Travis Touchdown is the world's newest assassin. His weapon of choice is a "beam sword" (light saber), and in a change from the likes of Altaïr and Agent 47 Travis is a loud, outspoken, sexually obsessive anime nerd, and No More Heroes is all the better for its over-the-top presentation and characters.

No More Heroes' story is a basic one. Travis is the #11 assassin in the world, and it is his goal to kill assassins 10 through 1 to be the top-ranked assassin in the world. After the first of ten assassins is defeated Travis is allowed to roam about the city improving his skills, upgrading his beam sword, buying new clothes, and improving his stats via simple mini-games. Everything done in No More Heroes - assuming it is done correctly - rewards the player. Your targets must be taken down in order, but there's no penalty for roaming around the city between assassinations. You can roam around the city between encounters, but be prepared. Once you decide to go after a target that level begins and you can't leave until the level is over. You can (and should), however, save right before the boss.

No More Heroes is the first Wii game I've played that just wouldn't be the same elsewhere. Travis' stance is determined by the position of the Wii remote - horizontal for low and vertical for high. Taking a page from the Zelda handbook, the nunchaku Z button locks on to enemies and moves Travis with respect to his foe. The A button instigates a beam sword attack, and the B button makes Travis perform a weaponless (either a punch or kick depending on stance and charge) attack. Both attacks can be charged, and each have their advantages and disadvantages. Beam sword attacks whittle away enemy health faster but result in a loss of battery power while weaponless attacks are harder to land but can result in a dazed enemy, giving you a prime opportunity to perform a suplex. When the beam sword's battery is exhausted it is useless and Travis must either charge the sword in a vulnerable state or rely on his weaponless attacks for the remainder of the battle; that being said it's always a good idea to charge your sword after an encounter.

No More Heroes bucks the trend of "Wii games are for kids." It is bloody, it is violent, it is crude, it is full of sexual and toilet humor, and it is wonderfully surreal. Suda 51 doesn't pull any punches, and No More Heroes is cut from the same cloth as Suda 51's GameCube masterpiece, Killer 7. After an enemy's health is depleted, Travis enters deathblow mode and with the successful completion of a simple QTE sequence will decapitate, slice in half, or otherwise dismember his foe resulting in a shower of blood and money.

What really sets No More Heroes apart though is that it is a fun third-party game - a feat matched only by Zack and Wiki and Elebits on the Wii thus far. Battles are satisfying and rewarding, minigames are fun, Travis Touchdown - despite being a crude jerk - is immensely likeable thanks to great characterization. He's the bad guy you root for because he's just that much fun to watch. NMH's 10 bosses are all unique, fun, and challenging. If you're looking for a Wii purchase that isn't licensed or aimed at the under 10 crowd then No More Heroes is a must buy - doubly so if you enjoyed Killer 7.

Feb 7, 2008 | 7 comments
Justin Last