Customer Reviews

Red Steel 2

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I wasn't really a fan of westerns as a kid. Well, that is until my brother made me watch A Few Dollars More. After that I loved them, the serious ones, and the sillier, campy funny ones. They're all so delicious. Unfortunately, I've never been a big fan of shooters both first and third as far as video game genres go, and nothing I've tried has really changed that, so sadly I haven't really been able to enjoy westerns in my games as all of them are shooters. I really like seeing the character I'm playing, the way they move, attack, run, and I don't really get that with first person games. That and shooting in general just doesn't particularly do it for me. Even in most movies I prefer hand to hand or sword combat, it just feels more dynamic and interesting to me, and it's no different for me in my video games. Well, that is until I saw some game play footage of Red Steel 2.

I hadn't heard of the original before this, as I didn't own a Wii at launch. But when I saw footage of a character that looks like Clint Eastwood meets Vash the Stampede meets Samurai Jack going through mobs using a combination of both swordplay and gun slinging, I was intrigued. Then I actually played it, and I was blown away. I just beat the game this morning, and I absolutely love it. I started on easy, go the hang of it then switched up to medium a little bit into the game. I plan to go back and beat it on Ninja.

As far as presentation goes, this is easily one of the most stylish games on the Wii, and one of if not the most graphically impressive. I'm biased about this however, as I love the Wild West, I love samurais, I love schizo tech, and I really love Cel Shading. The game has an absolutely killer sound track as well, with a love of really fast paced western themes. The story seems okay I guess, you play a nameless protagonist, returning to your hometown after being banished years before. You come to find it taken over by a gang called The Jackals, and their leader knocks you out and ties you to the back of his bike. While originally thought to be a random gang raid, it beginning to look as though this is more of a war against your clan. The voice acting is okay I guess. It's nothing to impressive or memorable, but nothing painful either. Kind of unrelated, but I bought the game bundled with the Wii+ as I didn't own one at the time of purchased, and I love the box it came with. I love boxes. There should be more of them.

A lot of people are going to complain about the fact that this game doesn't exactly have 1:1, but it just wouldn't work if it did. Most players aren't exactly expert swordsmen, so trying to make it an over realistic sword fighting simulator would be a waste of time. Making it 1:1 would completely ruin it as an action game. I absolutely love the combat system. I mean it. I love how involved and intuitive it is. Its fast paced, exhilarating, and fun. Its undoubtedly my favorite combat system to come out this generation and possibly ever. I really believe this is the next evolution in motion control, and a new gold standard for Wii action games.

That said, the game isn't perfect however. There are a few complaints but they are overshadowed by just how fun and unique the game is. My first complaint is how standard the missions themselves are, there needs to be more variety and uniqueness to go along with a game like this. This one annoys me, but its an out of combat thing. The game works because of the automatic mob targeting in combat, so you can swing your sword without your camera flying around all the place. This is not true when out of combat, so when you want to bash in crates that contain money, your camera swings around like an elastic flail and not all of the breakable objects have the option to Z target them. I've resorted to just using the spin attack to deal with crates, a button to fix the camera still outside of combat would have been nice, the "C" would have worked well, and then the "Check Objectives" menu could have just been included into the pause menu.

In addition, this game is absolutely 100% about the combat and showing what the Wiimotion+ can do. If you're expecting something particularly deep, you aren't really going to get it here either. That and while the environments look amazing, and the game also has a Metroid Prime feel to it, but the game world itself is very shallow. Most areas are corridors and moderately sized rooms with little variation in it. This game isn't particularly deep, but the combat in this game is unlike anything I've ever really seen. How involved you get with the sword fighting is really unique, and the way the special attacks are built are very intuitive and dare I say, revolutionary. So if you're getting this game, expect combat like you've never seen before in a video game. Its exhausting actually! I actually enjoy that aspect, it just feel so involved.

I would give this game a 8/10 ish or a 9/10, with 1 being bad and 5 being average. I already adore this game. It ripped the title of "My favorite 3rd party Wii title" right out of No More Heroes 2's hands, and this is coming from someone who isn't a fan of FPSs at all really.

TL:DR
Pros:
Absolutely amazing combat system.
Great visuals, music, and world.
Good challenge.

Cons:
World layout could be improved.
More mission variety.

Closing comments:
I adore Red Steel 2. Its an absolutely amazing game and could go down as the most improved sequel in video game history.

