No More Heroes 2's Killer Soundtrack

no Maharis 2 is a game with a lot of problems and overall feels like a bit of a step down from the original they take the understated unnerving uncanny darkly comedic world of the first and turn it into this wacky parody playground the protagonist Travis touchdown who originally was portrayed as a guy trying his best to act cool like the lead in an enemy or something but who in fact was clearly a creepy loser is now this larger-than-life Legend to all the babes want to get somewhere combat was never that deep in the original game but here it feels way more clunky and unrefined you get less control over the camera enemies just tank damage forever and you're just getting knocked down all the goddamn time but the soundtrack in this game is so good it's elevates the game so high there not only does it keep me coming back over and over it's justified be making a whole video just about it No More Heroes one had a cool OST with lots of great tracks but here they stepped up its production even further the developers grasshopper bringing in all these composers to bring to life the beat of their new title and it's a home run obviously there's no hiding where No More Heroes gets its punk-rock inspiration style from the game takes its title from The Stranglers song of the same name [Music] so the sound of the title takes a lot from the genre as the sequel to an action game the title should make its presence known by kicking things into overdrive right at the start Travis's first ranked kill from the original game was only seen in trail isn't a few clips for here we get to vicariously experience it by fighting that character's brother in a recreation of those events the catalyst of the first game reborn and that feeling of revving up the engines again is communicated fantastically with the battle theme [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] and from there on it just keeps getting better and better let me take you back to 2008 you just finished this weird niche hack and slash on the Wii you enjoy it but you're like a man there's no way this is getting a sequel and then BOOM out of nowhere it gets announced the sequel is coming the original game has this iconic track it plays in a bunch of levels we have different remixes [Music] even Travis himself whistles eight at the start of the game then you boot up the second game the title that shouldn't exist and the first level immediately brings back the theme but now instead unlike the gritty versions and the original it's this funky as hell remix [Music] [Music] now don't get me wrong I have problems with the overindulgent whacky tone the sequel goes for all of the time but this is perfect fanservice this is like a celebration theme the first level is a party we're throwing because we actually get to make this sequel we've added lyrics to the iconic tune from the original even describing Sylvia Kristel the series femme fatale in the process [Music] the battle music in this game can be so energetic and fills you with such energy in a thrill for the fight [Music] [Music] but then at the penultimate stage the game calls things back you're thrust into this long now Ming Twilight drenched level where this haunting melancholic beat plays [Music] this comes just before a big shift in Travis where he starts questioning the messed up [ __ ] that's going down and we can argue how well that moment was executed but this theme in this level completely nails the feeling that scene wants to go for including the boss fight music it's beautiful yet foreboding [Music] more so than other games I've played it feels like the composers really knew what was needed for every situation the title was going for Henry the boss from the ultimate rival showdown in the original has a playable dream sequence here ways fighting inside his subconscious and the music that plays is a remix of his boss fight theme from the first game now turned into this droning never-ending beat that becomes white noise almost [Music] giving you that sensation of being in a never-ending dream whilst paying homage to his original boss fight' of course there are plenty of other good boss fight themes here - Margaret moonlight they'll even gets time to introduce herself - instead her theme tune sings her backstory in character - you instead [Music] [Music] and of course the track that plays in the fight against the astronaut Vladimir is great the distorted voice and electric guitars building up an RPR enough [Applause] [Music] [Music] like any good album the OST comes to a great crescendo at the end yeah I'm about to talk about the ending so if you haven't played it one one last chance to back out this is it in the last level one concluding push towards the ending the last time Travis has to go in for one of these assassination jobs the track debt free plays and it feels like such a triumphant anthem to rock your way to the final boss with [Music] [Applause] and in the last few hallways we get to hear the original No More Heroes theme play one more time in its unaltered form [Music] taking us back to that first level in the original game all over again the two games come full circle folding in on themselves they knew what they were doing the final boss has to reforms and each have their own theme but it's the final one that's the highlight for me No More Heroes 2 is about Travis's quest for revenge and as we start approaching the conclusion it starts to become apparent that getting it that he not really be all that satisfying it may not be as climactic as you would expect the game already sets things up in a clever way by making the target of Travis's vengeance just the relatives of some nobodies you kill in a side mission in nmh 1 not some badass related to someone interesting or important see killed but the game also hasn't be this weird baby looking man who turns into a giant balloon superhero the supposition that this revenge game was going to end in some legendary fight has been completely crushed but the music doesn't seem to realize this the final boss theme is called travesty and it seems to be under the impression then what's happening now is the most badass confrontation ever but actually it's a travesty [Music] [Applause] [Music] and oh boy the characters themselves well aware of the disaster before them rest is on you wait a second you're already here you might as well keep fighting it's not happening brother I can't be associated with that travesty I mean about standards for [ __ ] sake it's such a perfect subversion of the climactic final boss trope but nevertheless I'm still here rocking out to it [Music] [Applause] [Music] this was also the track that played in the original gameplay reveal of this title and it sounded like such a banger back then I was hyped to play the game just to hear it so having it finally come in at the final boss was satisfying as hell for me so yeah bit of [ __ ] personal try it but nobody cares about for me to inform you of there then there's the credits themes yeah the themes throughout the game every time you defeat a boss this triumphant little jingle plays when you beat the final boss fight and complete your quest and the kind of wistful for stop that's about to punctuate this completed mission of vengeance starts setting in you still get to hear that victory theme but in its true form [Music] now it's retooled as this morose duet that ends the journey in the story of Travis in this incredibly soulful way [Applause] this time your reward for killing a boss isn't some elated bit of fanfare but a sorrowful reflective closing [Music] you get to hear the same theme like at the end of any other fights but now it's filled with so much more emotion and finality and then as if to propose an encore they crank it up again for one last two and after that [Music] an eternal riff fading off into the sunset as the game and this character story finally ends [Music] where maybe Travis has found his paradise [Music] [Music] there's so many good tracks in this game I can't talk about them all here in any other game just one of these Tunes could be that legendary track everybody talks about but here it's like every other bit of music that plays the map screen so smooth Travis's apartment going from chill-out zone in the first game to a more sinister pressing sound this time to correlate with a more determined and aggravated revenge filled adventure we have this go-around [Music] I don't know why so much effort was put into this side of the game but it shines through to me as one of the titles biggest bright spots and really transforms the repetitive gameplay into something a little more visceral and impactful swinging the Wiimote to the thumping beats or mellowing out to some of the more melancholic tracks set the mood everything feels fits a purpose more some areas may lack care the groove kept me going at times it enhances the quality of the game for me that much [Music] while other games spend millions on graphics to maybe set the mood and tone OMA Heroes can do it by just cranking up the volume and I think this is an example of how much you can enhance an experience by just nailing that musical ambience just make sure you don't forget to crank it up in the menu thanks for watching this kind of weird niche content on the soundtracks of hacking slashes on the Wii they don't exactly make a killing on YouTube so if you're interested in supporting this kind of content please consider backing me on patreon and peace out oh by the way if you want to buy the OST though you're out of luck cuz they printed like only a thousand copies I mean I'd love to have one yes if someone sends me one I'll get my mate Dabo from the phone case shop next to the chippy to print some copies off you know what I mean you know yeah you know I'm saying

Channel: TheGamingBritShow

Views: 166,205

Keywords: no more heroes, nmh2, no more heroes 2, soundtrack, ost, suda 51, grasshopper, travis touchdown, wii, desperate struggle, music, theme, boss, fight, henry, shinobu, battle, nmh, strikes back

Id: GqQmPc9VhSM

Length: 17min 39sec (1059 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 03 2017