No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise Message Board

Grasshopper Manufacture CEO Suda 51 lives on the edge, at least in his game design. His gonzo portfolio of games including Killer7, most recently Shadows of the Damned, and his upcoming Lollipop Chainsaw do little to conform to the milieu of the mainstream. Like we care. His other most notable fra...

Amazon has already discounted Konami's PS3 release of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise to $29.99, suplexing $10 off the retail price. For some reason, the retailer chose to forgo its usual credit offers, discounting the game directly. Heroes' Paradise hasn't even been released yet -- that happens tomorrow.

As even more incentive to buy the game today, Amazon is also throwing in some exclusive pre-order DLC items, in the form of the "Cross Saver" beam katana and the "Moto Magazine 2" motorcycle. It might be nice to have a different motorcycle to look at during the open-world driving segments.

If you like anime, professional wrestling, Beam Katanas, or cats, No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise is the perfect game for you. If the crazy, Japanese-flavored action is overwhelming, don't panic -- IGN has all the information you need on this HD remake of one of the Wii's goriest titles. Read on to find out what No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise is all about, and when you can find it in stores...

During E3, Konami released the intro from the new PS3 version of No More Heroes as a trailer. Since the Wii original started off with the same trailer, we saw this as an opportunity to post a visual comparison between Heroes' Paradise and the original.

Unfortunately, it turns out it's really hard to find high-quality YouTube videos of Wii games from three years ago, and even harder to find trailer downloads for games of that vintage on publishers' servers. So what you'll see after the break is the HD, redrawn, retextured, re-lit intro of the PS3 game ... followed by a capture of the Wii game running in a tiny window, in 240p.

The PS3 video looks better. Surprise!

Story details, beam swords and blondes highlight this trailer.

No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise is cutting a bloody path to North America for an August 16 launch. The PlayStation Move-enabled title will be available tomorrow in Europe; a non-Move version with the same title hit Japan last year.

Konami reiterated that the upcoming No More Heroes: Red Zone for Japan simply adds Move support and is the same game as the Western version of Heroes' Paradise.

Konami finally put a date on the North American PlayStation 3 version of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise, the hi-def, PlayStation Move-powered update of the Wii original. That would be August 16, perfect for hot and sweaty Beam Katana-waving action! More »

#naughtybynature In Japan, No More Heroes is going adults-only with No More Heroes: Red Zone, a Move-enabled PS3 port of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise. This is the game's debut trailer. More »

The weekly Famitsu leak has brought early word of another re-release of No More Heroes coming to Japan, called No More Heroes: Red Zone.

This PS3-only version adds material not found in last year's Japanese PS3 release of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise, including PlayStation Move compatibility, and five bosses from No More Heroes 2. It also restores the full CERO Z rating. The Japanese PS3 release was cut down to fit a more generally acceptable D rating.

All of this material is included in Konami's upcoming Western release of Heroes' Paradise, but Red Zone also reportedly includes ten missions that were cut from the original Wii version. This could be exclusive content -- or it could just be a bonus that Konami hasn't told us about yet! We're asking the publisher now.

It appears that Suda 51 thinks the odds of another No More Heroes game happening in the near future are about nil. During Grasshopper Manufacture's recent streaming event, Suda said (translation via Andriasang) he'd "like to" do another entry "at some point," but it isn't something that would happen anytime "soon." Oh, now you've got JC crying, Mr. Suda. Wonderful.

Character designer Yusuke Kozaki also offered an interesting proposition: a new game where Shinobu, the high school student by day, assassin by night who appeared in both No More Heroes and No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle is the main character. Kozaki also revealed that Grasshopper had come up with so many characters, it had enough for two more No More Heroes games. Okay, guys, now you're just being cruel!

The remainder of the event then shifted to Frog Minutes, the studio's charity iOS game. We spent some time with it, which you can read all about here.

No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise was oddly placed (misplaced?) on a PlayStation 3 2011 "exclusives" list, and given a tentative release window by the US PlayStation blog: "fall 2011." Last we heard, the up-rezzed third-person brawler was heading to PlayStation 3s at some point in 2011, but now we know the game won't arrive until the back half of the year.

"But why," you ask, "is a port of a 2007 Wii title taking so very long to bring to the PlayStation 3?" Besides making the graphics look much, much nicer, and adding Move support, a handful of No More Heroes 2 content will make its way into the PS3 re-release. We're also hoping that developer AQ Interactive is secretly working on more wacky TV shows for Travis Touchdown to flip through, but we're not holding our breath.

Those "additional boss characters" added to the Western PS3 release of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise? "All of the additional bosses in the game are from No More Heroes 2," Konami's Tak Fuji told GameSugar, "making this much more than just the original Wii game." That's welcome news for people experiencing the series for the first time through this PS3 game, as it now encompasses at least a bit of a sequel.

He didn't mention which bosses or how many -- but we can guarantee that whichever bosses are included, whether it's the revenge-obsessed young man who pulls his own head off, the flamethrower-wielding ghost of a murdered child, or the robot filled with cheerleaders, they're going to be weird.

