Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Remember that rumor we reported on yesterday involving an odd number of assassins and their possible porting over to the Wii? Of course you do, we brought it back up this morning. Well, it would seem all of our talk about this is unwarranted, as Capcom has confirmed through a posting on its European site that a Wii port of the game is not planned.

Apparently, this was all just a site error that got blown out of proportion. The post states "The Wii symbol was due to testing on our test realm somehow making its way across to the actual site; the Killer 7 gamesheet is one of the 'sandbox' ones we use to test new things such as, for instance, ensuring that the Wii symbol looks the right size next to the ones we use for PS2, Gamecube etc before we put it live."

So there you have it. Nothing more than a web error, which we don't have to tell you doesn't help us feel better. We would've taken a port of the game. While it had some flaws, it was a highly stylish and fun game that didn't lack in the one thing we look for in games today: originality.

[Via Pro-G]

With all this talk of a possible remake (can we get a sequel?) of Killer 7, we find ourselves once again dealing with the idea of games on rails. It seems to be one of those things gamers either love or hate -- never something that's just okay. But we've got to ask: where do you stand? Do you feel differently about, say, Sonic and the Secret Rings being on rails than you do about games that are essentially on-rails shooters?

Capcom's European website has something kind of interesting tucked away on one of its pages. It seems to be a listing for Killer 7 on the Wii, leading us to wonder if the company isn't planning a port for the Wii. Of course, porting over Resident Evil 4 makes sense, considering the game received many Game of the Year nods and other such critical acclaim, but with such a game as Killer 7, which received mixed reviews, maybe Capcom is just pointing out that the game is compatible on the Wii? Or perhaps it's just a placeholder for an upcoming page for No More Heroes?

[Thanks, Protome!]

He's got a weird name, he makes weird, violent games, and he's got really, really cool friends. He's also writing the Snatcher radio drama, which makes him our best friend. Grasshopper Manufacture's Suda 51 applies a punk-rock philosophy to game design, and the results are always interesting.

He seems to have made the Wii his home console for the time being. Do you welcome his contributions? Are you looking forward to No More Heroes as much as we are? The kind of stuff he likes to make is pretty far outside the usual Wii fare, but we feel that the Wii all about shaking up the norm. Is there merit to his disruptive game design ideals, or are they just disruptive for disruption's sake? If you're a Suda fan now, would you still be if he didn't have the glow of Wii association? Can we put some more question marks in here?

This weird-looking t-shirt with the phrase "NO MORE HEROES" was spotted in Japan recently. Just from looking at the shirt, we have no idea if it's related to the Wii game, but the 4cr poster who purchased it seemed to think so, indicating that it is part of a line of No More Heroes shirts.

We'd like to see the full line of these shirts; we'd be unlikely to purchase this one, but we really like the idea of having some No More Heroes memorabilia. Suda 51's games and his company Grasshopper Manufacture's website prove that they are capable of remarkable stylishness. Check their shop for some amazing stuff that doesn't look like it was designed by a video game company. Of course, the store is for Japan only, but go and gawk anyway.

The Wii is a very social console. From the marketing campaign to the pack-in, everything about it is designed to get a bunch of people together and interacting in the same room. It can even be fun to have a group together for single-player games, with everyone helping out and enjoying the events of the game together.

But video games are not always social events. Sometimes you just want to get immersed in the game without all the interruptions and talking and people. Are you the kind of gamer who prefers to be alone with your games? Or do you always prefer to share your experiences?

Or are there certain games that you just can't stand having people in the room while you're playing? Killer 7 on the Gamecube, for example, was something we preferred to play alone because we didn't think others walking in would have a clue what was going on. Especially since we didn't.

Goichi Suda, who you might recognize as Suda 51, recently sat down and talked with IGN about his company's upcoming game No More Heroes. Being developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, who were responsible for the stylish Killer 7, No More Heroes is aiming to be "as violent, or even more violent than Manhunt 2!" That's the exact challenge that Suda has presented to his team, ensuring that the end user (that's all of us!) are satisfied in the bucketfuls of blood in the game.

So what is No More Heroes about? Well, it's a "free running/roaming style action game" that is set in Santa Destroy, a fictional town located on the West Coast of the United States. Game progression is handled through mission completion by the player (both main and sub-missions will be available). The main character, Travis Touchdown, is a man stuck in a life of poverty and must rely on a single form of transportation in his favorite motorcycle "Schpel Tiger." No stealing cars folks!

The rest of the interview confirms that No More Heroes is running on a new engine created solely for the game and Suda's thoughts on the Wii hardware.

Back in July, we posted a "leaked" trailer of Heroes for your viewing pleasure. The link has since been taken down, at the request of the publisher. At TGS, however, Suda 51's newest masterpiece was once again brought into the light. Anyone who's played their previous title, Killer 7, knows exactly how surrealistic these games can be, and this newer trailer does nothing but highlight the fact.

Despite the "anybody pick up and play" design Nintendo seems to love so dearly, the Wii is accruing a rather impressive collection of extremely mature games. Between Heroes, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Sadness, and the Orb/Thorn/Darkess combo from Crossbeam Studios, those of sounder mind and matter should be more than happy ... not to mention the ridiculous plethora of first-person shooters coming our way.