No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle brings Travis Touchdown back to the town of Santa Destroy, this time for a personal reason. After the death of a close friend, he throws himself back into the assassin ranking, except now he starts all the way down around fiftieth place, so the road to the top is longer and full of rivals just as bizarre as in the first game. The game keeps its deliberately over-the-top tone, alternating parody of gaming clichés with moments of genuine pathos, and it's never afraid to undercut its own point with a joke before it's even finished making it.

The combat system remains built around the beam katana, fast strikes and controller gestures used to finish off combos or throw opponents over the shoulder. New this time is the option to play as two additional characters with a different style, so the pace shifts between chapters, and Travis himself now has access to more swords and the ability to switch into a berserk mode. The biggest change is structural: the tedious driving around an open city is gone, replaced by a simple map, while the side jobs for earning money have turned into charming eight-bit minigames that look like they're straight out of the NES era.

Technically, this is one of the best-looking action games on the console. The comic-book styling with bold outlines, pixel-art effects on hits, and smooth performance even with more enemies on screen keep the impression that the console is being pushed to its full potential. The soundtrack ranks among the best ever heard in an action game, combining bombastic themes with electronica and accompanying even the most absurd scenes with complete seriousness. Reviews were largely favourable, and many critics called the game better and tighter than the original. To this day it's considered one of the high points of what Wii had to offer outside the family-friendly mainstream. Players familiar with the first game will appreciate the many references and in-jokes, but newcomers won't miss anything essential, since the game stands fine on its own plot. That's exactly why it's often recommended as a first encounter with this studio's work.