Ever since lead developer Suda 51 (Goichi Suda) and his company, Grasshopper Manufacture, captured gamers' attentions with Killer 7, people wondered what crazy game would come next. No More Heroes steps in to fill in the post-Killer 7 gap of quirky action games with plenty of fighting and bloodshed.

Ironically, No More Heroes has little to do with heroes. Players take the role of Travis Touchdown, who decides to (literally) get off the toilet one day and become the world's #1 assassin. He has to beat all the current ranking assassins in order to reach the top, and so the sword fighting starts. The graphics feature the same cell-shaded style found in Killer 7, with plenty of gameplay goofiness to go around. One boss, for example, fires lasers from his crotch. Before the battle, there's an amusing conversational exchange where the two combatants learn about each other, accompanied by frantic cell phone calls (played through the Wii Remote's speaker) introducing the boss.

Beyond the whacky boss encounters, No More Heroes features creative uses of the Wii controller for sword combat. Holding down the Z button locks onto an enemy and blocks when the player isn't attacking. The A and B buttons are used for kicking and punching and holding them down produces powerful charge attacks. The D-Pad is used to dodge attacks and the B button initiates wrestling move combos guided by on screen prompts. However, the beauty of combat is in the motion controls, which senses how high the player holds the controller. Holding the Nunchuck and Wii Remote in a high position results in high hits to the torso, while lowering them goes for the legs. When used properly, Travis can block incoming projectiles or send them back toward his foes. Eventually, the katana (which doubles as a kind of lightsaber) has a lousy battery life and needs charging during battle. Holding down the 1 button and waving the controller back and forth powers up the sword and builds up to a devastating finishing move, complete with generous blood spray. Additionally, Travis can lock swords with an enemy, build up his concentration in the same way, and hit them with a high-powered move. However, concentrating power into the sword leaves Travis vulnerable to attack by other enemies.

A slot machine pops up each time Travis completes a finishing move, providing players a chance to go into one of four different dark modes, with fanciful names like "Blueberry Cheese Brownie" and "Anarchy in the Galaxy." Each mode provides a temporary super ability ranging from slowing down time, to supercharging the sword, to shooting fireballs.

Much of the game focuses on beating down waves of minions before reaching the boss, breaking crates and picking up health (in the shape of pizzas) along the way. Travis has a chance to run into to the bathroom to recharge his health, sword energy and perhaps pick up an extra wrestling move before confronting a boss. Bringing down a big guy earns a ton of loot, but Travis will need to pay entry fees before earning the opportunity to face them. Money comes through a series of assassination minigames that cover everything from assaulting a tree to collecting coconuts to bringing down the leader of an evil pizza delivery ring. Furthermore, Travis likes to travel in style, so he has a souped up bicycle to take him from place-to-place, further underscoring how quirky the game will be.

Gamers looking for crazy action with an innovative edge should look forward to No More Heroes making its way to the Nintendo Wii February 5.