Much has been made about the Wii being a "kids' toy", or a "party fad for the casual gamer", or even "a showcase for Nintendo's first party titles with extremely poor third party support." Well, I'll attempt to describe just how incorrect No More Heroes makes these statements.
Before renting No More Heroes, I waited a few months. It seemed like an interesting idea, but there was so much talk about Suda 51 making such odd games that it took me a bit to take the plunge. After playing for about 15 minutes I wished I would've just purchased the game outright. The control is great, the story is unique, the action is awesomely crazy, and the tone is a splendid mix of adult and ridiculous. This is the game that adult Wii owners have been waiting for, and it's exactly the title that the Wii needs.
I don't want to go into too much detail because figuring things out is half the fun, so much so that I played 80% of the way through the game without knowing about several extras that make the game even more fun, including moves and additional items. In fact, Suda 51 almost wants you to miss things because there are so many things that are not in the instruction manual or even mentioned in the game (especially additional moves, counters, etc.). Along with a great story that mixes Kill Bill , Japanese Otaku, and GTA, these items make this the best third party exclusive title on the Wii yet (I've heard good things about Zack and Wiki, but I highly doubt that game is this good), and it's not even close.
As I've mentioned, the game plays a bit like GTA in the fact that it's an open world "sandboxer" with a mission based system. It's much different from GTA in that the game is based around the boss fights, and they are fantastic! Each boss, or assassin, has there own unique personality and fighting style with just the right amount of challenge. Other reviewers have complained that the "jobs" or missions to collect cash to unlock the next fight take away from the pacing of the game, but I couldn't disagree more. The game is all about over-the-top fun, and the jobs are no different. I never felt like they took too long or got boring, and they play like mini-games to add variety and let you kill time and purchase addtional clothing, weapons, etc. if you so choose.
The graphics are not mindblowing (in fact, in several places the game plays homage to classic video games in very cool ways), but that is not the point of the Wii and Suda completely understands this; this game is all about the style of the graphics rather than the quality and they really enhance the ridiculously cool vibe of the game. Even the music and sound effects somehow manage to be great without being spectacular in the conventional sense.
Suda 51 proves his Wii development mastery by absolutely nailing the motion controls. They never feel overdone, or forced, and they only enhance the fun of the game. The "death blows" and wrestling moves (both of which use motion controls) feel exceptionallysatisfying to pull off. Striking with the Katana Beam is done with the A button and the B button is used to stun the enemy and grab them to perform wrestling moves. Different Katana Beams have different combos and attributes, and there are several wrestling moves to "remember", so the fighting always feels fresh and fun.
No More Heroes will take between 15-20 hours to finish depending on how many extras you choose to unlock, and after you're done you will likely want to play through again on "Bitter" difficulty. I can't say enough good things about this game; it's one of the Wii's best games. Suda 51 says that he would love to make a sequel, so do all Wii fans a favor and buy this game to help him fund another one. The Wii and the video game industry in general need more unique games like this. This is a great purchase at the normal price, but the price has been reduced to $30. This is a ridiculous value for an outstanding game.