No More Heroes preview

Suda 51 isn't your average game designer. His recent output has garnered him a reputation for inventive and iconoclastic videogames, something that has seen him in team up with the ever-eccentric Hideo Kojima on a series of new projects. His latest release, No More Heroes, has divided public opinion almost as much as the twisted classic Killer7, and European gamers look set to join the argie-bargie with the launch of one of the Wii's most unusual releases to date.

Words by Colin Whiteside , playing on a Nintendo Wii.

The trans-Pacific blend of Japanese otaku culture and US teen drama nonsense that makes up the plot is in that typical Suda style, laden with references. Tips of the hat towards everything from pro-wrestling to Sony and Microsoft's present "console war" complement a game that regularly nudges its way through the forth wall, setting itself apart from the majority of Wii releases of late in terms of cultural awareness. Whether or not such an emphatically gamers' game will resonate with the Wii's more varied audience is yet to be seen, but early indications are that the title may be something of a surprise hit.The odds of NMH winding up in the Pre-Owned bins look to depend on how many players can tolerate the idiosyncrasies of the game itself. Major criticisms have already been directed at the repetitive nature of the combat and the unavoidable chores that need completing before hero Travis can proceed to the boss-battles that really make the game, but whether they will be deal-breakers will be addressed in our forthcoming review.