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No More Heroes

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8.4 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 64 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 135 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture

Genre(s): Action

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: January 22, 2008

Summary

No More Heroes tells the story of Travis Touchdown, an anime fan who lives in the fictional town of Santa Destroy, California. After an unexpected turn of events, Travis finds himself at the bottom of an Assassins' organization. Travis will have to prove himself worthy and defeat 10 other bloodthirsty killers – all with deep stories of their own – to make his way to the top of the assassin's league. [Ubisoft]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

G4 TV

The real triumph of Suda 51’s surreal, occasionally obscene romp is that behind all the cynicism, satire, and gory ultraviolence lies a true joy of creation that is too rarely seen in gaming. In playing No More Heroes, one gets the impression that the development team truly enjoyed making it, that no idea was thrown out for being too ridiculous or far-fetched, and that it is intensely aware of its own absurdity at all times. The excellent fourth-wall shattering ending is proof enough of that.

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100

The Onion (A.V. Club)

F...ing awesome.

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Cheat Code Central

No More Heroes delivers two things the Wii is desperately lacking: top-tier mature gaming and pitch-perfect swordplay for a peripheral practically tailor-made for the purpose. Throw in infectiously fun gameplay, incomparable style, a wicked sense of humor, and a level of unhinged wackiness that makes Britney Spears look like the poster child for normalcy, and you've got a sure-fire Wii winner.

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NGamer UK

Like the Wii, none of it should work, but like the Wii, everything does. Brilliantly... No More Heroes is a love letter to videogames that never grows old, tired, or dull. All games deserve to be designed with such lunacy. [JPN Import; Feb 2008, p.56]

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GameShark

A truly satisfying adult game on the Wii—which is a true rarity. This game may not be everyone’s cup of tea with the violence, language and mature subject matter that hits you from everywhere, but despite the rated R subject matter, there is no denying that this is one of the best games available on the system.

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Gaming Nexus

The first time I heard about No More Heroes I was figuring I would get something similar to Killer 7 and that I would absolutely love it. Turns out I was right, I do love No More Heroes, despite the flaws it exhibits it still gets key things right, a strong story, memorable characters, style, and fun combat that doesn’t get boring.

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Worth Playing

The narrow appeal of its surreal setting won't make fans out of everyone, but if MIDI music brings a misty tear in your eye and you find yourself fencing against your shadow while watching Ninja Scroll, then No More Heroes could be what your inner swordsman is craving.

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Play Magazine

It's derivative, stark, and brash. But the game succeeds because of its swagger. [Mar 2008, p.54]

Games Master UK

A tad rough around the edges, but this is as daring and original as Wii gaming gets. [Mar 2008, p.80]

n-Revolution Magazine UK

This is a rough game, but it's also funny and self-deprecating, inventive and massively rewarding. If more games had personality and style like No More Heroes does, the world of games would be a much more interesting place. [Issue#18, p.76]

Edge Magazine

It can be a little basic in places, and it isn’t a ‘paradigm shift’ in any sense, but it is proof that games can love their roots and use the quality of being a ‘game’ to give form to their stories – and excel at it. [Feb 2008, p.90]

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GameSpot

SUDA-51 has delivered a game that can match its absurd premise with equally stimulating gameplay, making for one of the most unique and satisfying action games in recent memory.

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GamePro

No More Heroes easily ranks among the Wii's finest titles, busting a bunch of myths along the way. You say sword-based combat peaked with Twilight Princess? Wait until you slice a suit-wearing crony in half. The Wii can't do mature games? This game does it without the dark dreariness of just about every other violence-laden M-rated title. It could use a bit less filler, but No More Heroes is still a fine fight from the first blow to the last strike.

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Zentendo

The characters are engaging, fun, quirky, messed up, and easy to either fall in love with or hate. Santa Destroy itself is full of so many nooks and crannies that any player anal about that kind of thing will easily be able to spend several hours searching for hidden back alleys for dumpsters and lovikov balls. The game is fun, easy to grasp, has a lot of replay value (trust me), and tells an engaging story.

