This
thing doesn't have just a little bit.
It has everything.
Everything that made Killer7 a GameCube classic.
Everything your friends didn't believe until you showed them, in No More Heroes.
It's violent.
It's sexy.
It's sexist.
It's...utterly ridiculous.
It's everything you love—or everything you hate—about Suda 51.
But...that means it's predictable.
And that's one thing you'd never predict from Suda.
Now, now...it's not a loser, by any means.
On the contrary, Killer Is Dead is one of the year's most stylish,
entertaining and...irreverent video games.
Another patch on the vest of gaming's most notorious punk rocker and
closest answer to Quentin Tarantino.
If you like your games as gorgeous as they are f*cked up, you'll love Killer Is
Dead.
But if you're familiar with Suda's work, be aware that...this one kind of feels like a
greatest hits.
And most of the
time, a "greatest hits" never has the same impact.
Most of the time.
In fact, if there's one thing that makes Killer Is Dead stand apart from games like No More
Heroes, it's that...this
is kind of a dark game.
I mean, it has all the potty humor you would expect from Suda, but the tone is far more
sinister this time.
Even uncomfortable, at times.
In fact, while the gameplay is basically just No More Heroes 3, the
game is actually closer to Killer7 in tone...and its balance between fear and funny.
And...with a little extra foxy.
Actually, it's more than a little.
And that's another thing that stands out with Killer Is Dead.
I mean, Suda's games
always sexualize women, but...this takes it to a level that even surprised me.
I mean, there's actually a minigame
where...you have to stare at a woman's "parts," when she's not looking.
Do it enough times, and you can give her
expensive gifts.
Like flowers.
Do that enough times, and...well, you know.
And the crazy thing is that...that's how you get new weapons, and upgrades.
From sleeping with women.
Who then give
you these things, in return.
And honestly, if that's something you find offensive...you'll find a thousand other
things offensive, in Killer Is Dead.
This game is just...unremittingly misogynistic, even for Suda 51.
So that's
definitely something to consider.
One way or the other.
As for the gameplay, well...that's familiar ground, too.
And actually, that's where the game disappoints the most.
Killer Is Dead is almost identical to No More Heroes, the same counter-based sword game
that exhilarated Wii
owners...about half a decade earlier.
And that's fine, because it's fun.
Killer Is Dead is fun.
But it does give the
experience this overwhelming feeling of "been there, done that."
And again, you just don't expect that from a Suda game.
Now, there is one new gameplay element that separates Killer Is Dead from No More Heroes.
And this one feels like
Shadows of the Damned.
In addition to your sword, you also have this...arm cannon, which lets you do some third-person
shooting if you have enough blood.
It's a fun change, but...you use the sword like, 90 percent of the time.
Which
means...it's really not much of a change.
Fortunately, though, it is fun.
I mean, if you like No More Heroes—and you should like No More Heroes—you're going
to
love Killer Is Dead.
Dodge, attack, rinse the blood off, repeat.
It's fast, it's frantic, it's awesome.
And for the
most part, it looks amazing.
It has Suda's unmistakable style...but even that's held back by some technical issues.
So it's, like...one step forward, two exploding torsos back.
Suda 51 has always taken this...off-road approach, to game design.
But the thing is, when you go off the road enough
times in the same place?
That becomes a road.
Worn down, visible...predictable.
If you like the way Suda drives, like
I do, you're going to love Killer Is Dead.
But if you're hoping for an unexpected turn?
For a new route?
That's a route Killer Is Dead doesn't seem interested
in taking.