It has been months since I've played a game that I felt motivated enough to write a review about. Red Steel 2 has finally managed to break my general disinterest in game reviewing. Red Steel 2 shouldn't even be associated with tragedy that was the original Red Steel. The original had its heart in the right place but the overall product was rushed for release, had buggy controls, and was considered un-fun by almost everyone I know. This new game isn't perfect nor do I think it is the best game ever created; nonetheless, this game is noteworthy and awesome in every way the original wasn't. Red Steel 2 also gives me an excuse to connect my Wii Motion Plus peripheral, which was sadly getting very little love. This game shows how to do motion control and pointer controls right, it shows a great sense of style and narrative, and has catapulted itself onto the short list of "games I think everyone should try."

CONTROLS: Above all else, this game is about the controls. The motion controls aren't perfect, but they are better than any motion control game out there with the possible exception of Tiger Woods 2010. When I say that this game sets a new standard for quality motion controls, I am not exaggerating. Responsiveness and accuracy are superior to anything I have played to date. Going forward I suspect that a lot of developers for the Wii, Playstation Move and XBox Natal will be using this game as their measuring stick. When the Wii first came out, I think this is the type of experience that people were imagining. I'm just disappointed that it took this long to get to this point. Combine the quality motion controls with responsive and accurate pointer controls for the gun play, and... I just am impressed. It works. There are some quirks, to be sure, but it still works. The most negative thing I can say about the controls is that there is a bit of lag after swinging your sword before you are restored to pointer control making switching from sword to gun a slower process; the good news being I rarely find myself needing to switch quickly from my sword to my gun, so this isn't a huge problem. Blocking enemy attacks is also a bit dicey, but I am confident with more practice I will be able to adapt better.

One thing I do have to say about the controls is that this game isn't really "couch friendly." The motion controls frequently require full arm motions and pivoting at my hips has helped many times. To achieve the control I wanted, I pretty much have to play the game standing up. That little warning at the beginning of every Wii game where they feel compelled to tell us to make sure to have enough space to play might mean something;I have already managed to pop my curious dog in the face quite a few times when she gets too close as she checks out what all my flailing around is about. Additionally, the short cord between the nunchuck and Wii remote creates some problems. Considering I have short little stumpy arms I expect that people with longer arms may have more difficulty. I have purchased a nunchuck extension cord with hopes that the extra cord length will keep me from accidentally unplugging the nunchuck. That way I can tangle myself up in extra cords instead. I'm not sure if I'm going to win this battle.

GAMEPLAY: The game is a first-person shooter/swordplay adventure. The arenas and levels are relatively small and compact, in some ways sort of like the Metroid Prime series or the first Fable on Xbox. You will blast and slash your way through lots of bad guys and bosses; accept missions; upgrade equipment and buy special moves and so on. In terms of level design and game progression the game play and progression is handled well, but there isn't really anything new or revolutionary that most other quality action games aren't already doing. What makes the game play standout from the rest of the pack is how the controls allow you to interact with the game. Sometimes I feel a little overpowered compared to the enemies, but I am only playing the game on normal difficulty. Boss battles seem a bit tougher than I expected though. Additionally, there are a few points in the game with Quick Time Events, which I really don't like, but luckily there are checkpoints within the QTE sections that prevent you from having to repeatedly work through several minutes of timed button presses only to die at the very end and start over. The QTE sections do work, but as a general rule I don't like QTE in any game, so I am biased.

GRAPHICS/PRESENTATION: This game looks good. Possibly the best on the system at this time. Not just "good for a Wii game" but genuinely good, and I attribute that to the quality art style that feels like a cell shaded graphic novel western with samurai. Think "Mad Max" mixed with some "Seven Samurai" and a bit "Fist Full of Dollars". I feel compelled to compare this game's style and quality favorably to Borderlands on the other consoles, even down to the way that boss characters are presented before battles. In fact, I would say that the explosions and many particle effects look nicer on this game than on many Xbox 360 games I own. Not because the Wii can do it better, but just because Red Steel 2 has some very talented animation and effects artists.

STORY: The storyline is pretty decent, definitely better than most action games, but it definitely has had some moments where I was underwhelmed by the voice acting. Par for the course in that regard.

SOUND: The music is awesome and ambient sound effects are excellent. I love the Asian/Western themes. Voice acting is decent enough, but has a couple of rough/forced moments where I get the feeling the actor was thinking "Ok, I read the cue cards; now where's my paycheck?" Also, hearing so many Asian characters talking like rednecks is a bit of system shock for me.

VALUE: The game length is feeling like it will be about average for an action title and I expect that I'll beat the game on my first play-through in about 8-12 hours. The game has some a challenge mode that I haven't even delved into yet. Judging by how much I'm enjoying the core story mode, I'll probably be back for more to explore the extra challenge mode.

