop's hit was call out, that's when it hits you that every LITTLE KILL has a consequence. Fucking deep.
Also, as spoiled by the marketing (Or what little Ubisoft did to market the game.), you do play as other characters. Well, "play" is a bit of a stretch, more like "help Travis out", but I believe this a personal reference to Suda's other project "Flower, Sun, and Rain". In either case, it was bittersweet, but I'll get into that when I describe the gameplay. Let me first dive into the purpose of the characters:
Shinobu Jacobs returns after being overseas in Asia upon from a wanked message of "I spared your life" to become the strongest assassin in that part of the world. She happily comes back when learning her "Master" has return in town wreaking hell again. Sometime while Travis was waiting for a "battle royale", Shinobu was told to help Trav climb the ranks so she goes after Gunman and BastardRider W (Only one person will get this reference.), as well as delivers a gift for her Master thanks to Bishop's other friend (HORY SHITTO! IT'S TV'S TAKASHI MIIKE!). And to show her dedication to the man who spared her life? Shinobu develops MORE than a crush on him.
Now this scene made me rage... ALOT. The first time. Because Travis? He pretty much says no, feeling REALLY weird about a "teacher-student" relationship that most anime-geeks would "HGFRGEDFDGJHKG" about, and I admit, I'm a "Toranobu" fan. Well, it makes sense; Nobu-cakes is 21 now and Travis is 30. BUT ONE CAN'T HELP BUT THINK: Had it been NMH1 Travis? Oh MAN. He would've Lupin'd out of his clothes onto that Chocolate Delight (I had to pause a bit after writing that, rubbing my temple.) and rode that all the way to Brown Town. (WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME?)
However, this is NMH2 Travis: It should be noted that Travis grows up ALOT after each fight. He doesn't care about the girl who shares his same hobbies or would literally take a bullet for him, oh no. He only cares about his own personal goal, and is pining for a girl who is pretty much damn impossible; THIS kinda hit home to me, considering that's a reflection on what most geeks are like in high school. I think what hurts the most is that Shinobu up and leaves forever when Sylvia calls.... oh SHINOBU.... I care at least....
That, and his bro was convulsing in his bed.
Speaking of, Henry. When you first see Han Solo, he's frozen in carbonite, thanks to Letz Shake. Travis, after making Letz Shake dead again, saves Henry, his rival and bro. Now, see, again, had it been NMH1 Travis, probably wouldn't hesitate on killing Henry right there... HOWEVER, NMH2 Travis has REALLY let what Skelter said get to him it seems, and even more, Henry's the only living family member he actually knows.
Anyways, in Henry's psyche, he confronts the angel of innocence, Mimmy, who pretty much asks him never to wake up and just watch over everything, almost to make him an angel or so. Henry pretty much says "fuck that" and becomes a fighter in his conscience, struggling to finally escape his coma. Upon waking up he is surprised to see that Travis, pulling his pants up after checking out his good shit on video, is the first person he sees after being out for God knows how long. Now he's sure that his brother is the one who saved him, and in a way, feels it destroys his pride. So how does he show his gratitude? Does he thank him? No. Once Henry gets up, he goes and steals three of Travis' kills, a cop out of boss fights in disguise. That fucking hurts, Suda.... but goddamnit, I still love you.
At this point, Travis and Henry's rivalry has been put behind him. Like Soan pointed out, no longer are they Dante and Vergil anymore. To me, they're more like "Megaman and Protoman". This is evident later on.
There's ALOT more to the story and boss characters, but that's for a later extended discssion; I could go one for ever, so I'll leave the story and characters at this image:
Though, I personally did not like fighting New Destroymen; just fucking annoying.
So how the FUCK does the GAME PLAY ALREADY?!
Some say it downgraded.... I... can't exactly agree with that, actually not at all; personally, the system has been up'd, although I definitely know what some people are talking about.
The system isn't really the same and yet it is; Smash A Button to combo your beam katana, raise the Wiimote up or down to do High Strikes or Low Strikes, and blocking is initiated by holding down Z, which is also the lock on. By the by, the "Beat" system from the first game? That's gone, thankfully replaced with an actual combo system; Smash B to throw punches and kicks. Mixing the both of these with increase the chance to daze an enemy, and hitting B will trigger you to go for a grab, somewhat like in the first game. You can also pick up downed enemies, stomp their ass to get more money, and just plain ol' mix up your strategy.
You can still DarkStep like in the first game, but it got super nerfed. In the first one, you were granted both invincibility and high-speed slashing. In this one, you can still activate it the same way, so as long as they're not in the middle of still attacking because that will fuck you up I learned. But once you master the new Dark Step, shit becomes easier.
There's also a new system introduced, the Ecstasy gauge. As you fight on through enemies, your "tiger" starts waking up. When he becomes red and glows white on the outside, hit the "-" button and prepare to go fucking nuts; Mash A on an enemy and Travis will cancel out his own attack animations to warp around the enemy, and depending on what katana you have equipped, the attack and speed plays differently.
Yeah, Travis can now switch out his katanas on the fly, ranging from wicked fast (The Rose Nasty dual-katana) to the new "nailbat" of the game (The slow-but-punishing Peony), with his trademark Blood Berry and the Tsubaki mk. III in between. So with better combat, how is the AI?
