Before I spoke with Goichi Suda yesterday, I got the chance to have a go on No More Heroes, both on the showroom floor and with Suda & Co backstage. From what little was on offer (basically just a load of combat), it felt pretty good, especially the more brutal finishing moves you can pull off by waving the Wii Remote around. One thing, though, really struck me: where was all the violence?
Suda’s on record as saying No More Heroes was going to be violent. Like, Manhunt 2 violent. Yet playing it I noticed there was no blood. Not a drop. Enemies instead disappeared in a puff of black smoke and… coins. So I asked what’s up, does he still want to make it ultra-violent?
“Oh yes. The version you played is the Japanese version, which won’t be featuring much blood,” he said. Understandable, because Japanese censors don’t take much shit. “Besides,” he kids, “he’s using a lightsaber, which burns the wound when you cut someone.”
Western sadists shouldn’t be too concerned: he says gushing fountains of crimson are expected to feature in the American and European releases, both which are due in February 2008.