Fuji also indicated that Konami is at least considering a Kinect-enabled release on Xbox 360. "We have, and are still tossing around ideas for linking NMH with the Kinect for Xbox 360 gamers," he said, "but since the Kinect is such a unique device, it's a bit more difficult. This isn't to say that the Kinect is a poor interface by any means, but more that in its uniqueness it requires a bit more care and planning to bring Travis to the Xbox 360. So if we were to do so, we'd need more time." It's worth noting that Heroes' Paradise was released on both Xbox and PS3 in Japan, so there is a 360 version to work with.

Players help Travis Touchdown hack and slash through the ranks of the United Assassins Association with new PlayStation Move controls.

#konami The further adventures of Travis Touchdown are coming to the PlayStation 3. No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise is coming to the PS3 in North America, bringing PlayStation Move support along with it. More »

Konami officially confirms U.S. launch, Move support, and more.

Our friends at KONAMI wanted PlayStation fans to be the first to know – Travis Touchdown is making the leap into high definition exclusively for the PS3 with No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise.

In 2011, North American PS3 owners will get their first taste of the No More Heroes universe, and KONAMI’s making use of the power of the platform to add new features, additional bosses, and PlayStation Move support. That means you’ll be swinging your Beam Katana through Santa Destroy’s top assassins with the power and precision of PlayStation Move, all in HD.

Please be sure to read the press release below for more details, take a look at the first screenshots, and know that we’ll have more on No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise here on the PlayStation.Blog as we approach the game’s release. If you’ve got questions, drop them in the comments and KONAMI will address them in a future post.

KONAMI ANNOUNCES NO MORE HEROES: HEROES’ PARADISE FOR PLAYSTATION MOVE

Players Help Travis Touchdown Hack and Slash Through the Ranks of the United Assassins Association With new Playstation Move Controls

El Segundo, Calif. – Oct 26, 2010 – KONAMI Digital Entertainment, Inc. announced today that No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise is coming to PlayStation 3 and will be compatible with Sony’s new PlayStation Move controls. Developed by AQ Interactive Inc., No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise will be available exclusively for PlayStation 3 in North America as Travis Touchdown returns to become the world’s number one assassin.

In No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise, players journey through the sunny city of Santa Destroy as Travis Touchdown, battling to eliminate some of the world’s deadliest assassins. Equipped with a razor sharp Beam Katana sword, players start off as the 11th ranked assassin and try to move up the ranks to position themselves as the ultimate killer. During the course of the game, players encounter Sylvia, a mysterious woman from the United Assassins Association, who arranges fights with other higher ranked assassins to help Travis become the number one in the world. Players will either ride through the town on Travis’ trusty motor bike or travel on foot to arrive at Travis’ next assignment.

Using either a DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller or the PlayStation Move motion controller players have access to a wide range of physical assaults and katana attacks, with each bout tracked by a dynamic camera that showcases the game’s stunning visuals and cinematic fight sequences. By varying the grip and control of the Beam Katana and the timing of their attacks, players have a wide range of moves at their disposal to help Travis battle and defeat his enemies. Defeated foes can also be dispatched with stunning finishing moves, allowing Travis to cement his rising reputation with a series of breathtaking kills.

Travis’ progression is enhanced via a series of sub-missions as well as the ability to hone his skills and upgrade his weapon within the lab. Santa Destroy is a living, breathing place, and the anti-hero can enter shops, visit a gym to train, and collect special icons that will enhance his attack options. As players progress through the game, they will have the opportunity to complete deadly missions and side jobs as they make their way up the ladder of the United Assassins Association.

Aside from the side missions, players will also be able to enjoy newly added game modes like “Rebout Mode” where former foes can be challenged again. Also, players will have the opportunity to encounter additional boss characters that were not available in the original episode but will be on the PlayStation®3 version of the game. Additionally, “Viewer Mode” is also available allowing players to re-watch infamous cut scenes in crystal clear HD graphics. With its stunning visuals, additional levels of action, improved AI and an incredible level of control, No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise represents a welcome return for one of gaming’s most daring creators.

No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise is slated to release in 2011 exclusively for the PlayStation 3. For assets and information on the game, please visit: www.konami.com.

About Konami
KONAMI is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties and traditional trading card games. KONAMI’s software titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, DanceDanceRevolution and Castlevania, among other top sellers. KONAMI is also the manufacturer of the wildly popular Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME, which has sold more than 22 billion cards worldwide. The latest information about KONAMI can be found on the Web at www.konami.com. KONAMI CORPORATION is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. In Tokyo, Japan, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany. KONAMI CORPORATION is traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KNM. Details of the products published by KONAMI can be found at www.konami.com.

Check out these new screenshots from Gamescom

Travis Touchdown's adventure will continue on Sony using the motion controller.

Marvelous Entertainment has, in the recent past, been reporting disappointing earnings. Well, not even "earnings." Losses. To combat those losses, the company reduced its slate for fiscal 2011, a strategy that appears to have worked.

