If the Wii isn’t HD, then can we consider the Playstation Move the HD Wii? It would appear to be, at least to some degree, as a few past Wii-exclusive games are making the hop over to the HD PS3. The first game being No More Heroes, which gets an updated port on the PS3 entitled Heroes Paradise. I’ve got my hands on the game and got some play time in already, but how does it stack up so far compared to the original Wii title? Read on and find out.
First things first, I am actually NOT playing the game with Move controls. Why, you ask? Well, because I don’t own the Playstation Move. That being said, I’m enjoying the game with just the Sixaxis controller. If you’ve never played the game, or the original, here’s the basics of the story: You are an up-and-coming assassin that has been tasked with becoming the world’s number one ranked assassin. To achieve your goal you must gather up enough money to fund a fight between yourself and the next ranked assassin, with the end goal of killing said assassin that stands in your path. Cool…
The big draw to the game for me was the stylized graphical style and the absurd amount of violence seen in the trailers. Let’s first talk about the graphics. I am a fan of the amount of color seen in each character and area. It’s a cliche now-a-days to say games are too full of blacks, browns, and dark colors, but it’s only a cliche because it’s true. It is refreshing to see all the hues in No More Heroes. This PS3 version features improved HD graphics over the Wii title, and I can see that there’s a nice crispness on everything over the older version. Edges don’t look choppy and the blood (every gallon of it) looks nice and stylized. That being said, I actually did run into some graphical hiccups while playing. When riding the motorcycle, if you crash and fly off, the game takes a massive frame-rate hit. It’s a bit strange to see a game on such a powerful system as the Playstation 3 have graphical latency, but it is what it is. I can easily get over that small problem.
Glorious violence! No More Heroes makes it well known that the game is rated M right off the bat. Your lightsaber-like Beam Katana makes ripping through enemies as easy as cutting butter. And 10 times as fun! Instead of the Wii-mote being used to to slice through enemies, you use the buttons on the PS3 controller, and flick the R3 button (Right analog stick) to execute the gruesome finishing moves. The game handles well, and the explosions of the juicy red stuff onscreen lets you know your dishing out damage, and in a good way. The whole experience is visceral and fun.
I’m not a really big fan of the sandbox game. Grand Theft Auto III and the subsequent blockbuster sequels never floated my boat, and No More Heroes has sandbox elements when you’re not fighting ranking matches for the UAA. You can hop on your bike and explore the town, finding hidden packets and picking up odd jobs to get more cash to enter the next fight. It’s an alright system, and it definitely keeps things from getting monotonous. Picking up coconuts, making deliveries, and the spare assassination mission prove surprisingly profitable, and before you feel like you’re playing an entirely new game you’ll be back into the murderous swordplay in no time. Lastly, I think the throwback elements to older games, like the sound bytes, 8-Bit sections of the game, and even the over-the-top story make me like the game more. Whenever a game tickles my retro-bone I have to give it some love, and No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise definitely does.
I really can’t see that many differences in Heroes Paradise over the Wii version. Aside from the graphics, things seem relatively the same. The different controls were a given, but even playing with the regular controller is a good experience. That being said, I can’t really see any reason to play this game over the Wii version if you’ve already played it. Heroes Paradise is the better version, but there’s nothing here Wii fans can’t claim they’ve experienced years ago. Look for a full review soon 🙂
Laters,
Jsick