Well, Suda didn't lie; the AI is better, to the point where it can really piss you off. You got ALOT of tanks (Fat guys and muscle dudes), the fucking gun bastards (TAKE THEM OUT FIRST BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE.), ninja-type enemies (The guys who dual wield a weapon and jump all over the place rolling and dashing... assholes...) and the normal types. Stand beat-em-up stuff, but these enemies play dirty; some will try to hold you down while another takes shot on you, or some will literally beat the money out of YOU. You'll get punished for anything stupid you do in the game, which on the first run? Will happen... alot. The game teaches to seriously read 'animation cues' or else, well, punishment time.
Also, at one point, you relive 80s anime via giant robot battle. Technically speaking, it's nothing spectacular, if anything, pretty cut and dry basic. But as an idea as a whole? HOLY FUCKING SHIT, I'M RIDING IN A GIANT ROBOT. Even the cutscene leading up to it made me laugh.
Most of the boss fights are unique, be it good or bad. But I won't get back into that.
Like in the first game, Travis can activate "Dark Sides of the Bizarre", though to a point one is nerfed as well, specifically Blueberry Cheesecake Brownie; the wonk controls just really make that the worst one for me; Strawberry on the Shortcake still slows down time and I believe increases range depending on weapon, Gooseberry Sugar Donut is the new "Anarchy in the Galaxy", Travis screams "BASTAAAAAAAARD" and kills everyone in the room, and Cranberry Chocolate Sundae? Well, ever get so pissed off that you felt your beast within will get unleashed, killing all those who stand in your way?
Yup. Happy Chinese New Years, bitches, it's Year of the Tiger. It's cool to see your foes try to run. Probably my new favorite Dark Side.
Oh and to charge is the same way:
Press 1 and wack it.
So yeah, Travis handles good, but about Shinobu? Wellllll.....
...there hasn't been a reason for Suda51 to add a jump. There STILL isn't. That said, that is the most awkward jumping I've had to deal with in recent history; it's not even a straight line. I do, however, love her dash, her quick slashes and... well. Go save her game. Surprisingly? The jump does save you in New Destroyman's battle. Trust me.
And Henry? Goes by to quick, but I will say this: If he was a full character, he'd be a fucking cheat code.
In a way, I could have done without switching off the characters, but for the sake of story it works.
You know the funny thing? The "worst" thing from the first game was the "GTA" poke. Well, that overworld is gone completely from the second game, but.... is it nuts that I miss it? I understand that Suda makes fun of alot of popular video games to the point of mocking them, but I would have liked to see it make a return, but considering about everything that made it into the game, that might have actually been physically impossible. Anyways, now you've got a map to get to the clothing store, missions, revenge missions (they're like the short missions from the first game... sorta.), Hooty McBoob's Lab, Jobs, and The Gym.
Ah, the jobs. They're all done in the style of the golden era of console gaming, from exterminating, to cleaning up space garbage and cooking. No lie, though, I only found my self doing Bug Out and Pizza with a Vengeance because A). Bug Out is a fucking easy money nest and B). I love Mach Rider and Outrun. And the new Muscle and Stamina training? MOTHERFUCK. The Stamina I can deal with (I can press Z and B just fine.) but Muscle?! REALLY? That is, like, the most unfair way to power yourself up. Ok, yeah, heaven forbid I have to work for my fucking upgrade, but when you fail the sixth one constantly on the account of speed changing, delaying, hitbox bullshit? HUH? I know a few people who are proud to say they maxed out their muscle: well woop-de-doo zigzag! I preferred lifting weights, thanks.
That said, not exactly my favorite aspect of the game. You do get rewarded with a pretty balls-to-the-walls Deathmatch after completing the game. Oh, and Bitter mode. But only play that if you, like me, complain too much on how games these days are too fucking easy. Boy, that taught me a lesson.
But enough on the gameplay; I could go on and on about it all day; basically it's improved but if you're not prepared it could be VERY strenuous.
The graphics, in MY opinion? They've also improved the character models as well as the effects (Right down to the tiny after spark on the cuts you make.) and well? Really push the Wii into what it can really do; from hazy dreams to punk transitions and sprite-based moments. However, I noticed that in certain moments, there's a bit of graphical "pop ups" for some background business, specifically noticed this in the ending which then told me '...well, I can understand why the they probably didn't want to do the city thing again...' and some parts in the background, they got a smidgen lazy, but otherwise, I can't complain. Visually speaking, No More Heroes is the most punk-looking series ever.
Here take a look:
Yeah, it's blurry cuz of Youtube. Really, I'd say it's a different thing when you see the game up close on your Wii. The game looks cool, and I also think it sounds cool.
It's everything you'd expect like in the first game with a twist: witty and clever dialogue spoken and voiced perfectly? Fuck yeah, American Cartoon Voice Talent. People like Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Strong, Debi Derryberry, and Robin Atkin Downes add more personality to characters that, as mentioned before, you'd have forgotten less they spoke about themselves. All the sounds, the blips, and the sword slashes are all there and fit as well, pretty much Jun Fukuda did his job. And speaking of the one half of the usual music duo, where IS Masafumi Takada? No where to be seen in this project, although some of his music from the first game is in here.
BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER BECAUSE AKIRA YAMAOKA COMPOSED THE ENTIRE SOUNDTRACK. THAT'S RIGHT, THAT SILENT HILL GUY FROM KONAMI DID EVERYTHING ON NMH2. HE EVEN WENT BACK IN TIME AND INVENTED 8-BIT MUSIC! HE CREATED DONKEY KONG, THE PRESIDENT, SURFING AND HE INVENTED GIANT ROBOTS.
AND THE INSTANT PIZZA. [/inside-joke]
By now, you think I'm completely out of my mind. Shame on you, that's the first thing you SHOULD HAVE known about me.
However, though, I'm not lying when I say that, yes, Akira Yamaoka's work is contributed to this game's soundtrack, which seems to be more "punk" then "80s club" this time around. In fact, ALOT of people contributed to this soundtrack, including stuff from "Dark Sides Album" and alot of catchy boss-tunes (REAPER, REAPER!) and not so catchy. (Chloe Walsh, man. You just suck.) The 8-bit styled music shows up alot in the minigames, but my personal favorite is the RANK UP music this time, I play this on my stereo anytime I do something cool before leaving a store and ride off in my car:
To save you the trouble on "recognizing" the tune after beating the game, it's an "8-bit" version of the ending theme, "NO MORE NO". It took me five days to figure that out.
So yes, the soundtrack is a different beast, but nonetheless I fucking loved it. It fits any situation that is going on when its respective track is played, and hell sometimes? I just look forward to the boss fight full well knowing I am going to hear that cool tune! *Pictures a 2D pixel version of himself running down, hopping over that bastard he cut in line he knocked out, and starts pop and locking MC Hammer style as he moonwalks his way to 8-bit DDR and it transform into a fucking meteor and he starts dancing it towards space.* (!?)
Soooooooooooo, you still with me bro? Cool. Overall, in case you missed it, I loved this game personally. Would I recommend it? Why not? It's cool, even if it has its flaws. Would I have done things differently? Without a doubt, I would've approached the story completely differently, but hey, I'm not in the business exactly (...yet.), but this game has taught me what works and what doesn't work for a brawler. Really, if you own a Wii, go out and pick this and the first one up; I feel to truly enjoy this game, you'd have to play both and judge it as a whole and not really separately; like a game that compliments the other one or so.
So for those who didn't exactly like it, think of it this way: like back in the day, some sequels were known to completely change their direction entirely which makes a split in the fandom, a first I've seen in the NMH community, a majority seeming to like the second game. But in the third game of a series, it completely revamps the series into a better direction and it's just been gold since. I like to see this series in that same direction, especially since I'm a fan of Suda in general. I like to think in the way where Valis II was different from Valis I, but is still a fun game nonetheless.
So overall? It's a welcome sequel and a nice improvement over the first which lacks the same "THWOK!" as the first game.
Still got some questions on my thoughts? Feel free to drop a comment. But, for now, I got to go drop a save and then take a save. What? BBL. Random images found by Gelbooru or my screen-capping. Sorry for lack of screenshots, just wanted to be cute for a change.
Oh it's Valentine's Day, right? Here:
Now, go spend money on someone like a sucker; again, I got good shit on video.
And speaking of... well, we'll get into that, shall we?
So without a doubt I'm just going to say this; My favorite Wii series (There's not much to choose from, honestly.) of all time created by one of my favorite game designers finally gets a sequel. Do I like it?
Short (obvious) answer: No shit. Fucking love it.
Long TL;DR Answer: For me to FULLY appreciate the game was like the subtitle itself: It indeed was a desperate struggle.
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is the surprise second entry from Grasshopper Manufacture, published by both Marvelous Entertainment and Ubisoft and from that fucked up mind of Suda51 (aka Mr. Killer7). I say surprise because... well, in order for you to understand, I need to backtrack to 2008.
Ok, so at the end of the first No More Heroes, Travis wound up fighting Rank 1, who didn't turn out to be Steven J. Blum, but rather Jeane, Travis' ex crush, WHO ALSO APPARENTLY IS HIS HALF SISTER. Travis was about to get his heart literally ripped out by his retrospectively-incestuous crush until one Miss Shinobu Jacobs, a young assassin of whose life was spared by Travis, crashes the party chopping off Jeane's hand, signaling Travis to finish her. Travis, with no regrets and just a small hint of being backstabbed, after wishing for her to be a better person in another life, puts an end to his aggressions with a few swipes. Feeling like it was finally over, Travis goes home to "save his game", only for that to be interrupted by that black dude from killer7, wanting to be-head Travis to be the new Rank 1. Of course, this doesn't play out well when a certain bastard from a cop-out fight shows up and kills him, sparing both Travis his life, and what little dignity he has left. Travis winds up fighting this guy, aka Sir Henry Motherfucker, aka the fucking snatcher, who turns out, in a cliche twist, to be Travis' long lost twin brother. Henry even points out that both you (the player) and Travis should have figured this out by now, considering it's one of the oldest cliches in the book. Speaking for the you (the player), Travis wants this game to end and to finally have a conclusion, but has no idea on how to do this. Henry re-assures since that Trav is the main character he's the only one who can find a way to end this game. More or less, Travis is like "fuck it." and Henry's all "Good." so they clash in the style of Rocky/ Bruce Lee, giving you (again the player) the assumption that they both offed each other, which that scene turned out to be a painting to which a young girl NAMED JEANE is being pulled on by her mother, WHO AT THIS POINT IS SYLVIA FUCKING CHRISTEL, so they can get going.
