Review: Red Steel 2 (Nintendo Wii) : Gametactics.com

Review: Red Steel 2 (Nintendo Wii)

Michael Thompson On April 23, 2010 at 12:44 pm

Red Steel 2 is the much anticipated sequel to the original Wii launch title Red Steel. The first Red Steel was a pretty big deal to Wii fans (myself included) because it was one of the first Wii titles to reach out to more than just the kids, and Red Steel 2 has been long anticipated by Wii gamers for the exact same reasons. Does Red Steel 2 live up to its hype and deliver the sword slashing, gun shooting single player experience its developers intended? Or does the game fall short of expectations of fans and developers alike? Read on to find out!

Game play is the deciding factor for gamers on whether a game is treasure or trash, and this is especially true with a Wii game and it is an area where Red Steel 2 does extremely well. Basically you use the Wiimote (with Wii Motion Plus) and nun chuck to control your character, you move with the nun chuck, and use the WiiMote to perform actions, as with just about any Wii game. Swordplay is where the controls shine however, as it has been vastly improved over the original. Every slash and parry is very quickly recognized, while in the first game there was a bit of delay between your performing the actions, and the Wii picking them up, this however seems to have been rectified thanks to the developers use of the Wii Motion plus. Overall the controls add a lot to this game, and it seems like most of the issues from the previous game have been addressed and fixed.

Besides the controls Red Steel 2 is all about its single player mode, and while not having a Multiplayer mode hurts, it doesn’t hurt the game too much. The developers felt that ignoring multiplayer, since it isn’t a major factor on the wii anyway would allow them to focus on delivering the ultimate single player experience. Essentially you play an unnamed hero who’s out for revenge against a group of gangsters who tried to kill him, it can be summed up as a generic revenge plot. Throughout the story you complete missions and in turn are paid cash which you can use to buy new abilities and weapons, this along with some plot twists helps to keep the players entertained throughout the games story mode and while the option to have split screen multiplayer with friends would have definitely added to the game, theres no doubt that Red Steel 2’s single player is definitely worth giving the game a shot.

Next Up to talk about is the graphics of the game, Reed Steel 2 is no doubt one of the better looking games on the Wii with a sleek animated design. The first Red Steel had some problems with the graphics being a bit ‘jumpy’ and loose, but from what I’ve seen in Red Steel 2 those problems seem to be a thing of the past. However the graphics aren’t perfect, and one such effect of that is the load times when you enter a new area, you approach a door and open it to access the new area, and for a moment your stuck just standing there because the Wii is busy loading all the pretty graphics. Overall though the graphics of Red Steel 2 are some of the prettiest on the Wii, and when comparing it to other Wii games (and even some 360 and PS3) you’ll be presently pleased.

Another essential part to any video game is the Soundtrack. Red Steel 2’s soundtrack will leave you pleasantly surprised and it definitely surpasses its predecessor. Every song seems like it is placed perfectly, and the guys who did this soundtrack clearly paced it to what was going on with the story at the time. When you go into an action sequence the speed of the music picks up, but when things slow down, the music almost immediately follows suit. Perhaps the only gripe I had with the sound was the awkward silence that occurred when you went to enter into a new area, but that’s just a small gripe. Red Steel 2’s soundtrack is definitely an area where the game shines brightly and I recommend listening carefully to it while playing the game, as it can greatly enhance the game.

All in all Red Steel 2 is one of the action games on the Wii right now. The controls are great, the graphics are beautiful, the story is solid and the sound is crisp. This all comes together to make a great package that any Wii player who is a fan of First Person Shooters should check out.

Gameplay

Red Steel 2’s gameplay is vastly improved from its predecessor, the controls respond better, and there arent nearly as many glitches as in the first game. Still No multiplayer option of any kind does take away from the experience, and there are still some problems such as the load time issue, regardless you can tell that the developers put alot of time and effort into the game and it for the most part pays off by resulting in a game that FPS fans have to at least give a shot.

Graphics

Red Steel 2’s graphics are easily some of the best on the Wii, while theres always room for improvement in the small areas, the scenery in this game, as well as the effects when sword fighting are all beautifully illustrated.

Sound

Everyone that worked on the audio for this game should be commended, the music flows with the pace of the game really well, and\ the tracks are really well done. Perhaps the only thing hurting this category is some of the dialog the characters use, then again that could just be a thing of taste, either way the audio is a major reason to give this game a try.

Overall

Red Steel 2 is definitely worth checking out, while it has its flaws just like any other game, it does so many things right that those small flaws are easily overlooked. One only wonders that if they were able to make this big a leap from Red Steel 1 to Red Steel 2, I cant wait to see what they could do with a 3rd installment.