PROS:
+++ Excellent motion controls.
+++ Gorgeous graphics and art style.
+++ Silky smooth frame rate that doesn't seem to stutter at all.
+++ The game setting is quite awesome with a futuristic Mad Max/Samurai/Western feel.
+++ Good sound work

CONS:
--- Your arm will get tired with extended play sessions and you might find it necessary to stand while playing. It really isn't all that couch friendly.
--- Some flat voice acting combined with some stuff that really feels out of place.
--- Frequent load screens, but they are cleverly hidden as open door animation.
--- Quick Time Events, but at least they have mid QTE checkpoints.
--- The controls for blocking enemy attacks could use a bit more tweaking.


Overall, I have to put this game on my "must play" list of recommendations. The high quality presentation and style combined with some of the best motion controls seen in any game just put this one near the top of the heap. If you don't choose to buy the game, at the very least rent it. It does require the Wii Motion Plus, which is also important to remember.

I suppose I may be one of the few people who really enjoyed the first Red Steel game. I simply felt that as an intro title to go with the Wii it was a fair game with an "okay" storline. That said; Red Steel 2 easily tops the first game in story, gameplay, controls, and art work.
The amount of accuracy portrayed in the game trailers and featurettes have been slightly embelished. Some of the movements I saw them do in those vids I haven't been able to do as well. But those very small bits don't negate the fact that the controls are still insanely close to 1:1. The voice acting is.....pretty good. There's definitley been better (FFXII & Uncharted 2) and definitley worse (FFX & Red Steel 1). The voice they gave the hero though is undeneiably badass and its only too bad that he's a man of few words.
Without too many spoilers, your character (instantly a step up from the first game's Scott Monroe) awakens to find that his home city has been taken over by a group of bandits called "The Jackles". As the the quintessential lone hero, its up to him (thusly you) to clean up the town.
Techinically the entire game could be played out and beaten with just using the sword. But the gun fights that you get into are just way too much fun. The moment I saw the long barreled revolver I was instantly in love with it and use that gun more often than any of my more powerful guns.
Bottom line: Red Steel 2, in my opinion, easily lives up to the hype of being a sword weilding game that feels very natural. Its incredibly fun and addicting and no doubt will spawn more Red Steel games in the future.

I have hesitated to write a review because so many others have covered all the points but I thought that my particular gaming perspective might be helpful to some. I guess I am what many would call a casual gamer. I am 57-years old and I own a Nintendo DS, a Nintendo Wii and a PlayStation 3. I have severe arthritis in my right hand and have difficulty using the game controllers. The only games I play on the PS3 are driving games for which I have a driving wheel. Prior to Red Steel 2 my favorite Wii game was Tiger Woods 10. Swinging the Wii remote as a golf club is something my arthritis doesn't complain about.

I have always been intrigued by first-person shooters but, having tried a couple with the dual-joystick controllers, I knew that between my arthritis and my novice gaming abilities I was no match for the gameplay. Having had success with the Wii remote I held out hope for Red Steel 2. I was not disappointed.

The first time I played Red Steel 2 I became nauseous. I then spent a little time tuning the control system, reducing the camera sensitivity so that the world wasn't spinning around me, and have since had absolutely no problems.

I will not repeat all the positive things that other reviewers have already said. Suffice it to say that they are correct. I will however address a couple common criticisms. I continually hear that the storyline is weak and the gameplay repetitive. I have already confessed to being a casual gamer and I have no doubt that this affects how I view the game. I have not played five or 10 different first-person shooters so I am not growing tired of the genre. In fact, one of the true joys of Red Steel 2 is that I consider it the only first-person shooter currently on the market that I, with my limited abilities, can play. I am greatly appreciative of Ubisoft for allowing me this pleasure.

As to a weak storyline, I view this game much like a spaghetti western. It is an excuse to go around slashing and shooting things and blowing things up. I only need the lightest storyline to find my motivation. I am a member of a clan that has been decimated, from a city that has been overrun by vandals and I stand between good and evil. On top of that there is an attractive woman who needs my help. Heck, I don't need more motivation than that in real life. :-)

As for repetitive gameplay, again I have not played any first-person shooters so it doesn't strike me as repetitive at all. I am quite content to shoot and smash things and take on the countless Jackals that stand in my way. If this were my 10th shooter I might feel differently but it's not.

The only issue I have with the game currently, and this is not the game's fault but rather mine, is that after over 50 hours of gameplay I am still stuck in chapter 6. I have earned gold in a couple chapters under Challenge mode, hoping that more practice will make me a better match for the chaingunners that I have to face, but even playing on the easy difficulty level, when I face the first chaingunner in Rattlesnake Canyon, the outcome is the same time and time again; I die an inglorious death.