Oh, and by the by? Sylvia reassured us that there WON'T be a sequel and smiled. Suda51 said at one point the game was a one-shot deal. The game ENDS WITH A Back to the Future styled "TO BE CONTINUED." WHAT THE FUCK, at this point is what was running through my mind, considering it was probably one of the freshest video games I have played in a long while.
At this point, I kept staring at the screen like so:
Like most Suda51 games, the ending was supposed to leave you with an empty feeling, but No More Heroes was the closest to CLOSURE in any of his games I have felt in a long while, so I was pretty upset when the troll of the series (Miss Sylvia) told me not to bother forming a fandom over the game.
Wait, I actually thought about what I said: TROLL. By the end of the year, I was told Marvelous Entertainment (original publishers) were going to make an announcement. When I saw the familiar "Santa Destroy flag" I ALMOST pooped myself. Actually, now that I think about it....
For the first time in my life, there was a video game character that was a white version of me; just sat at home watching anime and playing video games during the day, has an excellent taste in T-shirts and aviators, and just lived his life the way he wanted, not giving a shit of what his peers (or lack there of.) thought about him.
Welllllllllllllll now it's 2010. A game that people deemed was "too shallow" is now pretty much the talk of alot of hardcore gamers, funny that. After the painful fucking wait (Just kidding, Bayonetta tied me over, and that is an awesome game, too.), I finally got home holding in my bag, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (Which I played a bit of before sinking my teeth into the main course.) and "Travis Touchdown's Fucking Atomic Wowee-Zowee Picnic 2010". I finally popped that bad boy in thinking to myself "Oh MAN! The first one surprised the fuck out of me! Maybe I can finally see what Travis was up to for 3 years! Oh man, maybe Travis will do Shinobu, or! or! Maybe it'll be like a samurai film where Travis kills the last guy and walks over to his friends and is all like "bang." and faints. OR SYLVIA IS THE FINAL BOSS! HO SHIT!" To say the least, I was surprised. I was VERY surprised. Not the bad kind of surprised, but rather more like... "Well, THAT SHIT was unexpected" kind of 'killer7-branded' mindfuckery.
I think this comic, drawn by some butthead over at Gamefaqs describes the insanity better than I can:
If you drew this comic, nice work, love the detail on Trav's face when he goes for the boobies. Still a butthead.
...ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration. But the plot is still pretty out there.
In fact, let's get to that. The Plot and the Bosses.
Now. In a straight-up video game, how it plays out is usually fucking FUCKING important; Oh sure, you can have the GREATEST STORY EVER, but if it plays like cock ass it don't mean SHIT. Well, I mean the story still counts, but then that game will be known as "Hey, That Cool Story that Felt Like a Monkey Strapped to a Chair With Duct Tape and Laced With Goof Balls Programmed."
I could name a few games off right now:
Brotha Says RELAX: I'm kidding... those games' stories all sucked anyways. Back on topic.
Pretty much, the gameplay in a Suda51 game isn't the most important thing, believe it or not (But it STILL matters...), but rather it's every single element - game, music, graphics, and plot.
The main idea behind Travis' adventure this time is simply REVENGE. Three years past since the events of the original NMH and we are greeted by a familiar character from a certain Seventh Entry of a Very Long RPG Series. Also, it should be noted, for those who didn't play the first game, that the scene is from the original trailer of the NMH1. So when the elevator reaches the floor, this spiky-haired bastard pulls out his gun and starts blasting away at the elevator, tearing apart the "coated dark figure" to which he finally sees there's no one in it. Looking around, he feels the cold steel of an unactivated weapon we've all become familiar with and a figure we've been waiting to see, just like this guy. The figure greets him (and I'm sure, in a way, us.) in his usual brash manner:
"It's called fashionably late, fuck face."
Do that to your boss some time when you walk in late, he'll reward you with "unpaid time-off forever", followed by a swift kick in the junk...
So this guy turns out to be the younger brother of the first guy Travis has EVER killed (Helter Skelter from the first game's trailer) and he's out for revenge. Travis doesn't remember his brother, and to add more fuel to the fire, goes as far as to declaring that the guy must have been REALLY weak and that he's only gotten stronger ever since. So now this Light-Buster-Saber wielding guy starts whining like an emo brat (Funny, that.) and declares that Travis won't get away with this. Travis simply tells him that when gets to hell, to remind his brother that he's a douche right before they jump into a battle.
Upon finishing the fight however, is when you do learn the name of Skelter Helter, this little whiny brat. (More on this "presentation" later.) Upon killing him it turns out you just got yourself back into the UAA; that's right Sylvia Christel comes back, wearing a modified version of Henry's old coat by the way, acknowledging to Travis that he's now ranked 51 (Save the "f-f-f-f-fifty boss fights" reaction, that illusion dies real fast. Besides, it's just a joke off of the creator's name.), but Travis isn't really too happy, suggesting that Sylvia at least explain what the hell's been going on, especially to you (the player). But Sylvia is pretty much like "Who the fuck cares about continuity" (Well, I do for one...) and promises Travis a BIG surprise if he jumps into the games this time. (If you recall, Travis only entered the UAA last time because he was promised some "Merry Christmas" from Sylvia Christel... of course, alot changed later in the first game that made him focus more on a new goal.) Travis really doesn't want to get tempted by some succubus in high heels, but alas - he's still a horny teenager in an adult's body, and she goes on to brag about her mad Yoga skills, stuff like Downward Dog (Hahahaha, aaaah man...). Upon teasing Travis via Blood Berry-pecking, Travis' weapon extends (I'm being literal, not perverted.) and declares he'll be the NUMBER ONE AGAIN!
