Red Steel 2 Review

 This is a quick review of Red Steel 2 that I wrote for my unviversity newspaper that I have been meaning to post of quite some time. Enjoy. 

The original Red Steel was a heavily hyped mess rushed out for Wii’s 2006 launch, one that failed to deliver on all its promises of precise aiming, visceral swordplay, and impressive graphics. But non the less, it happened to become one of the Wii’s best selling third party offerings, and now the completely overhauled sequel is one of the best first person shooters (FPS) on the system and a shocking reminder of how good a Wii-exclusive shooter can be. 

The first Red Steel was a generic, ugly affair. Red Steel 2, in direct contrast, is a gorgeous cel-shaded take on a futuristic Wild West with an equal amount of feudal Japan thrown in. The art style Ubisoft has chosen rightly plays to the Wii’s strengths as it combines bold, simple colours with wonderfully detailed models (the weapons in particular shine with graphical polish, smooth animations and fantastic sound design) . The result is a clean, smooth game that’s easily one of the prettiest on the platform.

Whilst the combat, visuals and controls are terrific, there are a few unrelated issues that keep Red Steel 2 from competing with the very best on the system. First, the map is borderline useless, as there’s no way to look at a full view of the area you’re currently in and even on its most difficult setting, enemies never require advanced techniques to dispatch.

Yet, it is easily the combat that the game’s biggest draw. Unlike the majority of FPS’s, which consist of traversing an environment shooting at enemies, Red Steel 2 forces you to use all of its diverse sword attacks, each of which is activated by a different flick of the wrist or swing of the arms. Shooting at foes is almost always an option, but it is far more fun and effective to engage in swordplay. By the end of the 10 -12 hour storyline, your combat repertoire is deep enough for it to feel like a fighting game from a first person perspective, with a plethora of options and finishing moves to dispatch enemies.

However, Red Steel 2 is a very worthwhile addition to a Wii owner's library, as well as being an excellent vehicle for the MotionPlus's capabilities. This is arguably the first action game on the system that uses motion for great effect, enhancing gameplay to a point that’s simply not possible with a standard controller. The pure visceral pleasure of swordfighting and all the fun it entails more than make up for the minor shortcomings in story and repetitive content. Buy this game, or at least rent it- it should give you something to hold you over until Super Mario Galaxy 2 comes out in June.