No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle - Review

Written by Chad Grischow Wednesday, 03 February 2010 23:52

User Rating: / 4
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 In the mid-nineties, alt-rockers, Bush bemoaned, "There's no sex in your violence".  Someone get Mr. Gwen Steffani a copy of No More Heroes 2 immediately.  So much for the idea of Wii as a 'kiddie' console...   

Travis Touchdown is back for more, after finishing the first game on top of the United Assassins Association list of best assassins.  The story finds Travis initially rejoining the ranks as a way to get into bed with, UAA agent and his brother's wife, Sylvia, but quickly finding more fuel for his katana-swinging fire.  You start at rank 51 and must fight your way to the top, with more enemies standing in your way because, as Sylvia puts it, the first game's success made assassinations trendy.  At its core, Desperate Struggle is really just about a last-man-standing fighting tournament, but the way the developers weave a worthwhile, albeit odd, story throughout the game is impressive.  Travis may have a dirty mouth, amazing sword skills and more raging hormones than an entire junior high school district, but his reactions to some of the deeper issues in the game make him feel human, rather than just another slice-and-dice videogame character.  The story is well-told, though the final resolution feels unfortunately tacked on and lacking.  Still, all else they do so right makes it easy to forgive the final unsatisfying moments.   

Travis is the star of the show, but the city of Santa Destroy is loaded with personality.  There are really fifteen enemies to slice through to make your way from 51 to 1 in the ranks, but you would happily slice through a full hundred bosses if they provided them.  Each boss feels unique, with their own eccentric flair.  From the football jock who turns into a Voltron-esque mech, thanks to his cheerleader groupies, to the time-confused Russian astronaut, to your biggest fan, who wants to kill you to prove she how much she loves you; the writers did an excellent job crafting interesting personalities for each of the fifteen bosses you take on.  Though the actual battles themselves occasionally lean on the easy side, with the majority putting up a good fight, they make sure you will not forget any of them anytime soon.  First game favorites, Shinobu Jacobs and, Travis' twin brother, Henry even show up as briefly playable characters; with Shinobu taking on two bosses and Henry taking on a demon of his own.   

The game removes the frustrating open-world concept of the first game, in favor of a menu-based map to move Travis around Santa Destroy.  You still can head to the gym to upgrade Travis' health and power, purchase new weapons, or perform side-jobs for cash, but it is much easier to do so here.  Side-jobs are no longer mediocre in-game chores.  Instead, the developers created classic 8-bit style mini-games for seven of the eight jobs Travis can take on, each with its own blippy score.  The simple and addictive minigames will likely add several hours to your playthrough.  From the Wonder Boy inspired Coconut Grabber to the Ghostbusters-like Bug Out, it really feels like some of these minigames could have been full-retail hits back in the days of NES.  Even the gym is handled in an 8-bit style, forcing you to stay on a treadmill changing direction to up your stamina or punch weights (and dodge kisses) to increase strength.  If you tire of the jobs, training, and outfitting Travis with the latest clothing at the local store, you can simply head to the motel to keep your cat in shape with minigames to stretch, massage, or play keep-away with your overweight cat.  The strangeness in your motel room does not stop there, with a top-down arcade shooter based on an imaginary, risqué anime series to play on your TV or wrestling moves to learn from newly-discovered issues of wrestling magazines.  Add ten unlockable revenge missions, a deathmatch mode and an additional difficulty after your first completed game, and there is plenty to keep you busy here.   

Anyone that has ever doubted the enjoyment possible with motion controls needs to get this game immediately.  There is some mindless waggle involved, but the game smartly saves most of it as a recurring joke.  Your beam katana, the bastard lovechild of a sword and a lightsaber, runs off a battery that occasionally needs recharging.  The phallic meter in the upper right of the screen is your indicator of how strong the battery is, and when the meter goes limp it needs some attention.  Charging your beam katana is about as dirty as the controls get, as Travis 'jerks' the sword rapidly around by his waist as you waggle to recharge the beam's battery.  The corresponding grunts and groans from Travis add to the hilarity.  Most of the fighting action is handled with the A button to slash, and Z button to lock-on and block enemy attacks.  There is the option to slash upward or downward with the Wiimote to make Travis attack.  Though it is optional, good luck not using it more than the A button; it simply feels too good when slicing through a swarm of baddies as you wave the Wiimote triumphantly.   

The B button is set aside for melee attacks most times, but when you manage to stun an enemy, it unleashes Travis’ inner-wrestler; as directions for the nunchuck and Wiimote motions fill the screen.  The fighting mechanics are simple, yet satisfying.  As Travis piles up chains of attacks, an ‘ecstasy meter’ fills up; in the form of a tiger.  When the tiger is roaring, you can hit the ‘-‘ button to initiate a super slashing mode to do more damage.  More entertaining is Travis’ super attacks, triggered by defeating any enemy with a wrestling move; which opens a slot machine display.  There are five special attacks available, dependant on what jackpot Travis hits.  Like a real slot machine, you will not hit a jackpot every time.  The feeling of turning into a tiger for the ‘Cranberry Chocolate Sundae’ makes the non-winners worthwhile.  The tiger attack paints the screen in an appropriately pulpy yellow tint, as you pounce through the level killing enemies in a single swipe for several seconds.  Other attacks, like the ‘Gooseberry Sugar Doughnut’, sending waves of beam energy in all directions to kill nearby enemies, are just as powerful but not as interactive.  Most bosses have a fifteen minute stage full of lesser enemies to destroy on the way to the main fight, and the fact that you never tire of slicing off their limbs is a testament to the lively, entertaining controls.  The couple of levels near the game’s conclusion that do not feature lead-in battles actually leave you disappointed.   

The game controls exceedingly well in battle, but feels a little clunky outside of it; with Travis occasionally having a hard time simply walking to collect an item from a chest.  The biggest issue is with the platforming added to correspond with Shinobu's jump ability.  Just because Shinobu can jump does not mean the game is built for platforming.  The camera issues in the game are largely held in check thanks to the auto-lock ability when in battle.  Taking that away reveals a dicey camera system that does not quite seem to operate correctly unless you are moving in a straight line.  When not locked in, you seem to need to use the ‘C’ button to center the camera a bit too frequently.  Since Shinobu is only available on two levels, it is a minor issue; but one that makes those two levels an unnecessary headache.  The game can also be played with a classic controller, but the motion controls really are half the fun here.   

The game's over-the-top sense of humor comes off brilliantly thanks to great voice acting.  Lines like, “Everybody deals with grief differently.  Some people f*ck at funerals, I cut off heads”, could be moldy cheese in the wrong hands, but comes off hilariously badass here.  It is so good that you miss the few points in the game that lack voice work, like Ryan's Gym.  The game is obviously proud of its boob physics, and is not afraid to show them off any chance it gets.  Scantily clad women are a recurring theme here, with enough cleavage here to keep a teen gamer glued to his Wii for months.  The game looks pretty good, with its stylish look doing well to mask the limitations of the consoles.    

No More Heroes 2 is wacky, intoxicating, and an absolute blast to play.  There are a few blemishes, but nothing that will prevent you from happily slicing away until the third installment.   

8.8/10