No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle -- Initial Impression.

Next up for me is No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Ubisoft for the Wii. No More Heroes 2 picks up three years after the end of the first game with Travis Touchdown returning to the United Assassins Association's ranked fights. His best friend is murdered and he's out for revenge. I've messed around with the game for a bit and I can see that there are some significant changes. The overworld has been removed. Travis is no longer free to roam around the streets and back alleys of Santa Destroy. Now he moves around from location to location by menu. The removal of the overworld doesn't seem like bad decision initially. Another change is the odd jobs Travis needs to take to earn a living have been transformed into 8-bit era game concepts. Delivering pizzas has become a game of Hang-On, and fixing some plumbing has become a game of Junction. Initially these are a mixed bag. They're all considerably charming, but then they all retain the problems and annoyances of 8-bit era gaming. Outside of that there doesn't seem to be much difference to the flow of the game in what I've played. It's still a cycle of working odd jobs to pay for new equipment and workouts to be strong enough for the ranked fights. And the ranked fights still seem to be wild and impressive boss battles. The story has made me laugh out loud a couple of times in the little time I've spent with the game so far. I don't know how they can possibly top the outrageousness of the original game as that pushed the boundaries of good taste further than they've ever been in the medium. I do have to say it took me a little while to get back into the swing of the combat, so to speak. The game jumps right in with a boss fight and never looks back. Those new to the series might be a tad overwhelmed initially. It'll be interesting to see how this one turns out. It's looking to be off to a good start.