February 4th, 2008 by JSnake
Big world
No More Heroes features a rather large game world that the player can traverse to get where they want to go. Players utilize Travis' motorcycle to get around the huge city. Unfortunately this is one area where the game shows some sloppiness. It is quite empty and it can take a while to get where you want to go. While there are the occasional secrets to find -such as hidden Lovikov balls that can be traded in to learn new abilities- you may not even bother as it is a hassle to get off your bike every few minutes to retrieve a ball or punch open a dumpster. The game world would work much better if players could just point and click on a landmark and they'd be taken there instantly. As it is, it merely feels like a way to artificially lengthen the game.
Stance
Fortunately, that is where No More Heroes' gameplay flaws end. Once you have paid your entry fee, you are treated to a thirty-minute long level full of bad guys to hack and slash your way through. This is truly where the game excels and is enough to wash away the bad taste of what you went through to get here. Travis wields a beam sword with which he can attack by pressing the A button. Players can alter the way Travis holds the sword by pointing their Wii Remote towards the ceiling or pointing it in front of them. The point of this is that holding the sword up-high can break an enemy's low block and vice-versa. It is a shame that most enemies will usually perform high blocks so you never really need to change your stance.
Fortunately it doesn't really matter: mindlessly slashing up enemies and watching the blood fly everywhere is incredibly satisfying. What is cool is that when you have depleted all of an enemy's health, you will get the chance to perform a finishing move. An arrow will appear on the screen and all you need to do is flick the Wiimote in the direction that it is pointing. The screen will freeze for a split-second, the action will slow down, and Travis will either slash the enemy's head off or rip them right in two. When the blood flies, the player is given an immense feeling of satisfaction and it never gets boring cutting enemies into two. You do it again and again and again, and it is always incredibly fulfilling. There is nothing really gross about it either, as the blood is cartoony and the amount of blood is so large that it is just laughable.
Bosses
Once you have completed a level, you will finally face off with the next assassin on your list in a boss fight. The bosses have lots of personality and charm and they are all unique. Fighting them is always a surprise and a lot of fun, and you never know what kind of person you will be fighting next. For example, one assassin is a magician who fights you with various magic acts. One of his tricks is jumbling up your controls so that all your movements are reversed. Unfortunately, the bosses aren't very difficult. Once you know their moves, it is all a matter of dodging and then unleashing a barrage of attacks as soon as their guard is down. Aside from one exception, all the bosses will fall to this strategy. A bit disappointing perhaps.
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