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games(TM)

We’re tempted to say that there are few Wii games as deserving of your attention as No More Heroes but then there are few games as good as this on any platform. [Mar 2008, p.124]

Gameplayer

The best feature of NMH has got to be the visceral combat system.

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NTSC-uk

There can be no more complaints from gamers looking for a unique experience when gems such as this are out there to be sampled. Miss it at your peril.

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Gamestyle

Faults do exist, but the core gameplay more than makes up for it and finally confirms that Nintendo aren’t the only development studio who can make a stellar Wii game.

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Cubed3

No More Heroes is like nothing else.

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Eurogamer Portugal

Despite adhering to a stiff game plan, gathering money through jobs and assassinations in order to enter the association's assassin's ranking matches, No More Heroes manages to always leave the player on his toes, both on account of its mature humor and satire and its solid gameplay.

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IGN UK

The more you invest in exploring No More Heroes’s minutiae, the more you’ll get out of its singular mode of story telling – there’s barely a lump of on-screen furniture or intentionally duff moment here that doesn’t have some relevance to proceedings.

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Console Gameworld

A great adult-oriented game for the Wii that takes the genre the farthest it can go on the console.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

No More Heroes is a punk video game: it’s loud, violent and actively rebellious, and it’s so goddamned fresh and fun it shames every other Wii game aimed at mature gamers – and even more that aren’t.

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Official Nintendo Magazine UK

Its style and sense of humour turn a simple slash 'em up into something genuinely enjoyable. [Mar 2008, p.64]

Console Monster

Sure there are a couple Star Wars rip offs such as the beam sword and some of your enemies looking like they wear storm trooper helmets, but all-in-all this is a unique game, with just the right amount of motion controls that gives enough in cast, speech, game-play, and story to keep you wanting more.

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netjak

It seems at long last, Suda 51 was finally able to take his vision for video gaming and put it in a form that's actually unquestionably fun to play.

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Play.tm

While the plot may be simple in theory, for example, the dialogue is wonderfully eccentric, and always keeps you glued to the screen.

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PTGamers

We definitely need more games like No More Heroes, able to shake mentalities and exist beyond the simple definition of "videogame".

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IGN AU

There are issues with the sensitivity of the motion controls – as there are in almost every Wii title, and the overworld is a vacuous waste of memory with some terrible pop-in, but when you excise that from the combat scenarios, the humour, the style and the creativity that seeps out of most elements in No More Heroes, we can't help but get enthused about this game.

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Destructoid

One cannot play through the game without noticing its various flaws, but by the time you’ve simultaneously decapitated four bad guys in one glorious, motion-controlled sword slash, those flaws will be all but forgotten in the flood of gruesome, wacky fun which No More Heroes has to offer.

GamerNode

There's nothing else like it.

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Game Revolution

Simple, stupid, silly, and easily the most fun I’ve had on the console.

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The Wiire

This is an experience people been waiting to have on the Wii for a long time - heart-pounding, sword-slashing, sword-parrying, suplex-flailing motions with a light saber, sorry, beam katana in hand. It may not be 1:1 ratio motion, but the experience can be just as exhaustingly fun.

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GameTrailers

The game boldly wears both its heart and its punk rock attitude on its sleeve, and manages a totally playable action control scheme for the Wii that uses the Wiimote without abusing it. The game is in some ways covers a narrow range and could definitely push farther with its open world concept, but the killer vibe and amazing moments make this heroic effort worth checking out.

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GameSpy

One of the most gleefully "WTF" experiences you'll have in gaming this year. How many games offer you shadowy agency figures named after porn stars, obsessions with masked pro wrestlers, and a violent weapon that borders on copyright infringement, all while "Heavenly Star" from Lumines II plays sporadically throughout the game's shopping locales?

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Eurogamer

In a fight between games as metaphor and games as entertainment, we need to feel like the winners. There are times in No More Heroes when we don't, but there are enough occasions when we do, and by the time you're the best assassin in town you'll either be glad that the destination was always worth it or arguing that it deserves another mark. Either way, you do at least win.

