A Mixed Bag...
At the beginning of Red Steel, everything’s shiny and new; the graphics look crisp and the controls are responsive and the game generally feels pretty solid. We all knew the controls would have a bit of a learning curve, and the game guides you nicely through a simple tutorial, and then throws you into some simple gun-based and sword-based combat in order to allow you to get a feel for the new control scheme. So far so good. But, as the game progresses, things begin deteriorate.
For some reason which I will never understand, the controls seem to get WORSE as you go along. It’s like with every level they’ve put some sort of veil over the sensor bar preventing your motions from being read properly. During the Waste Disposal Plant level, my aim would go all over the place for no apparent reason, and my sword swings wouldn’t even be acknowledged. In fact, the sword fights were so frustrating that I nearly threw my Wii Remote to the floor.
Another example of the progression problems I’ve thus far encountered with Red Steel is the graphical side of things. Everything’s gone blocky, and the frame-rate seems to constantly die whenever I fire my gun with more than 2 enemies on screen. In fact, at one point when I fired my gun, the game actually froze for a second. I know visuals aren’t everything, but it’s just ridiculous.
But don’t worry, all is not lost!
Yes, Red Steel has it’s technical problems and yes, some of them can make the game more or less unplayable, but as frustrated as any of us get with the game, we simply cannot deny that it is genuinely fun, which is what the Wii is all about. There are over-the-top explosions, some nifty gun-fights and heck, the earlier sword-fights are pretty damn cool. The multi-player is generally great as well, especially with four people (Although, the mode where you get objectives shouted at you through the speaker is more or less impossible if you’ve got the volume on your TV any higher than low). Some of the lighting effects are top-notch as well, and the graphics at the beginning are really, really good.
Red Steel is a decent game, but only if you can overlook the problems it has. In all honesty, if you want to make the most of the game, grab 4 Wii Remotes, 4 Nunchucks, 3 Friends and a crate of beer. Then, you’ll see what Red Steel is all about; forget the respect, forget the sword-fights, just get drunk and have a good time unleashing a shotgun into a friend’s face.