The first clip is of alternate playable character Shinobu getting her slice on. The second is of one of the first baddies in the game, Skelter. Lastly, get a look at some of the mini-games (including the super-cute cat weight loss program) in a montage clip.

Given the nature of No More Heroes, I'm not sure whether my altered perspective detracted from my experience or enhanced it. I'm going to go with enhanced because as I read over my notes from that meeting all I see are good things written around giant smiling cats I don't remember drawing. It must've stuck some kind of chord.

The thing I feel bad about, though, is not knowing how to say "stress fracture" in Japanese. Suda 51 was kind enough to inquire why I was limping at the end of the appointment and the best I could do was "It's a little broken." Which I think freaked him out because either something is broken or it isn't right?

What Is It?
No More Heroes 2 is the sequel to Wii game No More Heroes in which players take the role of Travis Touchdown and go about laser-swording various enemies to death for cash and stuff. The third person action adventure game is broken up quite nicely with some motorcycle segments and 2D mini-games. The major appeal comes from the game's insane brand of mature humor, which targets a very niche and dedicated audience of Wii owners.

In NMH2, Travis is dragged back into a tournament-style chain of fights once again as part of a revenge quest. Many character favorites from the first game return and you actually get to play as other characters besides Travis, like the sexy Shinobu.

What We Saw
I shared a playthrough appointment with some journos from 1UP where we passed the controller around for a series of mini games, a section in Travis's apartment, part of a Shinobu level and the first level of the game where Travis fights Skelter, brother to some dude you killed in the first game (which I confess I never beat).

How Far Along Is It?
Near final. The game is due out January 27th.

What Needs Improvement?
If You Can't Stand The Crazy, Get Out Of The Game: No More Heroes 2, like its predecessor, is weird, violent and totally proud of both. The narrative is bizarre, the action is gory and the mix of gameplay types between story missions and side missions can leave you reeling. Do not ride this ride if you have a heart condition, a poor sense of humor or a weak grasp of Suda 51's brand of insanity.

Camera Is A Little Bit Too Crazy: I noticed during Shinobu's level that the camera would sometimes have trouble keeping up with her during sharp turns in narrow corridors. Shinobu seems to move a lot faster than Travis, so I could see this becoming a real problem if you're racing through the level, slicing up a storm.

It's No Longer "Open" World: If you liked the open world of the previous game (although some people found it small), you're going to be disappointed to hear that NMH2 sticks to a map system instead. The map system marks where story and side missions are in town and when you select one, you teleport there. To me, it didn't make the world feel small or anything (and given my drugged state, I actually really appreciate the hand-holding with regards to knowing where the next story mission is), but I can think of a few people who wanted more open world, not less.

Shinobu's High Heels: Just watching her sprint in those thigh-high puppies made me want to cry, imagining my poor ankle going through the same motions.

What Should Stay The Same?

Still Endearingly Crass (And Violent): "Tone it down" is not in Suda 51's vocabulary — not even in its Japanese equivalent meaning. From the fourth-wall-breaking narration where Sophie dismisses the need to catch the audience up on the plot of the first game to chopping off people's heads in slow motion with buckets of blood flecking the screen, NMH2 is every bit as inappropriate and violent as the first game. And I don't think the fans would want it any other way.

Still Pretty Easy To Pick Up: There are some updates to gameplay that make bosses more complicated to beat and the training gym mini-games are notoriously difficult. But other than that, it's not hard to master the sword fighting moves or the procedure for charging up your weapon. Newcomers won't be lost.

Fashion Statements Are An Option: You can take Tavis clothes shopping and customize a great deal about his outfit — right down to some shades straight out of the 80s. But what I found really cool is how developer Grasshopper Manufacture gave a nod to Japanese fans by holding a shirt design contest. You can find the winning entries on the racks at the clothing store.

OMG Kitty~! My favorite thing next to the anime video game you can play in Travis's apartment is Travis's cat, Jean. At the end of the first game, she appears to have let herself go and is now a big ball of cat blubber. A mini-game lets you train her with "cat exercises" and arrange her diet so that she loses weight over time. The cat exercises were pretty hilarious — one of them involves Travis hoisting her up over his head, which probably benefits his weight loss more than hers. So adorable! And probably the reason I drew giant smiling cats all over my notes.

Final Thoughts
Now that my ankle is mostly better and I no longer am under the effects of painkillers, I realize how ridiculous the cat thing is. My cat would kick my ass if I tried to lift her over my head under the pretense of trying to make her lose weight.

Also, here's some news you can use:
—There are about 10 hours of gameplay total (side missions and all).
—No save data from the first game carries over or has any impact on the game.
—It doesn't use Wii MotionPlus.
—The motorcycle returns in some side missions.
—Suda 51 had nothing to say either about the ports of the first game to the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, or about his ongoing project with EA.

The folks over at Ubisoft were kind enough to cut together a very special video for Kotaku to share with you. It distills the very essence of No More Heroes 2 into a single, steamy... weird clip lasting all of 32 seconds. For some guys, that leaves even enough time to cuddle afterward.

