As a launch title for the Wii, Red Steel 1 was not only an extremely disappointing game, but it revealed the technical shortcomings of the console. It exposed the motion-control aspect of the console (which was its biggest selling point) as a gimmick, as it wasn't nearly as accurate as it was hyped to be. Of course, it did prove that the pointer functionality of the Wiimote works, but taking advantage of it for shooter games is not exactly an easy task.
Things got better after that, though, and Red Steel was mostly forgotten. Games such as The Conduit, for example, proved that the pointer controls could work extremely well for FPS's if done properly (and I really liked Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex Edition's controls, even though they felt slightly out of place). Nintendo also released a Wiimote-attachment device in 2009 called MotionPlus, which was designed to make the Wiimote far more accurate (and games like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 proved that it worked).
Many gamers were very surprised when Ubisoft announced that they would make a sequel to their poorly received Wii launch title, Red Steel, that would utilize the Wii MotionPlus (and actually require it for gameplay). Now that Red Steel 2 has finally been released (after being pushed from Holiday 2009 to Spring 2010), and I'm here talking about it, it's time to see whether Ubisoft puts MotionPlus to good use & and created a great game, or created yet another disaster.
If you've ever played Red Steel 1, the first thing you'll notice when playing Red Steel 2 is how completely different it is from its predecessor. It begins with the setting & graphics. While RS1 was set in modern-day Japan & United States, the sequel is set in a fictional, futuristic setting that combines the Wild West with the Far East. Instead of trying to create realistic graphics (and ending up with mediocre results), Ubisoft created a cell-shaded, comic-like style for Red Steel 2. Not only does the game look & feel stylish, it happens to be BY FAR one of the most detailed, sharp, and smoothest running games on Wii (yes, the game runs at 60 fps). Unfortunately, the story is really weak. You play as a member of a Samurai, gun-slinging tribe called the Kusagari. While in a 5-year banishment, you get captured & dragged back into town (literally) by the Jackals, via motorcycle. After escaping, you find your old master, who tells you that the Jackals have invaded overnight, and your clan is extinct, so you then begin your quest for revenge. Yeah, not exactly an original tale, and while its told through good-looking cutscenes, the few characters that the game has to offer are completely flat, and the dialogue & voice-acting ranges from mediocre to absolutely terrible (but mainly the former). This is a big problem since the game is story-driven, but thankfully, it's still better than the ridiculous, awfully acted story of the first game.
Gameplay-wise, the only similarity that you'll notice between Red Steel 1 & Red Steel 2 is that they're both set in first-person perspectives, and somehow feature a combination of sword & gun play. When you first pick up your gun, you will realize that you still point the Wiimote towards the sensor bar (or ideally the TV) to aim your gun, but instead of having the jittery, unresponsive controls of the first game, Red Steel 2 features tight, sensitive, responsive pointer-based controls that can be fully customized (similar to The Conduit) to your liking. If you don't want to go through the slightly tedious process of customizing the control sensitivity, however, you can just choose between three different control sensitivity presets (similar to Metroid Prime 3: Corruption). These are probably the best pointer-based shooting controls on Wii, and that's saying quite a bit.
However, once you get your sword, you'll realize that the game allows you to switch between your sword & gun at ANY time you want (unlike Red Steel 1, which featured short, scripted sword sequences). You might be worried that using your sword will ruin camera control during battle, but thankfully, there's a lock-on system that causes the camera to automatically lock onto the closest enemy, and you can lock the camera on the next closest enemy simply by pressing the Z button.
And, most importantly, the Wii MotionPlus allows for some fantastic swordplay. Not only does it read your swing accurate, but the game actually rewards you extra damage for doing broad, swift swings (unlike Wii Sports Resort). In fact, this is actually required for taking down enemies with heavy armor. The only problem is that the game cannot read defensive blocking positions, so you will have to hold down the A button in order to block. However, it's not really the game's fault, but actually the device's fault, and you still have to hold the Wiimote in horizontal and vertical positions to block different kinds of attacks.
