E3 2009 Preview
The original Red Steel was an early
Wii game that showed a lot of promise early on, but didn’t quite deliver the Wii
shooter experience that gamers where hoping for. Luckily, Ubisoft is developing
a sequel that promises to revitalize the franchise, offering a new look, a new
setting, and some much improved gameplay.
The original Red Steel presented
gamers with a Yakuza inspired crime story, but the sequel’s setting seems to be
vastly different from the original. You’ll play in a more western-samurai
inspired setting, but the blend of gunplay and swords is back, albeit with some
pretty nice improvements.
Red Steel 2 will support Wii
MotionPlus, allowing the game to be much more accurate at registering attacks.
You can swing your Wii remote softly in order to perform a regular attack, or
you can swing it wider in order to do a more powerful attack, capable of
knocking bits of armor off of your enemies and exposing them to your sword
attacks.
The gun combat is also done nicely.
You’re targeting reticule is a lot more responsive than in the previous game,
and gamers should be able to pull off great shots with plenty of ease. Aside
from combat, your character will also be able to perform a variety of other
acrobatic moves, including running up textured walls and performing dodges
against attacking enemies.
The game boasts a whole new look as
well. Whereas the original Red Steel had a pretty traditional look to it, the
sequel will feature a more stylized aesthetic, featuring an almost cel-shaded
graphical style. The game runs very smoothly at 60 frames per second, and the
end result is a great looking game that brings to mind games like Ubi’s own
XIII.
Red Steel 2 is turning out to be a
great sequel that capitalizes on the concepts that the first game tried to bring
to the table, and should be one title that Wii owners won’t want to miss.