And then, there's THIS asshole; Skelter's still alive after being beheaded (and having his head re-attached in one swipe.) setting the whole game's plot and overall atmosphere in motion, telling him that [OUR] plan will finally go through. He takes off his shackles of vengeance so to speak and throws them onto Travis, putting on a curse on him to feel the same pain that he went through, reminding Travis that for every one he kills, there's always a consequence. With that said, Skelter pulls his own head off and finally ends himself there, with a really deep-looking Travis pondering what he said.
Finally, we see a scene over at Beef Head Videos where a couple of thugs storm in to catch Bishop, Travis' oft-mentioned best friend, with his pants down. (Bizarre Jelly 5, am I right?) They came to collect, and by collect, they mean to deep-six him, and by THAT, I mean they're going to kill him. At a small point, you'd wonder, for a guy who is supposedly Travis' best friend, Travis never makes a big deal of it, nor brags about it in the first game, but I digress, especially in the part of the scene pretty much told me "Disregard that, you suck cocks."
With Bishop's last words "Travis...", his face catches bullet, letting the crimson spread.
The next morning, a bag crashes through Travis' window (That same window that seems to always be cracked into since the first game.). Travis opens up the blood-covered bag, wondering what the hell it was, to find his best friend's head in it. Upon crying his name out, the motivation for Travis' quest this time is set in motion.
Whew, that's pretty much the opening of this game; WAAAY different feeling than from the first one, yes? NMH2's plot is a more twisted, more fucked up (both good and bad), and darker setting than the first one; Which really is bittersweet at times when you know shit about the the bosses you go up against.
Yeah, I feel this is the weakest element of the game; in the first NMH, you actually KNEW ALOT on who you fought, from the MacSpeak splash right down to their witty anecdotes.
QUICK! Tell me, what do you know about Dr. Peace?! Right, he finally got to meet his daughter, who was disgusted at the man he became. Also that he loved Karaoke. Ok, how about Shinobu? Yeah, she did watch ALOT of samurai films, out looking for the man who killed her father (Which I felt that copped out on that too from the first game, especially when you think "IT WAS THAT GUY WITH THE OTHER BEAM KATANA!"). She is impressionable (More on her either later or in another entry.). And Bad Girl?
Well, she was just batshit. Oh shit, I made funny without even trying. (+1 to me. I'm soooo awesome.)
OK! Quick what do you know about Ryuji?! Huh? You don't know who I'm talking about huh? How about Mimmy?? You don't know who Mimmy is?! Well you sure would, if they had actually told you who you were fighting just like in the first game. But in a way, and ESPECIALLY after my second playthrough, that's menial; like Travis, later into the game, he's so fucking filled with rage, he just doesn't give a shit about who he is killing, just as long as he finds the guy who called the hit on Bishop. And since Travis is supposed to represent the everyman who isn't corrupted by greed and popularity, in a way, he represents you (again, the player.) and the more I just kinda felt for Travis' attitude in the game, the more, I too, stopped caring about some of the fuckheads I was going after, just so as long as I finally got closure for whoever did this to his best friend.
Closure. That's a funny word, that ironically, you don't TRULY get until you rethink it over twice. I say this because after playing through the game the first time, I didn't know what the fuck was going on. This alone just angered me when every just "suddenly ended", but upon watching the post credits cutscene, I raised an eyebrow and thought. "Wait... I didn't get that." So I played through again ON FUCKING BITTER THIS TIME, SO YOU DAMN WELL KNOW, I HAD BETTER HAVE GOTTEN MY MONEY'S WORTH. [/fuck-the-final-boss-ow-my-popeye-arms].
It's that second time I went over the entire story... that I got everything. I found enlightenment in Travis' story. It seriously opened my eyes on the ENTIRE plot, and not just the physical "go and kill those guys" plot; the focus of both this game AND THE FIRST GAME was simply this: Travis Touchdown's evolution of his self-being. This game really WAS about social issues. (Also, it helps when you finally realize what movie Suda was trying to spoof with the "phone-sex" cutscenes. Oh that man, and his Western movies.)
Of course, you'd think "I should have gotten it on the first run, right?" This is true, but with my experience with Akira, I can't be in that same boat. (For the record? Six times until I fully understood that movie. I was a dumb kid, shut up.)
Upon discussing this with my other friends, we started racket-balling ideas, theories and "no-shits" behind every little element in the game and in the series as a whole. It was then, I really REALLY can say that this might be one of my favorite video games series until I die. Streets of Rage didn't make me do that, Devil May Cry didn't make me do that, FUCK, I'm pretty damn sure that not even Sonic would EVERweeeeell, that "get up and go no matter what" attitude is what actually kept me sane in my childhood. And that same "Get up and Go" attitude has become the "Do What You Feel Like and Knock Over Who Ever Is In Your Way If They're Just Going To Slow You Down" attitude instilled from one Mister Touchdown.
