Red Steel is worthy FPS for the Wii. However it's not without its kinks, which are pretty nasty flaws.
Gameplay:
What we see here is a product being rushed to the Nov 19 release date. Ubisoft was working very hard to make this a great shooter, but Red Steel lacks a lot of structure that makes an FPS fun. Slow turning, harsh glitches in graphical and controllable display, and messy initiative come into play. Red Steel REALLY requires you to play the game at least 20-30 minutes before you actually get the hang of it. It's not complicated, but it's not easy either. What is great is the creativity. You zoom and cover yourself by different gestures and the sword fighting, while flawed, still is great fun.
Graphics:
Possibly the reason why Red Steel will sell is because of its graphics. It's definitely one of the best looking games on the Wii. However it has a few problems. One: Ubisoft definitely touched up some Hi-rez picks to make the game look better than it actually is. Two: Many problems with jaggies. It's just plain nasty to look at them. Three: There are some nasty glitches in movement and character models that really dumb it down. But overall, the lighting, particle effects, destructible objects, and nice rim light on the character models really bring out the style of the game; which is really derived from manga/noir genres.
Sound:
Great stuff. Seriously. The soundtrack is amazing with lots of energy and it's very immersive. When enemies are near, you know when they are here just by the music that is played. The sword clashes are just beautifully synced and created and the gunshots are just beautiful. The only minor problem is the ridiculously crappy voice acting. It just doesn't cut it. I've seen better voice acting using my grandma, literally. It's just horrendous. But all in all, it's a great tool that is well-used.
Value:
With about 14-16 hours of gameplay, this game is a nonstop action-packed game. I think it is well worth the 50 dollars, as I payed for Resident Evil 4 with the same amount of gameplay. And I think I can play this game at least twice. So I don't see too much of a worry about it being a rip off. however, those who are skeptical based on some reviews need to rent this game. Because I can't really say it's DEFINITELY worth keeping. You might want to just rent it and put it back on the shelf.
Overall:
This game is great, but it has many flaws which are real hardhitters. If Ubisoft delayed this game for a few months, I'm sure many editors would be a lot happier playing this game because it feels rushed and unfinished. Nintendo could have also advised them more because they were the guys who let Ubi have the getgo on things. So this game is a nice game to play, but it just has a lot of stuff missing that could've been added.