Red Steel (Wii) Review
The Good the Bad and .Red Steel?
Easily the most controversial game in the Wii launch window, Red Steel has been met with just as much praise as it has with loathing and ridicule. What we have is a game that youll either enjoy or enjoy burning. (Please consider trade in deals before performing the latter however) Ill try to keep this as unbiased as possible, so read on to see what there is to both love and hate about Red Steel, and determine if this game of guns and swords has the right to join your launch collection.
Blazing gunfights meet swordplay shenanigans
The structure of Red Steel could be likened very much to that of an on the rails shooter, with progression through the levels being upon a particularly linear path. However this is not a bad thing, but more the style of the game since Red Steel plays like a classic arcade shooter, the exception being the fact we have the Wiimote now. Each individual level is broken up into areas separated by checkpoints, which although in different environments, will always be progressing through an area filled with gun toting Yakuza to defeat some schmuck who thinks his sword skills are all that.Then you simply rinse and repeat depending on how long the level is, not that youll care about the somewhat rigid structure since youll probably be more worried about staying alive.
As far as the controls for shooting go, theyre simple enough to begin with your traditional FPS “boxed in view” being adapted for Wiimote control. Pointing the controller around aims your gun, and you can unload hot lead with the B trigger. Holding down A allows you to focus your sights and aim more effectively at the cost of movement, something youll be using extensively in fire fights. Movement of your character is the same as always, mapped to the Nunchuck control stick and jumping and crouching to the C and Z buttons respectively. Your range of movement is quite important, as the battles in Red Steel will see you dead in a number of seconds if you take enemies head on.
The player must use cover to their advantage to emerge victorious, whether that means scuttling behind a pillar or knocking over furniture to act as a shield (via a flick of the nunchuck) fighting enemies is very much a game of tactics. Your character has a high mortality rate when in open gunfire, but on the flip side health is recovered when you hide away fro long enough without getting shot. When popping up to take a shot at the baddies, the A button aiming becomes crucial, as it enables you to track an enemy, and also to zoom in on them for a better shot by moving the Wiimote towards the screen. While a little difficult to get used to at first due to a bit of a learning curve players will soon find themselves revelling in shooting challenges and moving from cover to cover as they advance on their foe.
One thing that is annoying however is when later in the game sniper weapons are introduced. Now while this is great for you getting a new weapon, in some of the more open parts of the levels you can be shot and killed by an enemy sniper before you have the chance to even know where youre being shot from. At points like this the game is a little too unforgiving considering the relative difficulty of picking out foes at far off distances sometimes as you can never really tell where a shot came from. As a second criticism, turning around in your boxed in view is slow and not particularly efficient, being rather slow and sluggish.
While keeping with the on the rails style of the game, (you arent meant to go back just keep pushing forward) this can be a pain sometimes when you want to turn a corner quickly or spin around because you missed an enemy who is now having a joyful time unloading clip after clip into the back of your head. Youll be dying quite a few times especially in the latter areas of the game which does get particularly frustrating. However most difficulties come from being surprised by a well placed enemy or two and once you get used to the style of the game and find out where you enemies are placed things become easier; slightly.
Of course we havent even got to the real draw of Red Steel; the swordplay. While confined and restricted to specific parts of the levels the one on one duels with the Yakuza heavies still make up a dominant part of the game. Sword strokes are made with the Wii remote, while movement and blocking is controlled by the nunchuck. Its a challenge of opportunity and reflexes, with a successful player needing to accurately predict the movements of an opponent, avoid them, and strike when their guard is down. Timing is essential to block, parry and dodge the sword strokes of an enemy and it takes a lot of getting used to, since the motions of the remote and nunchuck need to be very specific to work. The swordplay evolves throughout the game as you learn new moves and actually becomes quite sophisticated and deep.
In the light of getting there though for a long time early in the game youll feel like youre fighting the controls and not some crazy man with a sword. The learning curve of Red Steel is quite large, but for those who persevere with it, the game becomes easier once you get used, and surprisingly enjoyable. It still remains a fairly difficult and unforgiving game, but not impossible, and the challenge does feel fresh. For the impatient however you may just lose your Wiimote before getting to such a point, wrist strap or not.
A mixed bag of visuals
Red Steel is a Wii game that does not quite achieve to full potential graphically and still contains many of the telltale visual signs of a game that has been rushed to make launch. While there are some nice lighting effects (destructible environments mean many, many explosions) and character models, textures can be basic and arent particularly well detailed. Its also not a good sign when upon adjusting your aim, only to have your left arm grotesquely twist on screen in an interesting little visual glitch. Overall though the presentation is quite acceptable and are actually quite good if a little unrefined.
If Red Steel was a Comedy the hilarious voiceovers would be great
As far as the soundtrack and sound effects go there is nothing awe inspiring or new present in Red Steel. Youve got the usual hard rockin tunes going on in the middle of a shoot up and your basic suspenseful murmur as youre sneaking around topped with your traditional urban noises in the background. Its all the basic stuff that you dont really mess with too much, and of course it does just fine. However, then we come to the voice which, to say the least, is an interesting take on the Japanese people. While its great that they can speak English, cue some bad written dialogue and Americanised accents and youre halfway to understanding what the jokes all about.
It all sounds like its straight out of a bad movie. Away from the story-based cut-scenes, one-liners from the enemy are fairly monotonous and repetitive. With lines like “Give it up loser,” and “Youre dead punk,” youll begin to wonder what sort of people the Yakuza are taking in these days. Oh and Im sure I wont be the only one who gets a laugh out of an African American and a Japanese person pulling the same line in the same accent. Its bad, but hey, at least its funny right? Sound is nothing more than purely average.
Replayability/Lastability
The game is a little easier the second time around since you know the ropes right from the beginning, plus there is a challenge to go back and complete levels again to get a better rank based on stats like time and accuracy. That said though, with only three multiplayer modes, death match, team death match and mission mode, they provide some limited enjoyment if you have a few mates over, but its hardly something you can pick up as a party starter due to the learning curve. Youll only get any real fun from playing against other people who have played the game.
The style of Red Steel isnt particularly suited to a multiplayer environment either, with the arenas being sparse boring. With only support for human players (up to four) multiplayer is basically a game of running around aimlessly til you can find someone to shoot in the back, simply because if you get jumped from behind youre pretty much royally screwed. With a few challenges in single player mode and a crippled multiplayer mode, Red Steel likely wont be something youll pull out of the depths of your cupboard in six months time unless its to a) Sell it or b) Give it away.
Final thoughts
For shooting fans, Red Steel is well worth picking up for a bit of a fresh take courtesy of Wii controls, however for those who dont want to put the hours into this game to get to the good bits dont bother. If possible, Red Steel is a try before you buy game in every sense of the term. Its main appeal lies with the more hardcore who can enjoy the challenge and difficulty of the game. Red Steel is borderline good, and there is certainly a lot more that could have been done with the game given more time for the developers to refine it. A good launch title for those with the patience and time to give it a chance. If you have neither in any particularly great quantity your money is probably better spent elsewhere.
