Despite a less-than-stellar first entry in the series, Red Steel 2 delivers an surprisingly fun adventure.
I'll start with the controls seeing as that is the main reason to buy the game. The Wii Motion Plus accessory makes all the difference in the world. It is amazing fun to use the Wii remote the way we all imagined it would be. The game does an incredible job of reading where you're swinging and how hard you are swinging. It never gets old, especially because you are learning new moves throughout the game. You learn eight moves and five (or six, I can't remember) Kusagari powers. These are supernatural moves that require a little charge. These are actually fun to use, but to activate them you have to stop blocking so I only used them when there weren't a whole lot of enemies around. The finishers are appropriately brutal, but I wonder how much more they could be if the developers had opted for an M rating. Switching to your gun is quick and easy. Simply point and shoot.
The story is nothing to talk about. It is mostly there to send you from place to place. It starts with you being dragged across the desert behind a motorcycle. After working with the ropes around your hands, you manage to take out a gun and shoot that thug down. You then run from him and his biker gang, when you come across an old man being harassed by those thugs. You help him and get a sword. This is where the game gets fun. The story ultimately ends up sounding a little unbelievable, (the bad guys just want your sword?) but it doesn't get too out there. And the NPCs… The NPCs weren't badly done, but they weren't particularly well done either. Some of them come as clichéd (a grouchy old man? Unheard of!). The only one that I thought was done really well was Judd. (Something about Tamiko just seemed off).
The enemy AI is well done. There are often five or six enemies on screen at a time and they will use there numbers to get the best of you. They will often have some swordsmen rush you while gunmen cover them. This makes for some fun and exciting battles. One little disappointment is the boss battles. They just are not that difficult.
The graphics are a delightfully cel-shaded. This approach really brought out the color and still managed to look cool and edgy, and not childish at all. The brief cinemas throughout really showcase just how much of a badass the hero is. They are simply cool.
This is a must have for all Wii owners. This is the definitive sword-fighting game for Wii. The graphics are nice and the game play is phenomenal. This game is just plain fun!