Day 234, Game 234 - No More Heroes

Games being overlooked or under-appreciated is not an uncommon thing, especially in this day and age where so many games come out so frequently, it's almost impossible to keep up with all of them. Just look at this blog for example, as I am the gold standard right now of not giving the really good games the proper amount of love necessary to fully explain how much I appreciate the really good ones. I try hard not to undervalue a game here, but with the responsibility of playing a new game, a different game, every single day, it has become quite easy for me to overlook games. It's just the truth, unfortunately. 

Sometimes, games get overlooked because of the console they are released on, especially when they aren't multi-platform games. The Nintendo Wii is notorious and now infamous for having a plethora of great games that completely went under the radar for the only fact that it was on the Wii. Somehow, despite the overwhelming commercial success of the console, the "hardcore" gaming audience never quite embraced the console or it's non-Nintendo published games, thus creating the stigma that the Wii was only good at playing Nintendo games. Excellent third party games got lost in the mix over the Wii's remarkable run in the industry, one of which I decided to go back and play again: No More Heroes.

I remember when this game came out, everyone was quite surprised that Suda 51 decided to develop it for the family-friendly Nintendo console. Gamers wanted this game for the bigger platforms, but since it wasn't on the PS3 or the Xbox 360, it didn't gain much traction. This of course is a travesty to the game itself, because for what it's worth, it is phenomenal. I almost forgot how much I enjoyed this game back then until I had the pleasure of going back and playing it again. I couldn't be happier that I did. 

It is kind of an open-world exploration type of game, except it's not. It has a layout and feel like a Grand Theft Auto title, except it is actually quite linear, which ultimately, is a good thing. It's not a game that I wanted to be open-world, as the it revolves around essentially building up your character's stats and weaponry, if only to conquer the boss battles. That's where this game shines: the bosses, and on a greater scale, the characters within the world. 

Travis Touchdown is the protagonist in the game, who is one of the coolest characters in a game in a long, long time. He is foul-mouthed, uncaring rebel of a guy, who loves wrestling, martial arts, video games and comics. He is a character that is essentially the encompassing embodiment of the "core gamer" personality time that this game is targeted for. He's not your typical hero, as he sort of falls into his hero role in the game, with of course ulterior motives behind it. 

The dialogue and art style of the game is electrifying as well. It is clearly a Suda 51 game, and while it definitely lives up to its "M" rating, which the violence, language and sexual innuendos, none of it seems to take away from the game itself, but instead, adding to the universe and the characters that fill it. It's endearing, in a mature type of way. 

I could go on and on about this game, but really, it's a game that should be played to fully experience it all. If I just told you all about the game, that would defeat my purpose for talking about how under-appreciated games sometimes can be. If you still have a Wii, and haven't played this game, go find it and give it a chance. You owe it to yourself to take a step back once in a while and really appreciate the games that deserve instead of always playing the games you think you're supposed to. 

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