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GameTap

For all of its hiccups and its bloody personality, Heroes is the most fun you can have with a lightsaber without using the Force. Moreover, it serves as a reminder that the Wii's creative potential is broad, and that there are developers out there who are not afraid to play rough and get a little crazy.

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GameDaily

The best way to approach No More Heroes for the Nintendo Wii is with an open mind. It's a mesmerizing game with lots of blood-spilling action, but it's far from mindless.

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Video Game Talk

Travis' journey upwards in the ranks of the UAA provided some of the quickest, most viscerally charged gameplay made available across the board. Its only faults lie in its decision to focus more on the luridly uncomplicated gameplay than further expansive depth.

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Thunderbolt

No More Heroes joins the ranks of other video games that were too smart and/or bizarre for their own good. Gamers who enjoyed the head trips that were "Metal Gear Solid," "Katamari Damacy," and "Persona" will feel right at home with No More Heroes.

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NintendoWorldReport

No More Heroes is the weird result of a Japanese man obsessed with American culture who has created an American hero obsessed with Japanese culture. It's a reflection of a reflection, and both mirrors are distorted and covered with graffiti.

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GameZone

It’s too bad the open-world element wasn’t fleshed out more, because this game could have been spectacular. NMH is the Wii’s first third-party classic and anyone with a Wii should seek it out.

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ZTGameDomain

It’s not the best game on the system – but it’s the most original.

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Nintendo Power

Hardcore action gamers shouldn't let this one sit on the shelves. [Mar 2008, p.85]

Gamervision

No More Heroes isn't an amazing game, but the experience of playing it can be described as such. From beginning to end it maintains its humor and will consistently surprise you with a new plot twist and imaginative characters.

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Gamer.nl

Since the announcement of No More Heroes it was clear that this is a special game. Good humour, nice fights and a great graphic style makes this game a real quality product. Although the game has some minor points, it's a 'must-have' for everyone who likes the genre.

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AceGamez

It may not be perfect, but No More Heroes is a great game that every action-loving Wii owner should experience.

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GotNext

There's a rare occurrence with most games that are so unique that their shortcomings are heavily outweighed by their strong points. No More Heroes could likely be at the Mecca of a root of examples of this, as it's glaring technical problems of framerate issues and repetitious play are heavily overshadowed by the sheer fun you'll have chopping people in half with your beam sword.

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PALGN

Would have scored higher if the PAL version had been the complete version, but still a must buy for any 18+ year old Wii owners with half a brain cell.

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Pelit (Finland)

A game that stirs up mixed feelings. The sword fighting is fun and the quirky originality of the dialogue, style and atmosphere make a lot for the negatives, namely the boring side jobs and the dead GTA style city. Also the visuals are a mixed bag. The cartoony characters look good and the retro touches are wonderful. On the other hand many places are bland and down right ugly. The bloodless European version feels neutered. Still overall, No More Heroes is a positive and refreshing experience. [May 2008]

Game Positive

No More Heroes is like the kid you went to high school with who had his own style, and he didn't care what anyone else thought.

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Extreme Gamer

No More Heroes exclusively takes over the Wii being one of the only Mature rated third party game that is worth picking up besides Resident Evil. Even if you’re not sure how you’ll like the Travis and the gang, it’s worth a rental to see.

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IGN

It’s hilarious, completely matchless in its design, and hands-down one of the most passionate projects we’ve seen for Nintendo’s console. On the other hand, it’s obvious that open world designs aren’t Grasshopper’s strong suit, and while you wont be actually fighting or experiencing any “pure action” moments in the world, it’s a pain to trek through, and a painfully low-tech visual offering. Pop-in is everywhere, control is irritating at best, and the frame rate is all over the charts. It’s an absolute mess.

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Electronic Gaming Monthly

You'll find way more pimp than punk here. [Apr 2008, p.72]

Nintendojo

Many games become constrained and overridden by technical flaws and design problems, but No More Heroes breaks through with a cast of characters and story that exudes style and imagination.