In this is perhaps my greatest recommendation of all. It is very possible I will never complete the game and yet I love it! Even if all I can do is replay the previous chapters I am more than content to do so. I am sorry that the game has not sold better for I fear this might prevent a sequel but I will hope for the best and continue to enjoy this game regardless.

Give Red Steel 2 a try. It may not be your kind of game but if it is I believe you will have found a true gem.

This is one of my favorite games on the Wii. The Swordplay is awesome and is the main reason you want to get this game. If you have Sports Resort and enjoy the swordplay part of it you will love Red Steel 2. It does have some drawbacks - Many doors as the next stage loads, infinite crates to bust open for cash, & cheesy (though somewhat humorous) voice acting. But the shear joy of working up a sweat as you swing your katana can't be beat and the added hidden strikes and sword powers make are fun, visually awesome and add to the strategic dimensions of the combat.

The differences between Red Steel 2 and the original Red Steel are so striking that it's not really worth comparing them apart from the fact that both feature guns and sword fighting. The graphics, music, gameplay, controls, etc. have all been improved in Red Steel 2, and the setting/story is completely different. I figure the only reason they kept the name Red Steel is because they wanted to make up for the first game and give Red Steel a good name. Although I am one of the few that enjoyed Red Steel, Red Steel 2 is an infintely better game.

Most importantly the controls for sword fighting have been vastly improved. Whatever angle you swing is the angle your sword slashes on screen. To do the most damage you have to swing in wide strokes instead of short flicks of the wrist (so no waggling here). There are a number of different combo attacks you can learn for your sword, and even a few for your gun. You automatically lock on to enemies which keeps the camera from causing any problems. You can cancel the lock on or switch between enemies as needed as well.

There are four guns in the game to my knowledge and I have three of them so far--the revolver you start with, a double-barreled shot gun, and a tommygun. You can spend money (earned from completing missions, killing enemies, and destroying random objects) to upgrade the attack power of your sword and different parameters of your guns, as well as upgrades to your health, defense, etc. The sword is actually useful enough that you never need to use your guns (although I like to mix things up especially when enemies are far away). Even if your enemies are shooting at you, you can simply guard and block their bullets.

Red Steel 2 features some great music that mixes Western and Oriental styles. It never gets old and really compliments the game well. I'm not sure they could have done a better job on the music. The voice acting is excellent as well. I'm really impressed with the quality of the accents and overall effort put into the voices of the characters.

The graphics are simply beautiful. The cel-shaded look effectively brings the environment to life while maintaining a serious tone. UbiSoft was wise to use this graphical style because it makes the best use of the Wii's graphical capabilities. We have been given a product that rights the wrongs of the past in the best ways possible. If you have even been considering this game, but have been worried that it won't live up to the hype, then you need to pick it up ASAP. Just don't forget that you need the Wii Motion Plus for this game.

Gameplay--9/10
Controls--9/10
Graphics--10/10
Music--9/10
Replay Value--8/10 (There are three difficulty levels and there are challenges you can unlock [which I have yet to] which should add some extra replay value)
Overall--9/10

I'm an older Wii owner with a passion for any game horror related. Unfortunately horror is hard to come by on the Wii, so I've been looking into other avenues. I was very hesitant in buying the Wii motion plus as I'm not interested in the few titles that they have released. Then Red Steel 2 comes out and I caved.

Upon playing the 1st chapter I was pretty disappointed that I invested the money in this and the motion plus. I read a couple of reviews which were positive, but I felt very mislead. What was this Asian Western game? Actually I walked away and went several days before giving it another try...and then...I fell head over heels!

The glowing reviews are correct, it is a blast. Once I got past the basics I began enjoying it. Personally the moves that your character learns as the game progresses make the game for me. As others have mentioned you can truly work up a sweat. Quite often I found/find myself moving about the room when in battle. I can't think of another Wii game where I've been so absorbed where that has been the case.

When I 1st started I noticed that some moves were not being picked up by the sensor bar/ motion plus, but my batteries were running low. As soon as I replaced them this was corrected. You can also adjust the sensitivity of the remote in the options menu (Forgiving, normal, precise, and custom) which I very much appreciate. The motion controls remind me why the Wii can be such a blast.