He's quite the influential icon, if I do say.
I rabbit-trailed, I'm sorry. Onto the bosses, not much is known on them until after you kill them (Or when you finally make sense of certain cutscenes.). It's spoiling time, so let me list what I pretty much gathered:
Skelter Helter: Whiny kid who wants revenge for his big bro.
Nathan Copeland: An up-and-coming rapper who grows tired of the materialistic world and seeks the champion who cares not of physical recognition.
Charlie MacDonald: A prideful egotistical lunkhead who thinks he's God's gift to women. Also, giant robots.
Kimmy Howell: A huge Travis Touchdown fangirl who feels in order to impress him, she must dethrone him.
Matt Helms: A fat fucking bastard who likes killing people because of a past aggression.
Cloe Walsh: A lust-filled woman who mixes "pain" with her "pleasure." Also, what a dumb boss fight.
Dr. Letz Shake: GUESS WHO?! A human brain strapped to a glorified warhead who is surprised to see Travis Touchdown.
Million Gunman: A greedy old man who loves money. Under-developed boring characters is just that.
New Destroymen: That fucking cosplay bastard from the first game who is now TWO people and represents all unadulterated evil in the world. Also, a bit of a rapist.
Ryuji: A mysterious warrior who just seeks a strong fight. And man. Was THAT brutal on Bitter. Also, fuck motorcycles, am I right?
Mimmy: A figment of innocence. A turnip-headed loli anime girl with mecha arms? Oh, Japan.
Margaret Moonlight: REAPER, REAPER, THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE CALL ME!
Captain Vladmir: A cosmonaut who is also a bit delusional it seems, or stuck in his own world, rather.
Alice Twilight: A woman who is just sick of it all, and wants to learn how the "king" quit three years ago.
Pizza Batt Jr: FUCK HIM! FUCK HIM! FUUUUUUUUUCK. HIM.
So you learn the character either during the fight, after, or with a few, before the actual fight. There's actually alot more to it I'd rather not bore you with, but come to me personally and make sure you have a free two hours from your life for an extended character analysis.
Also, when you find out why Bishop's hit was call out, that's when it hits you that every LITTLE KILL has a consequence. Fucking deep.
Also, as spoiled by the marketing (Or what little Ubisoft did to market the game.), you do play as other characters. Well, "play" is a bit of a stretch, more like "help Travis out", but I believe this a personal reference to Suda's other project "Flower, Sun, and Rain". In either case, it was bittersweet, but I'll get into that when I describe the gameplay. Let me first dive into the purpose of the characters:
Shinobu Jacobs returns after being overseas in Asia upon from a wanked message of "I spared your life" to become the strongest assassin in that part of the world. She happily comes back when learning her "Master" has return in town wreaking hell again. Sometime while Travis was waiting for a "battle royale", Shinobu was told to help Trav climb the ranks so she goes after Gunman and BastardRider W (Only one person will get this reference.), as well as delivers a gift for her Master thanks to Bishop's other friend (HORY SHITTO! IT'S TV'S TAKASHI MIIKE!). And to show her dedication to the man who spared her life? Shinobu develops MORE than a crush on him.
Now this scene made me rage... ALOT. The first time. Because Travis? He pretty much says no, feeling REALLY weird about a "teacher-student" relationship that most anime-geeks would "HGFRGEDFDGJHKG" about, and I admit, I'm a "Toranobu" fan. Well, it makes sense; Nobu-cakes is 21 now and Travis is 30. BUT ONE CAN'T HELP BUT THINK: Had it been NMH1 Travis? Oh MAN. He would've Lupin'd out of his clothes onto that Chocolate Delight (I had to pause a bit after writing that, rubbing my temple.) and rode that all the way to Brown Town. (WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME?)
However, this is NMH2 Travis: It should be noted that Travis grows up ALOT after each fight. He doesn't care about the girl who shares his same hobbies or would literally take a bullet for him, oh no. He only cares about his own personal goal, and is pining for a girl who is pretty much damn impossible; THIS kinda hit home to me, considering that's a reflection on what most geeks are like in high school. I think what hurts the most is that Shinobu up and leaves forever when Sylvia calls.... oh SHINOBU.... I care at least....
That, and his bro was convulsing in his bed.
Speaking of, Henry. When you first see Han Solo, he's frozen in carbonite, thanks to Letz Shake. Travis, after making Letz Shake dead again, saves Henry, his rival and bro. Now, see, again, had it been NMH1 Travis, probably wouldn't hesitate on killing Henry right there... HOWEVER, NMH2 Travis has REALLY let what Skelter said get to him it seems, and even more, Henry's the only living family member he actually knows.
Anyways, in Henry's psyche, he confronts the angel of innocence, Mimmy, who pretty much asks him never to wake up and just watch over everything, almost to make him an angel or so. Henry pretty much says "fuck that" and becomes a fighter in his conscience, struggling to finally escape his coma. Upon waking up he is surprised to see that Travis, pulling his pants up after checking out his good shit on video, is the first person he sees after being out for God knows how long. Now he's sure that his brother is the one who saved him, and in a way, feels it destroys his pride. So how does he show his gratitude? Does he thank him? No. Once Henry gets up, he goes and steals three of Travis' kills, a cop out of boss fights in disguise. That fucking hurts, Suda.... but goddamnit, I still love you.