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1UP

No More Heroes is practically two entirely different games mashed together. One is a funny, smart, stylish action game that never fails to entertain. The other is an open-world game that fails so completely in every regard that, despite all appearances, it's easier to question the developer's intent than it is to accept that it's what they were going for. Fortunately, you barely have to play that second game to enjoy the first one.

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Maxi Consolas (Portugal)

The least you can say is that this is a unique title with some genius moments. But the open world sections do more harm than good and the levels leading up to the assassins seem to lack some inspiration. But it’s still a unique experience that all Wii players should consider. [March 2008]

MEGamers

No More Heroes is a very good game with some very disappointing glitches and let downs. You will enjoy this game for at least one time if you manage to survive the dull mini games.

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VideoGamer

A funky, fun third-person hack and slash marred by some boring open world side-missions. It's no more simple, or complicated, than that.

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GameCritics

If you squint past the explosions of blood, forget about being forced to earn money, and ignore the brainless enemies waiting their turn to be slaughtered, it's hard not to admire the cackle and curled lip of a creator who's got big ideas and isn't afraid to use them.

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The New York Times

Heroes alternates these exciting, frenetic assassin hunts with painfully tedious sections in which you must raise a battle entry fee by performing chores like wiping out a nest of thugs or, quite oddly, mowing lawns and picking up garbage.

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Gamer 2.0

Somehow, in spite of this laundry list of faults, No More Heroes has some mystic element about it that makes it worth playing.

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Kombo

The story, characters, combat system, theme and the overall weird factor of the game are the main reason to check it out. However, that you must face a very poorly designed hub world to progress into No More Heroes and experience these things is unfortunate.

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Game Informer

It’s a unique take on open world play, and its almost nihilistic fixation on violence for the sake of violence has a satirical and darkly comedic edge. Unfortunately, the repetition and lack of substance behind the flash left me cold.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 135 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jason H. gave it a9:
I thoroughly enjoyed this game. Granted, the town was pretty lame, the fighting style got a bit repetitive, and the quests were simple and tedious, the Style and presentation more than makes up for it. The boss battles were by far the most epic and impressive battles I've played. The game is over the top, but that's what makes it fun. It's as if the age of 8 bit graphic games, the world of anime, and pro wrestling have been mixed together. So yeah, the game has some serious flaw, but the pros of the game are THAT impressive that I've given it a 9. Honestly, it's just plain fun.

Russ gave it a10:
Anyone who says this game is bad, doesn't know how to have a good time. I'd suggest not hanging with them anymore. This game is quirky as all hell and just as fun. Sure there are some flaws and some low oints but the whole game is a satire. I'm not saying thats an excuse but you should just take the time to enjoy the world of Santa Destroy. Its a fantastical journey through the realm of imagination and a time when gameplay mattered most.

Andrew C. gave it a9:
This is my favorite Wii game. The controls are good and unique to the Wii but are not overdone. The graphics aren't "shiny", but the unique story and gameplay is what makes this an instant classic. This game is a fresh look at video games and has many references to pop-culture. A must have for any Wii owner (who can but M rated etc.)

Matt D. gave it a6:
Moments of entertainment interspersed through a largely mediocre disappointment. This could have been so much better.

[Anonymous] gave it a9:
Very fun beat-em-up style game. The boss battles are not only fun, but unique. The only shortcoming is the repetitive nature between ranking matches, elsewise, is a fun and enthralling game in the similar light that Killer7 (made by Suda51 as well) was.

Bill W. gave it a6:
Have you ever gotten a gift in a big, shiny, gift-wrapped box only to find that the box contains a sweater? That's the experience of No More Heroes in a nutshell. It's a fine button-mashing Final Fight style game, but there's really not much to it beyond that. There are collectibles which don't really do too much, the wide-open game world is inhabited by....NO ONE, the irony-dripping atmosphere gets tiresome and the minigames -- which really could have saved this game -- lack variety and quickly become tedious. This is another of SUDA-51's games which seem to be something of an inside joke. I get it, it's just not funny.

Damon T. gave it a2:
Ok, this game looks cool, but it was very repetitive. Press, a, a, a, a, . swing. BORING. I played it for a fews hours and returned it for a trade in.

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