No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

2 years have passed since renowned developer Suda 51 and his team at Grasshopper Manufacture told the story of anti-hero Travis Touchdown and how he found himself fighting through the ranks of the United Assassins Association and becoming the number 1 assassin in Santa Destroy. It's now 2 years later and the team have returned for a sequel, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, and have brought even more over the top action and insane characters to battle against. But is this a worthy successor to Travis' original anti-hero story or is it simply destined to fall in battle?

Gameplay

Taking place a few years after the first game, Desperate Struggle starts with Travis Touchdown nowhere to be seen. After the success of the first round of assassin battles, Santa Destroy has seen much development, mostly at the hands of a shady organisation, and assassin battles are now running rampant throughout the city. With Travis nowhere to be found, said organisation hires some goons to kill Travis' best friend Bishop, the owner of the anime video store from the first, in the hope of flushing him out. When Bishop's head turns up at Travis' apartment, it pushes Travis over the edge and he vows to get revenge on those who killed his best friend. The provides the grounding for the majority of the game's action, with the United Assassins Association headed by Sylvia Christel returning to torment and push Travis towards his ultimate showdown with the person behind Travis' killer. Expect a few twists and turns as characters from the previous game turn up for cameo spots and expect the usual sexual tension in the dialogue between Travis and Sylvia as they push the story forward.

Taking a more streamlined approach to the gameplay this time around, the game's sandbox overworld has been replaced with a map system. Some may be disappointed about this move but it allows the game to keep you moving between ranking battles or side missions with more ease. The gameplay as a whole throughout all of the ranking battles remains largely unchanged, with you continuing to take control of Travis in his search for revenge. You'll make use of his now trademark beam katana, with several variations returning again with the most noticeable inclusion being the ability to wield two beam katanas at the same time. These are freely accessible when playing through missions, with a press of the 2 button and then moving the cursor to the katana you want with the analogue stick, and each adds a layer of strategy to the gameplay meaning some will work best in certain situations and so you'll need to assess the situation first before making your choice on which weapon to use. Similarly, the introduction of a new slot machine mechanic adds a further layer of strategy to the gameplay as defeating opponents will fill up an ecstasy meter and if the slot machine gets three identical symbols, you'll be granted a powerup such as being able to attack really fast while everyone else more in slow motion or the ability to turn into a tiger and maul your opponents to death. It's a small touch but one that makes the gameplay remain fresh throughout the proceedings.

Following a similar path as the last game, you'll have to take Travis through a series of ranking battles before he can exact his revenge, this time the rankings going from 50 down to 1. Unfortunately, you won't battle through 50 opponents to get to the top spot, with a few of the ranking battles finding sly ways of packing in more of the ranked opponents to fast track you through the rankings. Nevertheless, the ranking battles remain the star of the gameplay with the usual obscure and weird character designs we've come to expect from Suda 51 making up the mix. Highlights include taking on an American Football quarterback and his female cheerleader cohorts in a mech battle and a battle against a female prisoner who can spit clouds of poison at you, all the while looking like an advert for S&M gear. The roster seems to be more female heavy this time around, with the game having a heavy focus on the female anatomy, but there is a good mixture of characters this time around.

Also appearing this time around are a couple of instances where you'll get to go hands on with two other characters, namely Shinobu and Henry. Each of these changes up the way the game plays, with Shinobu being able to jump and Henry being able to dash. These parts are interspersed into the gameplay at points to alleviate some of the wear of the Travis sections and show how masterful Suda 51 can be at crafting a game by doing such. Side jobs return, although this time around they are far more enjoyable than last time. Each of the side jobs, from cooking meat perfectly for expecting customers to laying pipes, are created in an 8 bit style that makes them a real treat to play through. While you no longer need to play through these to gain money for the ranking battles, you'll find yourself drawn to them as they are such a joy to play.

Clocking in at around the 10 hour mark, Desperate Struggle might strike some gamers as being a little on the short side but those 10 hours are filled with some fantastic gameplay and moments that will make gamers want to play over and over again.

