Red Steel (Wii, 2006)

Red Steel is an interesting and engaging game, but falls short of its true potential. The sword action is unique for a first-person shooter, but don't expect a full range of motion. The moves are fairly limited though combining specific moves with your blade results in some special moves and extra points.

The game is particularly unique for its attention to rewarding you for not killing people. After a sword fight, you have the option of either striking a finishing blow to your defeated opponent or graciously putting your sword away. During the gunfights, you can find the boss in area, wave your controller over them repeatedly, and attempt to convince them to put their guns down. The accumulation of these respect points is particularly unique and unlike anything I've seen in other games.

One big gripe that I have about this game is the degree of immortality of the bad guys. In this game, killing the bad guys can take up to 3 shots. At some point real fast, it gets annoying. You see bad guy, you shoot bad guy, bad guy hides, bad guy comes out, repeat. And repeat again.

As a launch title, sure, it's bound to have its quirks, but it's still an entertaining game. Check it out.

Pros
+ Unique controls.
+ Fun weapons & nice explosions.
+ Multiplayer.

Cons
- Graphics are a little fuzzy.
- Story & cutscenes are weak.
- Controls are too sensitive, create confusion, and cause frustration.
? Where's my online play?

Comments
If not for the unique controls this would only rate as an average 1st person shooter. But it does offer enough to at least play through it once. This is no must buy but fighting with a sword is fun and if you get into a rhythm with the gun you will feel unstoppable. The in-game dialogue ends up being both annoying & funny. Everytime you shoot someone they almost always yell out something stupid like "killer" or "murderer".

Verdict
Must play for Wii owners. Can't recommend a purchase though unless you really enjoy the multiplayer.

I purchased this product to get a feel for the way the Wii can do a first person shooter, and I wanted something different than the typical WWII environment. My initial impression of the game, from its frequent loading screens, poorly animated cinematics, and lack of compelling story, was not favorable. It was incredibly difficult for me to become familiar with the controls, and I found it very difficult to determine where enemies were when I was being blasted from a distance. I had heard it would take 30 minutes to an hour to get a hang of the controls, but it took me between 3 to 5 hours to get used to them.

After putting in my 3-5 hours of intense aggravation and enduring the afore-mentioned problems with the game (as well as some other problems, such as what I consider terrible voice acting), I really began to enjoy myself. I still feel the control could be sharper, the use of the nunchuck as an action button is a little too much functionality for something as physical as a violent shake of the wrist, and I really don't feel that there is much weapon variety. The sword fighting feels very forced, very unnatural, and it's usually easier to win a fight by swinging madly than using controlled and precise wii-mote maneuvers. The multiplayer is a nice try, and it's good to have the option, but I didn't find it very worthwhile. I only played 1 on 1, so a 4 player free for all might work out better. I didn't really find it enjoyable, though.

Once the character hits Japan, I found the environments and level design to become very appealing. I got into the character's role, however ridiculous it seemed, and became quite a capable gun fighter. The weapon training level was a joy, and those few rare moments when I'm able to sneak up behind an enemy and take him down with a deft sword stroke feel extremely satisfying.

Overall, I feel what the game lacks and what the game does poorly outweighs what the game includes and what the game does well -- I think most people will put this game back in the drawer (deep in the drawer) before it becomes enjoyable. On a scale from 1 - 10, where 10 is best, I'd probably rate it around a 6.5. It's frustrating, but it can be quite satisfying once you acquire the taste. You may want to play alone, though, because it's hard to keep a straight face while the story unfolds when in the company of others. In conclusion, I don't think it's worth its retail price of $49.99 - I'd definitely recommend finding it for under $40.

-Rogue Shinobi

I loved the graphics of this game. The controls were a little unusual to me at first, but once I got the hang of it, I became spoiled with it! Too bad other shooting games don't have these controls. I liked all the shooting and different guns that have various strength. There is a lot of shooting. The enemies you have to shoot are interesting too. They seem to have minds of their own, they dont just go around in circles shooting aimlessly. The sword fighting was most challenging for me, there are many different techniques of sword fighting to learn, and once you defeat various enemies, you feel like you really did whoop someone. This is a great game, the only thing that was disappointing was the end...! I didn't want it to end!

I am really not a gamer, but I love the arcade style of shooting and taking cover, and you get loads of this here. The sword action adds a new challenge to regular full blown shoot-outs. Awesome game!