In its last fiscal quarter (which ended June 30), Marvelous's digital content division had ¥71 million ($829,000) in profit. The same quarter last year saw $1.5 million in losses! According to Siliconera's summary of the report, the boosted performance has more to do with reduced costs than game sales -- sales were actually down 55.4% year-over-year. Marvelous released just three games in the quarter, including No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise.

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, given the company's recent executive pay cuts and low sales figures, that Marvelous Entertainment is looking to cut costs in fiscal 2011 by reducing its lineup of games slightly. Siliconera points out a slide from the company's latest earnings report (Japanese PDF downloadable at the bottom of the window) that shows only ten releases for the period between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011. That's down two from the previous year. The biggest move comes from the DS lineup, which is reduced from six games to just one.

Also unsurprisingly, Marvelous is putting emphasis on PSP games. PSP development was the segment of Marvelous's game business that paid off in the last year, and the publisher is putting out more games there -- four -- than anywhere else in fiscal 2011. That includes the RPG Fate/Extra and the humiliating fighter Ikki Tousen: Xross Impact, as well as two currently unannounced games.

The rest of Marvelous's lineup includes the already-released No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise on PS3 and 360, Harvest Moon: Twins' Village on DS, one unknown PS3 game, and two unknown Wii games.

[Via Siliconera]

#nomoreheroes These days the majority of multi-platform games look about the same. Not No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise. More »

We're not going to say that No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise is a hit, but those of us in constant fear of Marvelous running out of money can breathe a sigh of relief, as the remake has brought a little cash in (more considering that the game is a port and therefore probably less expensive to produce).

In fact, both versions managed to make it into the Media Create top ten, with the PS3 version's 16,000 copies securing a #7 position and the Xbox 360 version's 15,000 copies at #8. Both of these actually outperformed the Wii original, which sold 11,700 copies in its debut week back in 2007.

Now that we think about it, however, the real story might be that 15,000 people in Japan bought an Xbox 360 game in a single week.

No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise was released in Japan last week, allowing the site PS360 to set to work comparing the new HD version (in this case the Xbox 360 release), ported by Feelplus, to the Wii original. After the break, you can see the intro to both versions, presented in split-screen. We suggest watching them in full-screen, because you can't really compare resolutions or detail inside a tiny window. You can, however, see noticeable differences in texture detail, and especially shading -- the Xbox version has crazy high-contrast shadows on everything. You can also hear the new Japanese voice acting, which sounds totally silly.

The second video compares load times between the Xbox 360 version installed to the hard drive and the Wii's disc-based version. Surprisingly, in some cases, the Xbox game takes much longer to load! While that's not a huge deal-breaker, Siliconera reports that users are complaining on Amazon about freezing as well. It's hard to determine how widespread the issue is, because it's an Xbox 360 game released in Japan, and thus probably not in that many hands.

#xbox360 Video comparison of a Wii game, that was ported to the Xbox 360. This is No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise, a game with intentionally low-fidelity "punk" visuals. Looked good enough on the Wii for me. (Via Matt Hawkins.) More »

#nsfw Honestly. If there was any other time than sexy time. Wii action game No More Heroes is coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 with the subtitle Heroes' Paradise, and it's bringing saucy character portraits with it. More »

Other than providing a more specific April release date of the 15th (in Japan at least), the latest trailer for No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise which we've dropped after the break does little but fill us with frustration. First and foremost, we don't have any idea what it says because the whole thing's in Japanese. Second, the quick cuts don't give us enough of a chance to ogle the newly HDified graphics in the Xbox 360 and PS3 port. Third, we wanna see pure madness produced by that light ... sword (not a saber, that's for sure) if the game's gonna be in HD.

We might normally say something at this point about hoping for the best when the game arrives at retail, but this one's a Japan-only release, folks. Time to bust out that extra milk money (and Japanese dictionary) for the import copy, eh?

Japan is currently in the midst of a No More Heroes drought. Not only has Marvelous yet to give a release date to No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (which is out this week in North America!), the publisher has also announced a delay for the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 port of the original game, called No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise. Originally set for release on February 25, Heroes' Paradise won't be delivering upgraded graphics and inappropriate new costumes for the female characters until April. Siliconera postulated that Marvelous is moving things into its next quarter in an attempt to boost profits in that period. [Via Siliconera]

See how the HD transition is going.

Travis Touchdown relives his trip to the top in this HD remake of the original No More Heroes video game!

Japanese retailer Amiami includes a note on its listing for the Xbox 360 version of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise that suggests that because it is based on the North American version of the Wii original, it is likely to carry the CERO Z rating (think an ESRB M rating, but harsher) when it is released in February. Because it is the North American version (with "bloodshed" intact), the site says, it will hold a special appeal for game fans. The same message doesn't appear on the PS3 version's listing, suggesting that it'll be the same censored game that was originally released in Japan. CERO Z-rated games often don't get displayed on shelves, so if this is accurate, it'll ensure that only the hardcore will even know about the Xbox 360 version of the game. That would limit sales severely, if sales weren't already limited severely by its status as an Xbox 360 game in Japan. [Via Siliconera]