Goichi Suda is known for his quirky, cel shaded games like Killer 7 and No More Heroes — both appearing on Japanese hardware. But Suda’s ready to expand his game developer wings and try something different. Says Suda: This originality will always remain, but I also want us to challenge ourselves by working at making realistic visuals as well. The next title will have a very different style, but keep the Grasshopper feeling at the same time… The Xbox 360. Definitely, I want to develop on this platform. It is really easy to work with. It is also quite popular outside Japan on markets that I would like to aim at. Specifically, I think of the American market as the Major League — I would like to go there and be successful.
We’re sure that’d make some American Xbox 360 owners very, very happy. Suda51 Interview [Next Generation]
We are constantly inundated with stories of games getting their release dates bumped back, but rarely if ever do we hear about something releasing early. In a statement to IGN yesterday, Ubisoft announced that Suda 51′s No More Heroes will be coming to the Wii a little over a month early. Originally slated to release Feb. 29, the quirky cel-shaded cousin of Killer 7 is now set to hit store shelves on Jan. 22. The original release date would have pitted No More Heroes against heavy hitter Super Smash Bros. Brawl, so was this a shrewd marketing move on Ubisofts’s part, or merely a coincidence?
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. More »
Grasshopper Manufacture’s No More Heroes may not have Halo 3 or Grand Theft Auto IV hype behind it, but we’re certainly looking forward to Goichi Suda’s next. Fortunately, for us English speakers, IGN reveals that the game finally has a Western publisher who’s brave enough to take on the Wii follow up to Killer 7. Ubisoft have stepped up to the plate to bring No More Heroes stateside. The even better news? Travis Touchdown and his cel-shaded mates will be coming to the West in February of 2008.
Killer.
