It Slices, It Dices!
Red Steel 2
By Jorge Figueiredo - June 23rd, 2010
Red Steel was not a good experience for me. I know it was one of Ubisoft’s initial forays into the then-new Wii control system, but I didn’t find it fun at all. As it was a launch title, people were still getting used to the idea of motion control; I played it once at Shaun’s place, trying to get used to it, but I couldn’t get the hang of it, and it didn’t help that the Wii Remote would bug out on me from time to time. Thank the gods of gaming that my experience playing Red Steel 2 is the exact opposite of its predecessor.
You start the game as a hero with no name, other than the name of your clan: Kusagari; you are the last of your clan, and you are being dragged across a desert tied to the back of a motorcycle. You break free, but Payne, the leader of the evil organization known as The Jackals, steals your legendary katana. As you flee from the situation, you rescue an old swordmaster (Jian) who loans you his sword until you can reclaim yours from Payne. The adventure begins.
One of the most obvious differences between RS2 and RS is the art style. Cel-shaded graphics is the name of the game in RS2, and offers a much smoother feel than the more ‘realistic’ graphics of the original; frankly, it’s much cooler, and allows for greater immersion, as strange as that sounds. RS2 is also a MotionPlus title (you can buy the bundle if you are missing this component), which adds even more realism to the game than before. Controlling the hero is now much easier than it was previously. I’m not sure if I found this to be the case because I am now a ‘seasoned’ Wii-owner. Whether or not this is the reason for my enjoyment, though, is irrelevant; in the here and now, this game is definitely ‘wow’.
You are a character in which East meets West, as you carry both a revolver and a katana. Switching between the two is seamless, and you can get quite creative in your use of some of the available tactics. For instance, I found great pleasure in using one of my special sword techniques to toss a bad guy into the air, at which point I would draw my revolver and have a little airborne target practice. Moving about is also easy, whether it is traveling between two points, or dodging and weaving around an enemy to cut out their livers; all are done with the nunchuk as a primary movement device and your trusty A button (hold a direction on the nunchuk stick and tap A to smoothly and speedily slip towards your goal).
MotionPlus makes swinging a sword very, very cool in this game. You can see the technology at work as you hold up your weapon and observe the angles change as you move your hand; it’s really quite neat. Another nice touch is how you can vary the power of your swings. Swing gently for a normal slash, or wind up and crank your arm across your body to really lay into your enemy. Slashes can be horizontal or vertical (or on an angle, though I’m not quite sure if this makes a difference), and by holding the A button as you use your sword, you can hold it up to block incoming attacks (including bullets). Learning how to read your enemy is very important, as they do vary in their attacks and defences.
Eventually you learn new attacks that require you to charge your blade; the sacrifice of a short period of time pays off with some of the magical awesomeness you can pull off. The nunchuk works in concert with your attacks, specifically the Z button, which allows you to implement some dazzling combos, as well as tapping it to swing around to face an enemy behind you. I don’t want to get too much into the weapons for fear of spoiling the game, but the upgrade system needs to be mentioned. You can upgrade your katana’s power, your attacks, and your elemental powers. You can also purchase new ranged weapons, which are controlled by the D-Pad. The system works well, and there is very little fumbling in the middle of battle – once you get used to it (it’s a very short learning curve).
The story is corny, but engaging. This is certainly not a disadvantage by any means; I really enjoyed the “cartoony-ness” of the game, and I found it to be a lot of fun. The soundtrack is awesome, adding to the mood beautifully; the voice work is great, and doesn’t feel like it’s out of place. The town of Caldera is an awesome mishmash of Eastern and Western culture; it is a suitable backdrop for the events that take place for the majority of the game (you get to travel to other locations eventually). There are a few quick time events which are done well; this is very refreshing. There are also challenge modes and plenty of secrets to uncover, as a good portion of the environment is destructible.
I really enjoyed this game a lot; it’s a fun romp through a Weastern adventure (typo is deliberate) that will really have you feeling the part of the badass that is the last of the Kusagari Clan. I have heard complaints that your character becomes too powerful near the end of the game, but I really don’t think this is a valid complaint; it’s fun to kick ass and take names thanks to the creative upgrades you can buy with the coins that you find throughout the game. Playing RS before RS2 is not really necessary, as this game -though a sequel- stands very strongly on its own.
Red Steel 2 is available in fine game saloons/dojos near you!
