E3 2011: No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise Preview Hands-On

No More Heroes garnered our Wii Game of the Year in 2008 because its irreverent humor, bloody combat, and eccentric characters melded into a scintillating experience. The years have been kind to Travis Touchdown. The wrestling-obsessed protagonist has taken his services to the PlayStation 3, and it's just as much fun slicing goons with your store-bought lightsaber as before. We played through the first level in No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise today and came away excited for its eventual release in August.

Heroes Paradise is virtually unchanged from the Wii original. Motion controls were a strong part of the experience back in 2008, and that's true on the PlayStation 3. The Move is a great replacement for the Wii Remote, and though it doesn't have the built-in speaker (which doubled as a phone in the original), the action doesn't miss a beat. Circling enemies with the navigational controller and then bashing them with your trusty laser sword still feels great, and finishing moves are delightfully gruesome. It's in these ultraviolent moves that the motion controls kick into effect. You snap your wrist in the designated direction and off pops the head of your latest victim.

The gameplay is as sadistically charming as ever, but the visual overhaul makes this even better than what you may remember. The stylistic graphics really pop in HD. The bold colors give your enemies details they previously lacked, and the copious blood spills are as cartoony and over the top as ever. There aren't many PlayStation 3 games that utilize this vivid art style, so Heroes Paradise really stands out from the crowd. This is a flashy, style-before-substance experience that is still really entertaining.

There are a few additions, though you shouldn't expect any world-changing differences. A boss rush mode lets you face off against the amazing antagonists whenever you want, and there are more varied ways to earn money between missions. But that's about it for changes. What you should know is that this is still a fun game that makes great use of the Move. There's an option to use the Dual Shock if you prefer, though we didn't get a chance to try that for ourselves. Stay tuned to GameSpot to see how this flashy remake turns out.