Controls

The same control setup used in the original has been brought forward for this sequel. It worked well there and needed little improvement and as such, the game plays virtually identically in the sequel as it did in the original. The majority of the game is button based, including all movement and attacking, and works extremely well, although the introduction of platforming sections for Shinobu are made difficult as a result of poor jumping mechanics and some mediocre camera controls. The issues with the controls do carry over to the rest of the game, when playing as both Travis and Henry, however they're never as bad as they are when playing as Shinobu. It was an issue with the original title and remains one here and while you can move the camera yourself, it's hard to get it into a position that can be of help. Unfortunately, there is no way around this but the developers have done the best they can with the buttons available.

Motion is used sparingly, as it was in the original. Moving your Wii-mote from a horizontal position to point either upwards or downwards allows you to change the height of your attack in game while context sensitive gestures, making use of both of the Nunchuk and Wii-mote, occur when finishing off an opponent or for wrestling takedown moves. These uses of motion are well implemented and feel more like an extension of the gameplay rather than an afterthought and results in some ridiculous, over the top finishes for your opponents. All in all then, the control setup remains as focused and well rounded as it was, never posing any real issue outside of some camera problems.

Graphics

The game continues to push the otaku and punk vibe of the first game, with character models being heavily influence by both of these ideals, something with comes through more in the ranking battle encounters but can still be seen throughout with even the most minor of characters. As a result, character design remains as flamboyant and over the top as it ever was with some truly memorable character designs coming into play that will leave you scratching your head and wondering how the game's designers could have come up with such characters. All character models have seen a slight upgrade and now look slightly more natural than in the first game but overall, little has changed, although the introduction of breast physics and a camera that at times feels perverse in its obsession with the female anatomy do create some strange and amusing visual moments.

Locations are restrained to the areas of the ranking battles, with the overworld replaced by a map system. It's a slight disappointment but in its simplicity, it keeps you going in the right direction with plenty of things to do. The locations show a decent amount of variety, from a university campus to a prison situated on an island to a haunted house, and look good for the most part, although texture work still looks a bit on the blurry side. The use of a heavy sepia filter for both the locations and characters ultimately makes certain parts of the game look worse than they should do, making things look blurry and accentuating blemishes. It would have been nice to be able to turn this off but it's something you'll have to learn to live with.

The 8 bit mini-games carry the same vibe as the rest of the game and visually, they look great harking back to years gone by and even incorporating some of the graphical issues which could occur in games of that era to give it a further level of authenticity.

Sound

As with the visuals, the audio continues where the first game left off, incorporating the original game's title track, as well as some of the smaller pieces, while piling on plenty of new music that is heavy on the synthesisers and guitars. There are some truly memorable pieces of music, just as there were in the first game and so all gamers will find something of interest to them. The use of chiptune tracks for the 8 bit mini-games again creates an air of authenticity and they sound similarly great, and even incorporate some voice work that is purposefully terrible to match up with the era the games are aiming for.

Many of those who gave their voices to the first game have returned to reprise their roles here and it all sounds fantastic, with a script that flies in the face of the gamer, at times breaking the fourth wall and even referencing those that are playing, and creates some interesting moments in the dialogue, some of which will make you laugh and others which will just make you cringe.

Final comments

Sequels don't always manage to compete with their previous titles and rarely do they surpass them but with No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, developers Grasshopper Manufacture have managed to raise the bar on the Wii with what can only be described as a true gamer's game. New boss encounters that crank the already over the top action onto another level make for some truly memorable moments and the style and flair that the game exudes in its otaku and punk ideals, as well as in the much improved side jobs, make this a must play for action game fans on the console. It's brash, it's bold and at times it'll make you feel uncomfortable but it's always a joy to play. This is Suda 51 and his team at their best.

Pro: Fantastic gameplay with some truly memorable moment, 8 bit mini-games are as fun to play as the main game, presentation still nails the otaku and punk vibe
Con: Does drag slightly towards the end and some may find it slightly short, in game cutscenes are prone to some frame rate issues, camera can be an issue
Final score: 8.7

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