No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (2010 Video Game) User Reviews

It's Kill or be Killed

[jackboone · 8/10 · 22 July 2021]

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is like it's predecessor a fantastic game and an absolutely great time to be had.

Travis Touchdown is back after being gone for a long time and during that time had been knocked down the rankings by new assassins, most of which seeking revenge. The UAA, now a fully functioning business, is now holding exactly 51 ranks, and everyone wants in on being the best. After beating Mr. 51, Travis is told by Sylvia that if he can become #1 again then he will get the "five course meal" as oppose to just a taste like before. This of course gets Travis excited and willing to take the top rank once again. But shortly after the fight, his best friend Bishop is murdered by some street punks and this drives Travis to the desire for revenge. Sylvia then tells Travis that this murdering was the work of Jasper Batt Jr. Who is not only the CEO of Santa Destroy's leading corporation Pizza Batt but also the #1 ranked assassin. Travis then makes it his goal to take down Jasper, become #1 once again and avenge Bishop.

The gameplay is largely the same as the first game but has many improvements to set it apart. Ranking battles can now be taken on whenever your ready making it so nothing can break up the action of both the story and gameplay and they're still plenty of side missions and mini games to earn money from 99% of which interestingly made in the style of 8 bit which in a way also makes them more fun to play and master compared to the ones in the first game. No More Heroes 2 also see's the playable debut of Travis' apprentice Shinobu Jacobs and his twin brother Henry Cooldown. While both are playable for very short periods of time and may or may not be as fun to control as Travis, both are still very fun to be able to control and are a fine way to change things up.

No More Heroes 2 Desperate Struggle is absolutely non stop fun and a great game to enjoy for both it's story and gameplay. It's not all quite created perfectly and while a sudden difficulty spike during the final boss does bring the experience down a teeny bit, the game is still very solid and fun to play all the way through thanks to it's addictive gameplay, intriguing story, and not to mention it's kickass soundtrack.

All that's left to say is NUMBER 1, HERE I COME!!!!!!

More of that punk style and dice-em-up action

[robotbling · 8/10 · 9 December 2012]

(www.plasticpals.com) Travis Touchdown returns to the seedy town of Santa Destroy after his friend, the owner of a local video store, is brutally murdered. Little did he know that there would be a laundry list of twisted assassins itching for a chance to match swords with him. When he left three years earlier Travis was the top-ranked assassin in the United Assassins Association (UAA), but in his absence dropped all the way down to #51. He'll have to climb his way back to the top on a mountain of corpses if he wants a shot at avenging his friend.

Reviewers took issue with certain aspects of the first game, and these criticisms weren't ignored. Originally players had to do a lot of boring driving around town just to get to each destination. Now players warp directly from one location to the next on a map screen.

And before, Travis had to pay an entry fee to take on each new mission – which meant taking on odd jobs to earn cash. In this game those entry fees have been axed, meaning you can get right to the action if that's what you want. You can still take on side jobs to earn money, but that's mainly if you want to purchase optional stuff like a couple extra weapons or beef up your stats by training at the gym. When compared to the first game, these cuts reduce the total play time by about 2-3 hours.

The side jobs and gym training are also a real treat, because they're designed to look and play like classic retro arcade games. There's eight side jobs, which range from exterminating bugs in a maze, to delivering pizza on your motorcycle. They're simple but well designed mini-games in their own right, with most having four levels of increasing difficulty. Training is much more basic, but will test your reflexes. Finally, you can also play a modern vertically-scrolling shoot-em-up in your motel room, which has three levels of difficulty. These all provide fun diversions from the main game.

The battle system hasn't changed much from the first game, with simple two-button combat. You can lock onto enemies and tap the "A" button to swing your beam sabre, and press "B" to throw punches and kicks. You can easily button-mash to string together combos, and perform satisfying finishing blows by swinging the Wii remote as directed by on-screen prompts that freeze the action for a second. If you're enemy is dizzy, you can grab them and perform a suplex for an insta-kill by swinging both the Wii remote and nunchuk at the same time. If your beam sabre's battery gets low, you'll have to pause fighting momentarily to recharge it – which leaves you vulnerable.

Rather than having to hold the Wii remote at different angles to change up your combat stance, in this game the power and speed of your attacks is determined by what beam sabre you have equipped. Eventually you'll have access to four different types, with some offering quick but weak attacks and others that are slow but powerful.

Similar in style to the Metal Gear Solid series, each boss encounter is pretty unique and features flashy cinematic story sequences to introduce them. They're definitely an odd bunch, but you won't have to fight all 51 assassins ranked ahead of you (there's actually only 15 boss fights in the game). These goons are typically protected by hired thugs – and the closer you get to the end of the game, the more thugs you'll have to take out. In truth, it can get a bit tiresome in some of the later stages, but thankfully there are a few missions where you practically jump right into the boss fight. You'll also play as a couple of Travis's friends, which adds further variety.

No More Heroes 2 is a fairly simple action game that corrects many of the issues found in the first game. The designers clearly know their target audience – and pander to our nostalgia for 8-bit games and giant robot cartoons. While there isn't much depth on offer here, the combat is dumb fun and the outlandish characters and funky style should keep your interest throughout its 8~10 hours.

Definitely the best game from the series

[Aries_Primal · 10/10 · 20 January 2023]

Best one from all 4 games with Travis. Really enjoyable, easy to play and good as plot. Of course it has it's weak points, but there are personal motives, revenge, will to improve,a hot chick and things to reveal.

Travis is unique, and simple at the same time. Little rude, little sloppy, hell of a fighter, with classic look, leather jacket and a bike. Well made.

Game offers different tactics to play, different ways to fight with bosses, mini games to gain cash and improve skills. Fun moments, also strong ones. I am a girl and I enjoyed it to the point I ordered all the games and now playing it for the third time. It's a masterpiece!