Enjoy!

Don't forget, you have to be 18 to watch this video showing Henry as a playable character in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle.

Although, speaking to 1Up, Suda also made clear that "I've finished the story for Travis [Touchdown]. It's completely finished in No More Heroes 2." Anything developed will involve "a different character, or something like that within the series - starting on the next Nintendo platform."

Suda's comments themselves don't betray any knowledge or certainty of such a console, other than the assumption that, yes, its day shall come. So for all of you who took this to mean No More Heroes as you knew it was done, the answer is no.

Actually, I answered differently, and it may have been misinterpreted. What I wanted to say was, looking at the Wii, I think No More Heroes 2 will probably be the last iteration for this current platform. But there's probably going to be a "Wii 2" or other next-gen system from Nintendo at some point, so I was saying that I would want to do another game in the series on the next Nintendo platform.

Goichi Suda Interview [1Up, thanks Joseph L.]

While booking Penny Arcade Expo appointments with game publishers this week, Mike Fahey and I have mostly been hearing that we'll get a chance to play new or old builds of familiar games. Few games, we've learned, are making their worldwide playable debut at the big Seattle show.

No More Heroes 2 is the happy exception. While talking to Ubisoft folks about the company's plans, I learned that the game will be playable on the show floor next week in Seattle. Reporters haven't played it at trade shows yet. The public hasn't played it anywhere. The playing field's level this time.

Look for more information about our PAX plans as the show approaches. And look for No More Heroes 2 at PAX. The show starts Friday, September 4.

May is not new — it's an entire season ago. But those blurry magazine scans are blurry. The worst thing about blurry magazine scans? They're blurry.

Have a better look at the dual beam katana action in No More Heroes 2. While hero Travis Touchdown carried a single beam katana in the first NMH, but carries a dual beam in the second game. Double the fun. (And dead bad guys.)

Other highlights include some hands-on with the PSP Go and the first real look at Final Fantasy XIV. Also, Mike McWhertor thinks the Golden Sun DS trailer is worth a watch or two and if you've got the popcorn, why not?

Check 'em out:

Ubisoft Ready To Get You In Shape With Its Wii Camera
What Does The E3 No More Heroes 2 Trailer Have?
PSP Go Hands-On Video
Shigeru Miyamoto Spills Beans On "Kind Code"... Almost
The Golden Sun DS Trailer Feels Underappreciated
Miyamoto Addresses Zelda's E3 Absence
Last Guardian Trailer Now Totally Fixed
Final Fantasy XIV Debut Trailer
Four Minutes Of Modern Warfare 2 Gameplay Footage: BAM
Uncharted 2 New Trailer: Payback's A Bitch
Demon's Souls Coming To North America

The game once again stars beam katana assassin Travis Touchdown and Japanese Ukrainian co-hort Sylvia Christel. There's a new character — a hip-hop killer named Nathan Copeland who is ranked 50th by the United Assassins Association. He carries a shape-shifting boom box.

In Desperate Struggle, Travis learns the art of dual beam katana wielding. Details are currently scant about how this translates into gameplay. Expect more details at E3 — hopefully!

Oh. One more thing. The game's developer, Grasshopper Manufacturer, appears to be taking applications for in-game t-shirt designs.

"What's with all the secrets? Making another No More Heroes game doesn't seem outrageous," I said. "It seems rather obvious." Grasshopper Manufacturer doing No More Heroes 2 should come as big of a shock as Grasshopper Manufacturer doing, says, No More Heroes 3.

"People would get angry at me," Suda said. "Marvelous would get angry at me." He's signed a contract, and most likely a big chunk of that contract included stipulation that he was not to discuss the game.

In film, some directors talk eons in advance, letting everyone know what type of project they're working on, thinking about or even writing. But film is not gaming and gaming is not film. The game industry is different. (Take, for example, the other day when we asked the Ninja Blade producer what the hero's name was, he turned to the Microsoft staffer asking if it was okay to answer. Who cares, really.)

"There are always secrets in the game industry," Suda said, "which is why there's so many rumors." He is right, but things should change. Why not announce that you're working on a new game? Why not say what the game is? Or what's it about? Is the one-two-punch of announcing the game and then showing screenshots or a trailer really the best way? Would it be better to release a trailer much closer to the actual sale date instead of years in advance?

People are waiting for those first images. So make them wait. And drawing that out them, instead of starting with them and literally showing them for years makes a lot more sense.

For the way it's done now, there is a logical progression Suda assured. "You don't simply watch a game," he said. "You have to actually play it, and it takes time to explain that. Players might feel cheated if they don't know exactly what they were getting. Play time is important." No one is disagreeing. It is important. Though, whether or not it's necessary to wait to even talk about a title until there is a batch of screens or a new trailer is another issue altogether. Announcing a new title is no big deal. Announcing what that new title does is.