No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle

Genre: Spectacle Fighter

Players: 1

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Review:

No More Heroes 2, like its predecessor, is a Spectacle Fighter, with this game having originally released for the Wii in 2010. However, unlike the first game, No More Heroes 2 never got ported to other platforms until 2020, when it was ported to the Nintendo Switch. For the plot of this game, Travis Touchdown is back in action after getting to the top of the world’s best assassins list and then ditching the scene at the end of the first game, brought back into action due to a chain of revenge perpetuated by the families of those Travis killed in the first game hunting down Travis and killing his best friend. Oh, and also he might get to try out “yoga positions” with a sexy girl after making his way to the top of the list a second time. Yes, suffice it to say, this game flirts with a serious story here and there, but mostly it’s the same silly immature attitude from the first game.

Yes, that means you’re in for the same absurdly exaggerated, hyper-masculine, hyper-juvenile “toxic masculinity”-fest as the first game, for better or worse. And as I said in my review of the first game, that’s not a knock on the game, as Travis being kinda’ a despicable man-child is clearly the point (he’s pathetic, and that’s kinda’ the joke), but I still feel the need to mention it because it is nevertheless sure to displease some players, and I feel it’s only right that you should know what you’re in for with this game.

One of the game’s earliest boss fights, for example, has you busting in on the guy while he’s chilling with two scantily-clad ladies… ladies who the guy flings at Travis through the air, with Travis slicing through them on one side while the guy slices through them on the other side, the two men clearly only concerned about one another and not even blinking at their scuffle eviscerating the poor ladies and leaving their heads rolling on the ground. So yeah… trigger warning for anyone who’s likely to be upset by that sorta’ thing.

However, if you’re not put out by the hyperviolence, misogyny, or immature sense of humor, you’re in for quite a treat, because No More Heroes 2 improves on the first game in virtually every way, addressing many of that game’s issues while delivering the same great action and expressive personality that were highlights of the first game.

Much like the first game, No More Heroes 2 is a Wii-era game, but the three years that separate this game and its predecessor made for a noteworthy difference in its graphical presentation, with more detailed characters, better textures, better environments… it’s still all a bit dated, but not nearly to the same extent as No More Heroes 1. Also, this game doesn’t seem to have the same drops in framerates and the nasty aliasing that the first game did. In short, this is a game that’s not quite up to par with modern AAA releases, but it’s not too far behind either.

The graphics aren’t the only thing to see a marked improvement here. The gameplay here feels all around tighter and faster-paced, and while the first game’s transition of motion controls from the Wii to Nintendo Switch were already pretty good, here I felt they were outright phenomenal. As far as I was concerned, playing this game with motion controls felt smooth and natural, as if the game were always meant for Joy-Cons in the first place. Of course, as with the first game, players who fer to play without motion controls have the option of using a more traditional control setup, but I’d strongly argue that the motion controls still make for the better experience here.

However, it’s not just tightening the controls that makes this a better game. No More Heroes 2 also completely streamlines the game structure, and it is so much better for it. Gone is the pointless and time-consuming open world of the first game, replaced with a simple, straightforward menu here. What’s more, the underwhelming minigames of the first game have been replaced with 8-bit-inspired minigames that are far more engaging here. I could absolutely play an entire game based on the pipe minigame here, for example.

If there’s one complaint I could still make about No More Heroes 2, it’s that the camera is still a mess, but beyond that, there’s not too much I can fault this game for.

I know a lot of players missed out on No More Heroes 2 when it was originally released, as it came somewhat later in the Wii’s life cycle. However, its release on Nintendo Switch gives players a whole new chance to enjoy a brilliant Action game anew. If this game’s protagonist and presentation don’t offend your sensibilities, and you enjoy a solid Action game, you should absolutely play this game, as it has the same outlandish style and amazing combat that people loved in the first game, but it addresses the majority of the issues the first game had. Definitely worth a look.

tl;dr – No More Heroes 2 improves on the first game in nearly every way, delivering the same great action and outlandish presentation, but with better graphics, better controls, streamlined game design, better minigames… really, the only thing I can find fault with here is the game’s camera is still a pain and the visuals are a bit dated. However, aside from that, this game is an all-around fantastic Spectacle Fighter that should be played by anyone who enjoys the genre… at least as long as they don’t mind a lot of misogyny and an immature sense of humor.

Grade: A-

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