It's extremely engaging, unlike the clumsy, unresponsive sword fights in Red Steel 1, and its one of the things that makes the combat so outstanding. The guns also mix seamlessly into the gameplay, as you can pull out & fire a gun at any time by pointing the Wiimote at the sensor bar & pressing the B trigger, and you can press different directions on the D-Pad to switch between a pistol, a double-barrel shotgun, a single-shot rifle, and a sub-machine gun. Don't worry, though, this does not make the game too easy, as heavily-armed enemies are invulnerable to bullets, and there are plenty of enemies who are smart & quick enough to block bullets using their weapons. There are also plenty of enemies with guns, and you can block their bullets with your own sword, or you can even deflect their bullets by using a special move that you learn later in the game. You will also find special sword techniques, which, I won't explain here, as it would take too long, but trust me, they look awesome & are great to pull off. There are so many different guns & sword techniques (and even some special gun techniques) that there are many different ways to approach combat situations.
The combat also manages to stay fresh throughout the entire game (or at least most of it), thanks to a great shop system. There are plenty of shops throughout the game. The game gives you a hub to explore, then you will eventually get to move on to another hub, then you will explore some more, then you will move on to another hub, and the process keeps repeating. In each hub, there is a sheriff's office, a dojo, and (eventually in the game) a costume shop. The sheriff's offices allows you to buy new guns or upgrade existing ones (although you start the game with a pistol), the dojos allow you learn new sword techniques or upgrade existing ones (some of which you learn automatically as you progress), and the costume shops allow you to buy extra armor/lives (and some other stuff that I won't spoil). Purchases are made using cash, which you gain by killing enemies in the most stylish ways possible, completing side-missions (yes, this game has side-missions), or busting open objects. It also adds some replay value, as its nearly impossible to gain enough cash to buy anything, so you can replay the game with different purchases than the previous time you played. Sure, the upgrades can make the game too easy, but you can approach on how you would like to make your purchases. You can either mostly focus on buying new weapons & moves, or focus on buying lots of upgrades that significantly improve your attributes.
However, that isn't to say that the game is challenging. It isn't. This isn't the easiest game in the world, but it definitely isn't super hard, either. Since the enemies are extremely slow & predictable, the same types of enemies are constantly repeated throughout the game, and your character can get extremely overpowered easily (since the upgrades aren't very expensive), you will probably die, AT THE VERY MOST, about 7 times throughout the whole game. Adding to this problem is the fact that, eventually in the game, you can buy extra lives. It's incredibly stupid that a game that already allows you to buy tons of armor also allows you to buy extra lives. Also, your armor completely regenerates after each battle. The game would've been much more challenging if you permanently lost armor in battle, and had to make up for it by buying new armor.
The combat is the most crucial part of gameplay, which is why it's a good thing that Ubisoft did a very good with it (and they did an amazing great job with the graphics). It's just a shame that (story aside) the design has flaws that really hold the game back (hence the 6/10 score). While the concept of exploration is a cool one, the side-quests are repetitive, and you will lose your interest for them quickly. They range from tearing down wanted posters of yourself (which is pointless considering that the city is deserted, jackals aside), to reactivating communication towers (to communicate with allies), to finding hidden weapons caches. You do earn large sums of cash for completing them, and scavenger-hunting is kinda fun for a while, but they weren't nearly as fun as they could've been. This is an even bigger problem due to the fact that the environments are extremely repetitive (as well as the enemies), and you will frequently have to wait for about 10 seconds to travel between areas via doors (similar to Metroid Prime, except you have to wait for EVERY door, and they take much longer to load).
The game is also lacking in lasting appeal. The game isn't terribly long; it lasts for about 8-12 hours, and there isn't enough replay value. There is a Challenge Mode that allows you to replay old areas using the brand new weapons that you finished the game with...and in case you haven't guessed, this mode is anything but challenging. It's also severely held back by lack of online leaderboards, and its a shame that you cannot just use old, weaker weapons. Like I said earlier, you can replay the entire single-player adventure with different upgrades, but that doesn't justify replaying the tedious side-missions all over again. There also isn't any multiplayer of any kind; sword duel & gun deathmatch modes would've been nice, especially if they could be played both locally & online.
However, issues with story, side-missions, & lasting appeal should not keep you from trying this game out. I strongly discourage purchasing it, but it's an excellent rental. This is, without a doubt, the best motion-controlled swordfighting game I've ever played, and I loved the way that Ubisoft seamlessly combined it with first-person shooting, and highly expanded it with a shop system. It also happens to be one of the best 3rd party Wii titles released this year.
If you rent this game (and you absolutely should), and you enjoy the game so much that you can't get enough of it & want to replay it over & over, then you can purchase this game bundled with a Wii MotionPlus accessory for $60. If you already own MotionPlus, however, you can just buy the game by itself for $50.