At this point, Travis and Henry's rivalry has been put behind him. Like Soan pointed out, no longer are they Dante and Vergil anymore. To me, they're more like "Megaman and Protoman". This is evident later on.
There's ALOT more to the story and boss characters, but that's for a later extended discssion; I could go one for ever, so I'll leave the story and characters at this image:
Though, I personally did not like fighting New Destroymen; just fucking annoying.
So how the FUCK does the GAME PLAY ALREADY?!
Some say it downgraded.... I... can't exactly agree with that, actually not at all; personally, the system has been up'd, although I definitely know what some people are talking about.
The system isn't really the same and yet it is; Smash A Button to combo your beam katana, raise the Wiimote up or down to do High Strikes or Low Strikes, and blocking is initiated by holding down Z, which is also the lock on. By the by, the "Beat" system from the first game? That's gone, thankfully replaced with an actual combo system; Smash B to throw punches and kicks. Mixing the both of these with increase the chance to daze an enemy, and hitting B will trigger you to go for a grab, somewhat like in the first game. You can also pick up downed enemies, stomp their ass to get more money, and just plain ol' mix up your strategy.
You can still DarkStep like in the first game, but it got super nerfed. In the first one, you were granted both invincibility and high-speed slashing. In this one, you can still activate it the same way, so as long as they're not in the middle of still attacking because that will fuck you up I learned. But once you master the new Dark Step, shit becomes easier.
There's also a new system introduced, the Ecstasy gauge. As you fight on through enemies, your "tiger" starts waking up. When he becomes red and glows white on the outside, hit the "-" button and prepare to go fucking nuts; Mash A on an enemy and Travis will cancel out his own attack animations to warp around the enemy, and depending on what katana you have equipped, the attack and speed plays differently.
Yeah, Travis can now switch out his katanas on the fly, ranging from wicked fast (The Rose Nasty dual-katana) to the new "nailbat" of the game (The slow-but-punishing Peony), with his trademark Blood Berry and the Tsubaki mk. III in between. So with better combat, how is the AI?
Well, Suda didn't lie; the AI is better, to the point where it can really piss you off. You got ALOT of tanks (Fat guys and muscle dudes), the fucking gun bastards (TAKE THEM OUT FIRST BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE.), ninja-type enemies (The guys who dual wield a weapon and jump all over the place rolling and dashing... assholes...) and the normal types. Stand beat-em-up stuff, but these enemies play dirty; some will try to hold you down while another takes shot on you, or some will literally beat the money out of YOU. You'll get punished for anything stupid you do in the game, which on the first run? Will happen... alot. The game teaches to seriously read 'animation cues' or else, well, punishment time.
Also, at one point, you relive 80s anime via giant robot battle. Technically speaking, it's nothing spectacular, if anything, pretty cut and dry basic. But as an idea as a whole? HOLY FUCKING SHIT, I'M RIDING IN A GIANT ROBOT. Even the cutscene leading up to it made me laugh.
Most of the boss fights are unique, be it good or bad. But I won't get back into that.
Like in the first game, Travis can activate "Dark Sides of the Bizarre", though to a point one is nerfed as well, specifically Blueberry Cheesecake Brownie; the wonk controls just really make that the worst one for me; Strawberry on the Shortcake still slows down time and I believe increases range depending on weapon, Gooseberry Sugar Donut is the new "Anarchy in the Galaxy", Travis screams "BASTAAAAAAAARD" and kills everyone in the room, and Cranberry Chocolate Sundae? Well, ever get so pissed off that you felt your beast within will get unleashed, killing all those who stand in your way?
Yup. Happy Chinese New Years, bitches, it's Year of the Tiger. It's cool to see your foes try to run. Probably my new favorite Dark Side.
Oh and to charge is the same way:
Press 1 and wack it.
So yeah, Travis handles good, but about Shinobu? Wellllll.....
...there hasn't been a reason for Suda51 to add a jump. There STILL isn't. That said, that is the most awkward jumping I've had to deal with in recent history; it's not even a straight line. I do, however, love her dash, her quick slashes and... well. Go save her game. Surprisingly? The jump does save you in New Destroyman's battle. Trust me.
And Henry? Goes by to quick, but I will say this: If he was a full character, he'd be a fucking cheat code.
In a way, I could have done without switching off the characters, but for the sake of story it works.
You know the funny thing? The "worst" thing from the first game was the "GTA" poke. Well, that overworld is gone completely from the second game, but.... is it nuts that I miss it? I understand that Suda makes fun of alot of popular video games to the point of mocking them, but I would have liked to see it make a return, but considering about everything that made it into the game, that might have actually been physically impossible. Anyways, now you've got a map to get to the clothing store, missions, revenge missions (they're like the short missions from the first game... sorta.), Hooty McBoob's Lab, Jobs, and The Gym.
