The lights are on
The original No More Heroes garnered fairly lukewarm feelings around the office, but we were genuinely impressed by the huge number of improvements and refinements visible in No More Heroes 2. Looking to discover how they went about making the game so much better, we talked with Goichi Suda (i.e. Suda51), the CEO of developer Grasshopper Manufacture.
I read some interviews before No More Heroes 2 was released where you seemed reluctant to be working on a sequel. Did you not really want to do a second game at first? What ended up changing your mind?
I hadn’t planned to do a sequel at first, but the more I thought about Travis, I started to really like him. Then I wanted to keep writing his story and make a sequel.
While the original No More Heroes was probably your most accessible game so far at the time, No More Heroes 2 is even easier for a wider audience of gamers to get into. Was this something you had in mind while working on the sequel?
We received a lot of feedback on NMH1 from fans, and tried to include that feedback in NMH2. It helps us to improve the game and push it to the extreme to make the game even more fun and action-packed for the fans. The main areas we focused on were enhancing the combat system and making the game much speedier all-around. With NMH2, I wanted to create a game that makes people enjoy even just thinking about the game.
I loved the 8-bit games as side jobs! Where did you get the idea to do that instead of the regular, in-engine side jobs from the first game?
The UI and result screens were 8-bit style in the original NMH1. I was not satisfied and wanted to have more 8-bit style in the game itself. So when we started with NMH2, we decided to make some of the side jobs into 8-bit games. We initially only intended for a few of the side jobs to be 8-bit style, but during the process of development, our team got carried away and ended up making almost all of the side jobs (except one) into that style. I think it turned out well.
While you clearly seem to draw on anime and other video games to help create some of the funnier parodies in No More Heroes 2, you also have those dark, sort of sexy flash-forward segments before each boss battle. Those seemed very inspired by film noir. Were there any specific movies, TV shows, or anything else that were inspirations for No More Heroes 2?
I was very much inspired by the movie called Paris, Texas. The main character in the movie was also named Travis. This movie is one of my favorites of all time.
Also, the composition of some of the intense fighting sequences was inspired by a Japanese movie called Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Hiroshima Deathmatch.
No More Heroes 2 continues the first game's tradition of some really crazy boss fights. My personal favorite was the returning boss, Destroy Man. How did you decide who to bring back for the second game? Is there anyone else you wish could have returned but you couldn't fit into the game?
I like Destroy Man a lot too. Before writing the script for NMH2, I knew that I wanted to make Destroy Man return. Another character I liked from NMH1 was Doctor Shake, a boss character that players couldn‘t fight in NMH1. I wanted fans to actually be able to play against this character this time around. I personally wanted to see a Bad Girl again. There were five other characters I had in mind which were not selected as boss characters.
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I can't wait to try this game out I was a huge fan of the first on and I want to see how the double beam katana controls work
i still have to get this game. cant wait! the first was awesome!
sucks he avoided the one controversial question
God, Suda so cool. I really hope he finds the audience he deserves someday. If I would have asked him a question, it would be 'If not another NMH on wii, could we expect another Wii title sometime? Either that or if he was considering a sequel to any of his older work.
No More Heroes sales are near half a million, which is great for the type of game it is.
Wow. Great interview. I really liked the world Suda created. You will never see things in NMH in any other game. And the double beam katana are pretty badass
There was a 360 version of NMH1? Was it released in the U.S?
@Peter: It's in the works in Japan right now. No announcement of it being brought to North America as of yet.
The sales info for NMH2 on VGChartz is depressing right now. Granted, NMH 1 was definitely a slow burn kinda game (like most Wii "hits"), but managed 400+k units sold eventually. NMH2 currently stands at a 1/10th of that (40k), which is pathetic. Where are all the fans? Where's the word of mouth? Game publications can't shut the eff up about Bayonetta's tacky madness for a month and yet no one seems to be pushing NMH2 like that - you gotta shout about good wii games at the top of your lungs for gamers to hear about 'em! Not to mention, Ubi Soft hasn't been advertising it at all - even Tatsunoko VS Capcom has had commercials on, during wrestling, on Spike, Com Central, Adult Swim, the usual suspects. Come on Ubi Soft; it's your title, support it!
It should also help that the game is effin awesome. A definite improvement over the first game (though it doesn't instantly outdate it, they're just too different) that looks better, plays better and has more content. Plus it has good classic controller controls, so there's no excuse to not play it. This game needs to move at least 300k units. Come on fellow gamers! I realize you probably play your 360 or PS3 more (at least that's my situation), but you also probably have a Wii in the house. Instead of acting like a smart ass and posting on some forum the tired cliche of, "My Wii's collecting dust", bust out your wallet for once. You're only gonna buy like 4 wii games a year - NMH2 should be one of them!
this actually looks pretty good, AND ITS FOR WII
I loved almost everything about this game except the boss you fight right after the two fights as Shinobu
I can't wait till Marvelous and FeelPlus bring NMH2: Paradise to PS3, complete with Arc controls. This series really needs to be on consoles where games are actually bought, and played, by gamers. Don't hate the game, hate the "player" - and in this case, NOA is to blame. They've completely squandered the potential of the Wii, and there's no audience for it. Except for those 'tards who bought it for Wii Sports, and don't buy any other games. I love this series and wanna see sequels until they run out of ideas (aka; not annualized sequels), but they won't come unless these games sell, and they simply won't on Wii.
Eff Nintendo, and their whole uber casual/don't advertise way of doing things. Until Reggie Fils-Aime gets fired and a good president shows up, they're dead to me. I'll be merely renting their Zeldas and Marios from now on. They don't deserve my money; Gamefly does.
The problem is that everyone with a Wii either (a)couldn't and/or is in a house where people can't handle this game or (b)is too lazy to dust their Wii off. This looks like a great game, but I'm hampered by (a). Dang.
I hope that the first one gets picked up for 360 just so more people can play it...
Nice interview. It's interesting that if given the opportunity to develop a third one, he wants it on the Wii or Nintendo's next console.
I think your wii hate is a little out of place Vinsanity. Nintendo is not responsible for advertising other people's games. I think JKer got it right, the real problem is most people have little kids in their house that use the system more than they do and they feel weird loading up ultraviolent games. Look at Red Steal 2, its already generating more buzz then No More Heroes2 ever did. Don't go thinking that teen rating didn't have something to do with that. I wish the would release both T and M versions of games for this reason.
Wow. I really hope this is as good as the first one