No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise Game Details
It always seemed unusual that Japanese developer Goichi Suda chose to bring the original No More Heroes title to the Wii, and the Wii alone. Now though the game has finally sought to make the transition to the PlayStation 3, complete with high definition graphics, Move compatibility and all new game modes. Has the transition proved successful in this remake in the somewhat unusual action franchise? If you never played the original, we certainly think so, but as to whether there is enough of an improvement to warrant an upgrade? Probably not.
Storyline
Travis Touchdown is a wrestling enthusiast and anime obsessed geek who has essentially decided it’s time for a new career, as a professional killer no less. You will play as Touchdown, armed only with your trusty Katana sword and ready to climb the ranks in a ladder competition for that coveted title of ‘ultimate killer’. Obviously things will get messy along the way as you strive to move from the United Assassin Association’s 11th position to that number one spot.
Gameplay
It seems that the creators of No More Heroes have a thing for motion sensor control, as it is with the birth of the PlayStation Move that this title has come to the PS3. Not to worry if you haven’t upgraded to that new technology yet though, as Heroes Paradise can also be played with the traditional DualShock controller. If you have played the Wii version of the game previously, you will certainly find the Move controls easy to adjust to as control is almost identical. The analogue stick on the sub-controller will handle your movement, while the Move button will take care of your attacks, and can be held down to charge up an advanced attack for use on your opponents. Surprisingly enough, despite a Katana being your weapon of choice, you won’t be swinging the controller much at all. That motion is saved specifically for those times when you will perform an execution.
Should you opt for the standard DualShock controller instead you will find gameplay just as intuitive. However even with this method of control you will find instances where you must actually shake the game pad in order to charge up an advanced attack.
Although the standard gameplay pretty much follows the original Wii game, there are additional modes to keep you more interested in the PS3 version. For example, the Rebout Mode will allow you to jump in and challenge any of your former foes once again, and the Viewer Mode lets you enjoy any cut scenes that you have already watched again. There are also extra boss characters to be found in Heroes Paradise that were not present in the original title.
Graphics
Heroes Paradise is advertised as incorporating updated high definition visuals, however at times this game does look a lot like a simple upscale of the original Wii graphics. There is not much original art of modelling to be found within the game world at all, so don’t look for anything groundbreaking in this title. Having said that the finished environment does look reasonably polished, and all of the animations seem fluid and well designed.
Conclusion
This PS3 game is certainly complete and functions smoothly throughout. It may not offer much more than the original Wii game, making the expense of an upgrade questionable, however if you are new to the series and looking for a good, if unusual, action game then Heroes Paradise could certainly fulfil your desire.