Ah, the jobs. They're all done in the style of the golden era of console gaming, from exterminating, to cleaning up space garbage and cooking. No lie, though, I only found my self doing Bug Out and Pizza with a Vengeance because A). Bug Out is a fucking easy money nest and B). I love Mach Rider and Outrun. And the new Muscle and Stamina training? MOTHERFUCK. The Stamina I can deal with (I can press Z and B just fine.) but Muscle?! REALLY? That is, like, the most unfair way to power yourself up. Ok, yeah, heaven forbid I have to work for my fucking upgrade, but when you fail the sixth one constantly on the account of speed changing, delaying, hitbox bullshit? HUH? I know a few people who are proud to say they maxed out their muscle: well woop-de-doo zigzag! I preferred lifting weights, thanks.
That said, not exactly my favorite aspect of the game. You do get rewarded with a pretty balls-to-the-walls Deathmatch after completing the game. Oh, and Bitter mode. But only play that if you, like me, complain too much on how games these days are too fucking easy. Boy, that taught me a lesson.
But enough on the gameplay; I could go on and on about it all day; basically it's improved but if you're not prepared it could be VERY strenuous.
The graphics, in MY opinion? They've also improved the character models as well as the effects (Right down to the tiny after spark on the cuts you make.) and well? Really push the Wii into what it can really do; from hazy dreams to punk transitions and sprite-based moments. However, I noticed that in certain moments, there's a bit of graphical "pop ups" for some background business, specifically noticed this in the ending which then told me '...well, I can understand why the they probably didn't want to do the city thing again...' and some parts in the background, they got a smidgen lazy, but otherwise, I can't complain. Visually speaking, No More Heroes is the most punk-looking series ever.
Here take a look:
Click to viewYeah, it's blurry cuz of Youtube. Really, I'd say it's a different thing when you see the game up close on your Wii. The game looks cool, and I also think it sounds cool.
It's everything you'd expect like in the first game with a twist: witty and clever dialogue spoken and voiced perfectly? Fuck yeah, American Cartoon Voice Talent. People like Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Strong, Debi Derryberry, and Robin Atkin Downes add more personality to characters that, as mentioned before, you'd have forgotten less they spoke about themselves. All the sounds, the blips, and the sword slashes are all there and fit as well, pretty much Jun Fukuda did his job. And speaking of the one half of the usual music duo, where IS Masafumi Takada? No where to be seen in this project, although some of his music from the first game is in here.
BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER BECAUSE AKIRA YAMAOKA COMPOSED THE ENTIRE SOUNDTRACK. THAT'S RIGHT, THAT SILENT HILL GUY FROM KONAMI DID EVERYTHING ON NMH2. HE EVEN WENT BACK IN TIME AND INVENTED 8-BIT MUSIC! HE CREATED DONKEY KONG, THE PRESIDENT, SURFING AND HE INVENTED GIANT ROBOTS.
AND THE INSTANT PIZZA. [/inside-joke]
By now, you think I'm completely out of my mind. Shame on you, that's the first thing you SHOULD HAVE known about me.
However, though, I'm not lying when I say that, yes, Akira Yamaoka's work is contributed to this game's soundtrack, which seems to be more "punk" then "80s club" this time around. In fact, ALOT of people contributed to this soundtrack, including stuff from "Dark Sides Album" and alot of catchy boss-tunes (REAPER, REAPER!) and not so catchy. (Chloe Walsh, man. You just suck.) The 8-bit styled music shows up alot in the minigames, but my personal favorite is the RANK UP music this time, I play this on my stereo anytime I do something cool before leaving a store and ride off in my car:
To save you the trouble on "recognizing" the tune after beating the game, it's an "8-bit" version of the ending theme, "NO MORE NO". It took me five days to figure that out.
So yes, the soundtrack is a different beast, but nonetheless I fucking loved it. It fits any situation that is going on when its respective track is played, and hell sometimes? I just look forward to the boss fight full well knowing I am going to hear that cool tune! *Pictures a 2D pixel version of himself running down, hopping over that bastard he cut in line he knocked out, and starts pop and locking MC Hammer style as he moonwalks his way to 8-bit DDR and it transform into a fucking meteor and he starts dancing it towards space.* (!?)
Soooooooooooo, you still with me bro? Cool. Overall, in case you missed it, I loved this game personally. Would I recommend it? Why not? It's cool, even if it has its flaws. Would I have done things differently? Without a doubt, I would've approached the story completely differently, but hey, I'm not in the business exactly (...yet.), but this game has taught me what works and what doesn't work for a brawler. Really, if you own a Wii, go out and pick this and the first one up; I feel to truly enjoy this game, you'd have to play both and judge it as a whole and not really separately; like a game that compliments the other one or so.
So for those who didn't exactly like it, think of it this way: like back in the day, some sequels were known to completely change their direction entirely which makes a split in the fandom, a first I've seen in the NMH community, a majority seeming to like the second game. But in the third game of a series, it completely revamps the series into a better direction and it's just been gold since. I like to see this series in that same direction, especially since I'm a fan of Suda in general. I like to think in the way where Valis II was different from Valis I, but is still a fun game nonetheless.
So overall? It's a welcome sequel and a nice improvement over the first which lacks the same "THWOK!" as the first game.
Still got some questions on my thoughts? Feel free to drop a comment. But, for now, I got to go drop a save and then take a save. What? BBL. Random images found by Gelbooru or my screen-capping. Sorry for lack of screenshots, just wanted to be cute for a change.
Oh it's Valentine's Day, right? Here:
Now, go spend money on someone like a sucker; again, I got good shit on video.