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Heroes and Villains |
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In a shower of blood, Travis Touchdown returns, armed with dual katanas and a swag of sexual innuendos. STACK spoke to Suda51, aka Goichi Suda, about bringing us No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle |
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Were you surprised with the success of the original No More Heroes?
Suda51: I would not say it is a complete surprise of the critical success of the original NMH – when you make a game you always think to yourself that it is good. We knew early during development that we had something original but it was very good when all the excellent reviews started coming in.
The game was well received in the West. How was it received in Japan?
Suda51: NMH was well received in Japan, although not to the same levels as it was in the West. Maybe this is because the game is set in the West Coast of America, or that it has a very Western feel to it. Either way, it performed well enough for us to come back and make a second game!
Why did you decide to keep No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle as a Wii exclusive?
Suda51: The controls used in NMH are really tailored for the Wii, and since we made the first NMH on the Wii we already had a base of knowledge to work from.
Will prior knowledge of the first title be necessary to understand NMH:2?
Suda51: Not at all, and we pretty much explain it as so in the introduction of NMH:2, when Sylvia and Travis are talking to each other.
Where did the major influence behind lead character Travis Touchdown come from?
Suda51: Travis is the guy everybody wants to be – he’s cool but still a geek at heart. He likes wrestling, video games, anime and hot women. I actually wanted to create a Knoxville-type character and the inspiration came when I was on the toilet, that is why I used that image as a save point in the game.
How has Travis Touchdown evolved as a character?
Suda51: Travis is older now, more battle-hardened than when he started the first game. There is a threeyear gap between the two games and in that time he has just been relaxing, so he’s out of practice, but his outlook is more cynical now than in his first ever fight.
There is a great selection of 8-bit styled mini games in NMH:2. You have done more with them this time around...?
Suda51: The mini-games were always a big part of NMH and they had to come back for the sequel. However, I didn’t think they were as easy to play in the first game as I would have liked, so I decided to make them reflect some of the in-game graphics. The menu, loading screen, ranking screen are all in 8-bit style and I thought it would be nice to have the mini-games in that way as well.
Will NMH:2 support the Wii MotionPlus?
Suda51: NMH:2 will not support MotionPlus. We looked at this in the planning stages, but although the game does feature motion controls, it is not to the extent that MotionPlus is needed, so we decided to concentrate on other areas of the game.
Why did you opt to omit the free-roaming aspect of the first title?
Suda51: I wanted NMH:2 to have a faster pace, to go from action to action. I felt it took the player too long to get to their objectives and it really broke the pacing of the game, so I decided to streamline it by allowing the player to just jump to where they want to go.
From what we’ve seen, the game is filled with humour – especially the motion you have to perform to charge the katana with the Wii Remote. Have you had many comments on this?
Suda51: I have always set out to put in as much humour as I can into NMH, some of them work great and some not so great. In NMH:2 I wanted to keep what was great and build upon it, so that the game is full of violence and sexual references, but also makes you laugh – it is a nice balance and shows that we do not take the game too seriously.
Discover No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle at JB Hi-Fi » |
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