Assassins Bleed

Game: No More Heroes
System: Nintendo Wii
Release date: January 22, 2008
Developed by: Grasshopper Manufacture
Published by: Ubisoft

It's no secret the Nintendo Wii is short on mature-themed games. Nintendo, more than ever, has made a strong push for family-friendly software with the Wii. That's precisely why No More Heroes, which features graphic violence, strong language and copious amounts of blood, stands out among the kid-friendly Wii titles currently availble on the market.

No More Heroes is the story of Travis Touchdown, an anime-loving assassin who finds himself ranked #11 in the United Assassins Association (UAA). From that moment on his singular goal is to climb the ladder and become the #1 assassin in the United States.

If the preceding paragraph wasn't enough proof that No More Heroes is a little strange, consider that the game is like a weird combination of Grand Theft Auto III and Kill Bill. Like Grand Theft Auto, No More Heroes presents the player with an open city (Santa Destroy) through which he or she can walk or ride a custom-made motorcycle; and like Kill Bill, No More Heroes is dripping with style, over-the-top violence and great dialogue.


No More Heroes features ten action-packed levels, each of which culminate in an epic showdown between Travis and an enemy assassin. In Santa Destroy, Travis can complete side-missions in the form of part-time jobs and paid assassinations to supplement his income and pay the entry fee for each fight.

The Wii remote is incorporated into No More Heroes very smoothly: players recharge their beam katana by shaking the Wii remote; wrestling moves are performed with both the remote and nunchuk.

Score: 93/100

Note: No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle will be released January 27, 2010.