Okay, I am totally digging this game so far. I picked it up yesterday and have played for about three hours so far. The fighting aspect of the game (the one thing that made the first NMH actually worthwhile) has gotten even better, with improved frame rate, more interesting enemies, and different tweaks to the system. The B button actually feels useful now, instead of just the thing you hit sometimes when an enemy is blocking. You can't charge it anymore, but it can be used multiple times in succession like slashing. It can also be used to pick downed enemies off the ground. Best of all, I'm more encouraged to grab and throw in this game, since it's much more effective at killing enemies now. That, and it counts towards the roulette, which makes it a useful option in combat (unlike the first game). The ecstasy system is a welcome addition. Going nuts when your inner tiger is at max power is fun, but I most appreciate the fact that the system is tied to how long your combos are. In the first game, you started out with a three slash combo, then later upgraded your combo one slash at a time in exchange for money at the gym.

Aside from the combat, the game just feels much more streamlined. In No More Heroes, I basically just suffered through the boring side jobs and assassin missions that were played out in a pseudo-sandbox world, waiting for the next ranked battle. In this game, instead of traveling place to place, you teleport where you want to go through a convenient overhead map. The side missions are actually really fun. As many of you already know, each side job has been made to play like an old-school video game, and they're seriously fun to play (the bug exterminator is my favorite so far). Best of all, all of these side missions are optional, as ranked battles no longer cost any money. They're a good way to make money, which can score you better beam katanas, better stats, and more clothes, but if you choose to, you can keep going through the story and immediately to the next ranked battle at a pretty quick pace.

I like the improvements on the combat system, and the most glaring flaws from the first game have been addressed. On top of all that, the great boss battles, quirky story segments and the delivery from all the voice actors in this game make it hard to find much fault with. It's a somewhat simple game, so it's not for everyone, but for those who even marginally liked the first game, you really gotta pick this one up. Like, now.

Also, the Bizarre Jelly shooter is pretty fun.

Beat this yesterday morning on Sweet. Honestly a great game, and I'll definitely be replaying this on Mild and Bitter after. Had three problems with it though.



Other than that, it's an amazing game, and anyone with a Wii who either loved the first game, or has a lust for over-the-top violence, toilet humor, and cleavage like it's going out of style, should get it.