Familiarities aside, No More Heroes 2 does everything in its power to make fun of itself and everything around it.
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle takes place after the events of the first No More Heroes, with bloodthirsty otaku Travis Touchdown taking center stage once again. After fighting his way to #1, Travis is drawn back into the ranking matches by the seductive Sylvia, this time fighting from #51 all the way to the top. Reluctantly, Travis passes on the ranking matches, but when his friend Bishop is killed, it's up to Travis to defeat the assassins and ultimately find Bishop's killer that resides comfortably at the #1 rank. Along the way, new allies and old enemies make appearances, and the game doesn't skip on the craziness for a second. The first No More Heroes was a crazy, self-aware joyride in terms of story, and Desperate Struggle essentially takes the over-the-top references to a clever maximum. Everything is up for satire in Santa Destroy, from giant robot fights to wacky magical girl anime to the lavish hip-hop lifestyle. The "make-fun-of-everything" motive in No More Heroes 2 feels surprisingly appropriate with Travis at the reins. Though it does (quite literally and explicitly) encourage the player to play the original first, No More Heroes 2 does just enough to make it approachable for newcomers to Santa Destroy. Self-references and satire make No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle its own style of game; it's a creative and hilarious narrative with plenty of incredible, laugh-out-loud occurrences that will stay in your psyche for a long while.
The gameplay in No More Heroes 2 doesn't stray far from its predecessors. Instead of slashing with the Wii Remote to execute a simple beam katana attack, players use the A button to attack, with a finishing blow being executed with a directional slash with the Wii Remote. Like the original No More Heroes, this eliminates the tedium of mindlessly waving the Wii Remote around to attack. The Wii Remote's B-Trigger is used for hand-to-hand attacks; when pressed when facing a dazed enemy, Travis will execute a wrestling move to finish off the opponent. These still work remarkably well, and special moments like clashes (where the player must shake the Wii Remote quickly to gain enemy ground) are still a blast to play through. The camera still feels a bit claustrophobic in tight quarters, and can be a hassle to deal in the more frantic battles. While the combat is mixed up a little with different weapons and skills, but still feels a bit too familiar. Still, it's hard to fault No More Heroes 2 when its combat is so refined; it stands miles ahead of other titles that abuse the Wii Remote's motion capabilities.
A major fault of the original No More Heroes was that driving around Santa Destroy working for cash felt stripped and empty. The minigames were fun, but felt forced and uninteresting. No More Heroes 2, however, fixes that entirely. How? By replacing the minigames with 8-bit renditions of random jobs. While this may seem like a recipe for disaster, it just shows how little the developers take their ideas seriously. Fixing pipes or collecting coconuts are represented by an 8-bit Travis (low-quality presentation and all). These minigames aren't just absolutely hilarious, but they also are addictive and challenging. Also, the tasks are now selected from a menu, so the player no longer is forced to wander around the empty streets for work. This massive improvement to the interface makes completing tasks, shopping for items, and earning cash much easier, and the fact that ranking battles no longer require a tremendous amount of income to continue just makes progressing through the story that much more enjoyable.
No More Heroes 2 retains the wacky and over-the-top boss fights that the original introduced. Plenty of odd characters make their debuts, along with some old villains and newly-enlisted allies. As with the original, ranking battles are unpredictable at every turn; you never know who's going to make an appearance. The boss fights are also very diverse. While the first few fights follow some traditional (for lack of a better word) motions, the later fights mix things up considerably. Try a giant robot battle against a group of cheerleaders or a dream sequence against a magical anime girl with guns. It's these moments that truly define No More Heroes 2, when the developers can really mess with your head and surprise you. However, while these battles are absolutely wacky and hilarious, they don't shock the way that the original No More Heroes' did. They're creative for sure, but No More Heroes 2's boss battles just fall short of its fantastic predecessor's. The only other issue that No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle really has is an uneven difficulty in the bosses; the difficulty curve is all over the place. Still, the boss fights remain some of the most entertaining on the system, adding depth and challenge at every turn.
With its alternative graphic style and incredibly edgy voice acting, No More Heroes 2 possesses a powerful presentation that tells all other Wii games to step aside. The frame rate suffers a small bit from the massive amount of action, but seeing the blood explosions, rains of cash, and intense boss fight animations just feels right. No More Heroes 2 has a style unlike any other, and it isn't afraid to flaunt it. The sound design is phenomenal. An upbeat collection of themes, including the addictive No More Heroes theme, compliment the obscure graphic style. The 8-bit minigames (including the obvious sound of Travis blowing into the cartridge, a clever throwback to the NES days) are full of great themes and sound effects. The voice acting remains silly, though unquestionably stellar. Travis, Sylvia, and every one of their allies and enemies are all voiced superbly, in addition to plenty of funny writing. It's not too different from its predecessor, but No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle has a rockin' presentation with plenty of eye and ear candy.
Pros
+ Self-referential, fourth-wall breaking humor is even more hilarious than before
+ Improved mission interface stands tall above its predecessor
+ Retro-esque minigames are addictive and well-designed
+ Awesome music and funny voice acting
+ Bloody action remains an incredible highlight
Cons
- Camera is finicky
- Boss battles aren't as memorable as the original
- Uneven difficulty
- Can feel a bit familiar in battle
The flaws that hold back No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle still stem from the original's uncooperative camera and rough difficulty curve, but the improvements made make miles of difference between the two games. By eliminating the tiresome point-to-point mission structure and including a clever retro game aesthetic, the mission structure is immensely better than the original. The gameplay isn't too different from Travis's first odyssey, but it's still quite enjoyable. The humor and writing in No More Heroes 2 is second-to-none, trumping the first game with constant satire, fourth-wall-shattering dialogue, and plenty of over-the-top scenarios that Travis and crew encounter. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle isn't afraid to make fun of everything it can get its mitts on (including, but not limited to itself), and the fact that it can consistently deliver the humor alongside a fun and visceral combat system is simply astounding. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is a riotous title. If you like action titles even in the least, grab your Wii Remote and get battling, because No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle simply cannot be missed.