At E3, Konami had a large number of upcoming games on display, and among them was No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise. Heroes' Paradise is a PS3 port of the original Wii version, featuring updated HD graphics and Playstation Move support. No More Heroes is definitely a franchise aimed at the “core gamer” demographic, and the Playstation 3 is more widely accepted by that demographic than the Wii. Porting the game over sounds like a smart move.

The truth is more of a mixed bag. While the new look is absolutely fantastic, giving the whole game a more vibrant, comic book style, the Playstation Move controls leave something to be desired. Given that the Move controller is much closer to 1-1 accuracy than the Wii remote, one might assume that the beam katana would be controlled via actually swinging the Move controller. That's not the case, and it sticks to pretty much the same control scheme that the Wii version had.

This is disappointing, but not much of a blow to the game as the Wii control scheme was still incredibly fun. What does hurt the experience is that in some ways the Move actually feels inferior to the Wii remote. The button mapping feels slightly less comfortable, for one, especially for those who'd already gotten used to the game's Wii control layout. What's worse is that the actual motion controls simply aren't as responsive. Be it performing a horizontal finisher or recharging the beam katana, the system's ability to recognize what the player is trying to do seems lacking. The recharging is especially frustrating, feeling incredibly unresponsive and sluggish.

This doesn't mean it won't be worth getting. In addition to the HD graphics, the PS3 version will also feature new content. Those unhappy with the Move controls can always use the standard PS3 controller instead. There are plenty of reasons to check out Heroes' Paradise, it's just a shame what I saw of the game was muddled by a poor implementation of the Move.

No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise releases on August 16^th for the Playstation 3 and will be rated M.

About the Author

Skyler Bunderson

Skyler Bunderson has been covering video games for roughly two years. He started Gamepad Dojo as a source for long-form reviews with humor, and has also contributed to the feminist game site The Border House. When he isn't playing games or writing about them, he spends his spare time designing his own titles.