There are some great upgrades throughout the game that you can purchase that effect everything from the type of bullets that your gun uses, to intensity of moves. You can earn money once objectives are met, or you can swipe at different objects for small amounts. Personally I found knocking over the odd barrels, or smashing a phone booth to be tedious after awhile. What personally helped me was discovering that in combat certain moves that your character uses are worth $. Now I draw fights out a bit more, and make sure to use those moves when $ is needed. Those with younger players @ home do not worry, there is no blood/gore/ or strong language.

While the storyline itself is not something that excites me, the combat sure does. As others have mentioned the game looks and sounds fantastic. Also the fact that this is first-person is just the icing on the cake for me. Despite not knowing if the game will have replay value (there is a challenge mode) Red Steel 2 ranks up there as my all time Wii favorites. Hopefully there will be more games of this caliber taking advantage of the motion plus controls in the near future.

***A big thank you to those who took time to review the game. When I'm on the fence about investing the $ your reviews help greatly!***

Update***Well I just finished Red Steel 2, and have to say this game has made me fall in love with the Wii all over again. You know it is a good game if you hate to see it end. When I 1st started I thought that I would resell this, but I just love the gameplay so much that it is going to stay part of my collection. I'm anxiously awaiting Red Steel 3 ;).

Between work and family, I have very little time to game and so the game has to be worth the candle. Wii is the only console game I've played and finding cool games that play well has been a challenge (NB: Tomb Raider Wii sucks). Red Steel 2 has awesome comic book graphics, fantastic Wiimote swordlay, and really good handling. This game automates (touch-button) the jumping and climbing (so you don't have to keep running around to try again), keeping gameplay moving apace as you spend your time instead exploring and smashing things and walking into (and out of!) ambushes from bad guys. The battles are exciting; my heart is racing and after a while I'm breaking sweat. As a relatively inexperienced gamer, I also appreciate that the special moves involve only a few control elements(unlike Force Unleashed, where I was able to master only about 3 of the 34521432 special moves) and are wicked wicked cool. The Eagle, which you learn at the end of the first level or so, has you launching an enemy into the air, whereupon you can leap after him and smack his tucchus back down to earth with only a couple of easy moves. Good times! The action is great, the pacing is great, the graphics are cool, the controls are uncomplicated. Highly highly recommended.

This game allows one to indulge a fantasy of being a deadly swordsman and gunslinger, providing the user w/ enough control to feel a sense of accomplishment, but guiding one through the game well enough to avoid (most) frustration. The sword interface is almost as good as Wii Sports Resort, quite a bit better than Ghostslayer and a world of difference from those games which don't use the Wii Motion Plus.

Pros:
- excellent Wii Motion Plus controls
- beautiful animation cel-style imagery
- tough boss fights which require a combination of dodging, blocking, and combos to win
- strange juxtaposition of East and West, high-tech and low

Cons:
- some combos require tricky timing of button-mashing and Wii Remote manipulation
- some mini-game like cut-scenes where one has to watch the screen and manipulate controls just so to proceed
- winning the game doesn't unlock anything and the final save point is at a locale where one can't purchase upgrades or ammunition
- the above is exacerbated by the game being rather short (~12--15 hours to complete everything, longer if one drags things out searching areas thoroughly or forcing random encounters to get enough money to unlock everything)

Standards for the genre:
- stereotypical characters
- episodic nature where certain areas only open up after certain events --- one gets ``missions'' from various bulletin boards in safe locations
- plot straight out of a Sergio Leone western

NB: this is a physically demanding, challenging, attempt to simulate sword-fighting --- as interviews w/ the game developers noted, ``Wii waggle'' while seated will not work for playing the game --- you have to stand and it requires modest exertion (not enough to break a sweat or exhaust one, unless one really pushes it --- but there is a specific animation for swinging without enough effort to damage the enemy).

Outstanding game. Ubisoft should take the original Red Steel, re-package it w/ the Wii Motion Plus support, call it ``Red Steel 1 plus'' and sell it as an ``upgrade''.

I'm going to make this short and sweet. One of the things I really like about the Wii is that it exercises more than my fingers. I can have a real sword fight and feel like I'm holding a sword and not just pushing buttons. This game got it right all the way around. Good accuracy and response on the Wii remote combined with responsive nunchuk moves and a fun storyline that does not leave you struggling to figure out where you are in a maze. Anyone can sit down (you won't be sitting down for long!) with the game and enjoy it while the more advanced player can enjoy combining many of the moves and sword techniques you are taught throughout the game to show off their skill and make short work of opponents. If more games used the Wii's abilities as well as this one does it would blow Xbox out of the water. Its a shame there are so few quality games for this platform that make use of everything it can do. I like to alternate playing this with PUNCH OUT. Both give a fun workout!