Red Steel 2 Preview

Published by: Ubisoft
Developed by: Ubisoft Paris
Console: Nintendo Wii
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Release Date: February, 16th. 2009

Overview

After the bad ratings of Red Steel in 2006, you would think that Ubisoft would just give up on the Red Steel franchise. Apparently, that's just not how Ubisoft rolls. Ubisoft has been persistent and Red Steel 2 looks like a turnaround in its franchise. Three years ago, Red Steel was a little speck of grass on a hill. Now, it's a whole acre of grass on that hill, and it's still growing. Corny maybe, but the franchise is growing dramatically, and with the uniqueness of Wii Motion Plus, this game is highly anticipated for 2009!

Storyline

As Red Steel 2 begins, you find yourself at a genuine disadvantage. You're a mysterious hero, dressed in your western attire complete with cowboy hat. You've awakened in the hot desert to find your hands bound, and before you even have a chance to react, you're being pulled along through cacti and rocks by a long rope tethered to a motorcycle, its rider cackling all the way. Scary and intimidating I know! You now find out, that you are the last survivor of a heroic clan sworn to protect the land from evildoers and these dirt bike samurai, the Jackals, are exactly the type of thugs you'd just like to get rid of immediately!

You’ve just returned from a long voyage and discovered the townspeople of Caldera, your longtime residence have all been murdered. Now it's payback time! You must figure out a way to gain the upper hand again. Although you control an on-screen reticule, the entire scene plays out as a canned render -- you're dragged along in first-person view until you skid through a fire, your ropes burn off and you shoot the dirt biker in a satisfying explosion. Afterward, the game really starts! You must go around eliminating these enemies to avenge all the people they have killed.

There are many ways to use your weapons

Gameplay

Red Steel 2 is an action-adventure, first-person shooter. That means, you will be out in the desert assassinating enemies, annoyances, and whatnot by pointing you Wii remote and shooting or slicing at them. Your main weapons will be your sword and your guns. Switching between these two weapons will be way easier than in the original Red Steel. Red Steel 2 unfolds more dynamically than its predecessor because gunplay and swordplay are not divided into two very different sections. Rather, you can engage enemies with your pistol or sword depending on your preference, although there will definitely be situations where your blaster alone won't suffice.

As shown in the E3 demo, you get the warrior sword, which is when MotionPlus comes into the gameplay equation. In contrast to swordplay in the original effort, where sword fights felt mechanical and quickly became repetitive, the duels in Steel 2 are much more responsive, speedier, ever-changing and ultimately satisfying. Ubisoft has devised a mostly intuitive mechanic to switch between your gun and sword, which I think it works pretty well.

At the simplest level, all you have to do is make a swiping motion and you'll auto-draw and swipe your sword. Point back at the screen with your remote, press B-trigger and you'll auto-sheath your blade and shoot your gun wherever you on-screen reticule is aimed. Swipe vertically and your gun is holstered, making way for a quick slash. You can upgrade your sword with special powers, such as the ability to fling enemies into the air. Once they're in midair, you can shoot them or jump up in the air and smack them down to earth.

You think that's it? Well boy, are you wrong! Hold Z-trigger and you'll draw your blade and lock onto enemies and items, at which point the screen remains stationary and you can swipe away. You can swipe horizontally, vertically and diagonally and all of your power is measured. Indeed, Ubisoft has developed challenges based on how powerful your swing is. If you don't swing through with fast, arching gestures, your sword will not penetrate certain bamboo gates or the armor of well-defended enemies. Hold the A button to parry. While holding A, you can tilt the remote horizontally or vertically and in near-one-to-one accuracy your character's arm will do the same, blocking various attacks from enemies.

Killing assassins isn't the only thing you can do in this game. You're also a sneaky 'ninja' too. One of the cooler things you can do is break into a safe. You hold the Wii remote up to your ear and then tilt the remote to turn the wheel on the safe. When you hear a click through the Wii Remote, you know that you've hit the correct combination, and you have to do these three times to open the safe. It's definitely a cool little minigame!

Unlocking a safe is a fun job in this game

So long big Bowser!

Features

Red Steel 2 is going to be a strict single-player experience, so no multiplayer features will ship in the game. Also, no downloadable content has been mentioned at this time. It seems highly unlikely that there will be any for this game.

You will only be able to play Red Steel 2 if you have Wii Motion Plus! So if you want this, you got to get Wii Motion Plus. Wii Motion Plus will cost approximately $25.00.

More Screenshots

*Screenshots are in spoiler tag.*

Spoiler

You can find more pictures here: IGN: Red Steel 2 Screenshots, Wallpapers and Pics

Videos

Official Red Steel 2 Trailer

IGN Video: Red Steel 2 Nintendo Wii Trailer - Red Steel 2 Full E3 Trailer (480p)

Gameplay Videos

Shooting Time- IGN Video: Red Steel 2 Nintendo Wii Gameplay - E3 2009: Sharp Shooter

Motorcycle Torture- IGN Video: Red Steel 2 Nintendo Wii Gameplay - E3 2009: Motorcycle Torture

Death by Sword- IGN Video: Red Steel 2 Nintendo Wii Gameplay - E3 2009: Die by Sword

Info. & Related Links

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Red Steel 2 Hands-On - Preview GameSpot E3 2009