No More Heroes sequel gets two versions

On top of its topnotch gameplay, No More Heroes for the Wii is also known for its gore and absurdity. No More Heroes development head Goichi Suda (aka Suda 51) told Eurogamer that the recently-announced sequel for No More Heroes is getting two versions: a watered-down edition and an “uncensored” one.

We won’t be able to make the same game for all territories,” Suda 51 said in an interview at the Tokyo Game Show. “For Europe, we’re going to release two versions. One extreme version, and one with less violence.”

This is probably in response to the controversy that surrounded the original game when the Japanese and European versions of No More Heroes were censored. The North American release was the edition that came with gruesome dismemberment.

Considering that the Wii is rather lacking in the “mature” department, there is a good chance that the uncensored version of No More Heroes 2 would sell better than the enemies-exploding-into-ash edition.

One good precedent that could predict which version would sell better is Mortal Kombat for the home consoles, which was launched last 1993. The Sega Genesis version contained full gore and fatalities, while the one for SNES altered the fatalities and used sweat instead of blood. Interestingly, Mortal Kombat for the Genesis outsold the SNES version.

According to Wired, the Genesis version of MK outsold the SNES version two million to one million, two months after the game’s release. The Genesis version also ended up outselling the SNES version three to one after a series of Congressional hearings in 1993.

Of course, the Congressional hearings played a factor in MK sales, but it doesn’t take rocket science to predict which version of No More Heroes 2 would be preferred by more people.

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