Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes - Suda thunk it?

BUMP!

THIS LOOKS SLICK AS FUCK!

I was hoping they'd have the classic gameplay in there for boss battles but not a huge issue, it looks fun to play and it'll hopefully still have that No More Heroes charm (or lack of).

I'm not that keen on the whole top-down style but is one I'm keeping an eye on.

I was a little disappointed by this. I'd hoped the different games would have a bit more variety than they look in the trailer. Time will tell.

Travis is eating sushi served by Red Skull's good cousin, what more do you want?

There's a new No More Heroes out this week.

Burst my bladder there is as well. It had completely slipped under my radar. Might be the post Smash effect; might be because I've seen more people watching more trailers and coming up with pretty much the same opinions as the Crumpster above. I think I'll be waiting for reviews on this one, but I won't need tremendous scores to push me over the edge.

Eurogamer ripped right into this & slapped an avoid tag on it as well.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-01-16-travis-strikes-again-no-more-heroes-review-a-banal-bore-of-a-game

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I find it odd that at the start of that review they praise the previous games quirkiness but then rip this one apart for doing the same sort of things, so to me it sounds like they were expecting it to be something it was never going or trying to be.

Eurogamer wrote:

Maybe it's something to do with growing older - Goichi Suda has finally lived up to his moniker, recently turning 51 - and the strains of a decade spent guiding Grasshopper through turbulent times, but that spirit's not really there anymore.

Also not sure if that "growing older" line is exclusively meant for Suda 51 in saying that he's past it or themselves.....maybe it's both? From other reviews I've read it sounds like a fun wee beat em up so I think I'm still going to get it.

I didn't follow Travis Strikes Again's development, because I sensed early on that I'd be setting myself up for disappointment (with wanting No More Heroes 3, but not getting it). So, I'm getting this with no expectations, but "fun wee beat em up" sounds absolutely fine for my twenty-five quid.

One of the few outlets I follow for reviews gave it a bit of a slamming in their review too:



I am a wee bit concerned after watching that review and reading Eurogamer's write-up as well - I'd hoped for a beat 'em up with unique mechanics to set the scene for each level to play into the "sucked into the world of games" premise, but it sounds like it's ended up being nothing more than set dressing for a standard beat 'em up. One for a sale from me at this point, but I'll look forward to reading the opinions of folks here as a GNamer recommendation counts as a lot for me.

Since the game was first announced I pretty much wrote it off straight away. Not the No More Heroes game I was wanting, and indeed it was confirmed to not be a proper sequel to 2. Then the reviews arrived and they weren't too pretty.

More recently though I've been hearing some positive things about the game here and there. Pretty positive review from TheBritGamingShow. An overall positive review from Nitro Rad too, although not without some major criticisms.

So yeah my interest has been sparked slightly.

(can't link those videos since I haven't been a member long enough yet)

I'm about halfway through this. My thoughts, if anybody's interested:

Spoiler:

Well those are some contrasting views, to say the least!  Although only one of the viewers has played the game, so...  I'm probably happy holding fire for now, although if we all do that, does that mean no 'proper' NMH3?

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

I'm about halfway through this.

What level are you at?

The game has two major issues for me. First is that the opening level is easily the worst, with no interesting gimmick and (especially on first playthrough) having the most limited gameplay. Second is the pacing, as while the varying gimmicks for each subsequent level are always interesting, they tend to drag on too long and outstay their welcome - especially in the second and third levels.

That said, I'm pretty positive on the game having finished it and will be playing the DLC when it comes along. Being a fan of Suda's previous games makes a big difference due to how many references there are, but the penultimate level takes that even further. Without giving spoilers, I really enjoyed it. The final level is another direct homage to another game I really like, so that made for an excellent final two levels.

The gameplay becomes a lot more enjoyable once a lot of skill chips have been acquired (they are all named after Gundam, which is great), as there is fun in experimenting with loadouts to find a combination that works well together and suits your playstyle. I was deploying gas with one skill then triggering it to explode with another by the end of the game for example.

Then of course there is the general wackiness of the game's plot and stylings. It is a really stylish game, and I especially liked switching up Travis' t-shirt between indie games I have played and enjoyed.

Basically I would recommend the game to any Suda fans who are happy to persevere through some dragged out pacing in order to see all the fun gimmicks the game has.

The game makes out pretty strong that NMH3 is in development btw

Still one I'm tempted to get but only on sale I think, the asking price isn't that high I just feared it would be exactly as Cappa mentioned, I can make always allowances if it a game is cheap enough though.

Sent from Topic'it App

OrangeRakoon wrote:

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

I'm about halfway through this.

What level are you at?

The game has two major issues for me. First is that the opening level is easily the worst, with no interesting gimmick and (especially on first playthrough) having the most limited gameplay. Second is the pacing, as while the varying gimmicks for each subsequent level are always interesting, they tend to drag on too long and outstay their welcome - especially in the second and third levels.

I'm on the Killer Marathon.

Those are my two biggest issues too. The first level was an appalling start to the game, and the second level was proper 1/10 material - absolutely the worst thing I've played in any game in years. No joke, when "Case 008" came up on the screen during the second game off, I said out loud "I can't take this anymore!" and I switched the game off for three days. Levels 3 and 4 were a bit better, but - as you said - they drag on. I've needed to break it into chunks while trying to complete it - too much of this game is just too boring for me.

I think your other points are sort of valid, but I'm not as enthusiastic about Travis Strikes Again or Suda51 as you seem to be. I still think that there's too much going against this for it to be worth getting before it's around ten quid.

I liked the setup of the second level! I just think it should have ended at or before case 5. It was basically a tile-flipping puzzle followed by some quick brawling (and the houses were all small so the brawling itself didn't drag on particularly). Once you started getting chased around by the insta-kill head it was less fun (and the gimmick had already worn off by then), but I at least made it somewhat easier by using the heavy chip to slow down the head in its pursuit, coupled with the chip that lets you dash to get around more quickly, so I only got caught the once.

I did like the flavour text describing his descent into serial killery, and I thought he made for a decent boss fight.