With a great combination of shooting and slashing, thrown in with excellent controls, Red Steel 2 is a vast improvement.
Red Steel 2's main premise is the combined gameplay of slashing and gunning. While the first Red Steel got the gunning part right, it fell short on the slashing. Red Steel 2, on the other hand, delivers on both fronts. Shooting is very accurate and precise, though one negative is that they're only four guns in the entire game. This may be because Ubisoft wanted the player to focus more on the swordplay faction of the game and not rely so much on guns. Speaking of the swordplay, it sucks. Nah, I'm just kiddin'. Using your sword feels right in this game, as it is very good at detecting your movements and power of your swing. Sure, it's not exactly 1:1, but it's pretty darn close.
If you're looking for a game with a deep, riveting story, this game is not for you. The story isn't as bad as the first game's, but it still isn't very interesting or engaging. The main character's clan has been murdered, and he's out for revenge. Nothing much going on here, and the abrupt ending doesn't help matters.
The graphics, oh the graphics! Ubisoft really did a good job at pushing the Wii's graphical capabilities to the fullest. While the first Red Steel looked like an ugly mess, Red Steel 2 pulls off graphics that are right up there with Borderlands. The cel-shaded graphics look absolutely gorgeous. if this isn't one of the best looking Wii games, then I don't know what is.
Overall Verdict:
Red Steel 2 is a vast improvement over the sequel, and one of the Wii's best third-party offerings yet. If you actually liked the first Red Steel (weirdo), then you'll love it's sequel, even with the little replayability it has.
Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 9.5
Story: 6.5
Controls: 9.5
Presentation: 9
Replay Value: 7
Overall Score: 9