“It’s incredibly satisfying, really exciting. I’ve been working in games for 12 years and this is the first time that I feel we’re going to give the fans something really cool that they’ve never seen before. And I genuinely mean that. It’s not just marketing bullshit, this is something new that you’ve never done before and it’s really fun. It’s a great feeling to be able to say that” - Creative Director, Jason Vandenberghe
ABOUT
Ubisoft announced Red Steel 2, exclusively for the Wii(TM) system from Nintendo. Red Steel remains one of the most successful Wii titles and the only brand created specifically for the launch of the platform. Red Steel 2 is being developed by Ubisoft Paris.
Red Steel 2 returns with an artistic style and flair created just for Wii. Set in a desert-bound, high-tech metropolis, Red Steel 2 is a revolution in the action-fighting genre, taking full advantage of the capabilities of the Wii MotionPlus(TM) accessory. Your movements are faithfully replicated on-screen, putting the emphasis on swinging, shooting and fun! With the ability of the Wii MotionPlus to sense the strength of a swing, you will literally be able to make an impact on your adversaries through power and precision.
“Red Steel was a unique opportunity for Ubisoft to work in tandem with Nintendo to create a title exclusively for the launch of the Wii console,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing US at Ubisoft. “Red Steel 2 is another milestone for the company as it is the first Ubisoft title with full Wii MotionPlus integration.”
Just as Red Steel broke ground as the only third-party brand created for the launch of the Wii, Red Steel 2 will be the must-have game of Spring 2010 for those who wish to stretch their own capacities and fully experience a game that was built from the ground up to take advantage of the Wii MotionPlus.
Release Dates
USA
March 23rd
Europe
March 26th
TRULY BEAUTIFUL 60 FPS VIDEOS AND GAMERSYDE PREVIEW:
http://www.gamersyde.com/news_gamers...2-9004_en.html
REVIEWS
Official Nintendo magazine
"This is probably the best third party wii game we've played in recent memory. A great deal of thought has gone into every aspect of Red Steel 2. The visual design is stellar, but most importantly its evident that ubisoft has put the necessary amount of time into making sure the controls and the balance are (almost) pitch perfect. It's been a long time coming but finally we have it. After watching Shiggy waggle the wii remote on stage at E3 2006 and having our ballooning expectations deflated, we now have the sword game we all wanted. It's taken new technology and the best part of three and a half years to get it, but precious few will argue that it hasn't been worth the wait. Red Steel 2 is finally here and it's awesome."
93%
Kotaku review
http://kotaku.com/5500030/red-steel-2-review-if-only-2006-was-this-good
"In the same month that Red Steel 2 reaches Wii owners, Sony has loudly proclaimed that its Wii-style Move controller is the device that will enable the best motion-controlled gaming experiences that appeal to fans of so-called hardcore games. But you don't need a Move to feel just how impressive and involved an action game can be when controlled by your motions. Red Steel 2, a game any PS3 owner ought to hope comes to the Move, shows that Sony's console wasn't essential to make this happen. Ubisoft is on a streak of sequels-as-atonement that began with Assassin's Creed II. It has now built not just one of the Wii's best games and not just one of the most radically improved sequels in many years but a motion-controlled game with previously unfelt depth of control and excitement of action. To understand how well motion-gaming can feel, Red Steel 2 is a must play. This is a 2006 Wii promise delivered."
Examiner Red Steel 2 review
http://www.examiner.com/x-12218-Video-Game-Examiner
"If Red Steel 2 was what Red Steel was back in 2006, then this series would be the top Wii third-party franchise. You have to disregard the existence of Red Steel and go into this series with untainted eyes because Red Steel 2 is everything Ubisoft promised and plenty more. It's one of the best video game sequels ever made and not playing this groundbreaking Wii game would be an injustice. Ubisoft has finally shown us what kind of games can be made for Wii and has set a new benchmark for Wii FPS titles and any Wii game that may use a sword. Red Steel 2 is the top Wii game of 2010 right now."
Gamesradar review Red Steel 2
"The first let so many down, while part two succeeds in just about everything it set out to do. Maybe it’s the bundled MotionPlus, maybe it’s just better programming, but we left Red Steel 2 thinking it could be the most improved sequel of all time. If you’ve given up on Wii shooters, here’s a reason to rethink your stance."
9/10
MSNBC Red Steel 2 video review
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30501433/vp/35989744#35989744
9/10
Red Steel 2 NWR review "Plain and simple, this is one of the finest games to grace the Wii console."
Red Steel 2 Gameinformer review 8/10
Gaming Nexus reviews Red Steel 2 "Are you a gamer? Do you own a Wii? Then you need Red Steel 2. In fact, this game is a reason to own a Wii all by itself."
EUROGAMER ITALY
http://www.eurogamer.it/articles/red-steel-2-wii-recensione
"After years of vain promises and long before Move, Natal and who knows whatever else, Red Steel 2 finally delivers. Swordfighting has never been so fun and intense: don't skip this amazing Wii exclusive, this is the game we've all been waiting for... Now get ready to fight!"
9/10
Aussie Nintendo review
http://aussie-nintendo.com/reviews/21947/
"Quite possibly the most enjoyable, adrenaline-charged combat system I've ever experienced. Fans of the genre really need to check this one out, it's fantastic."
9/10
ONM Red Steel 2 review
http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/article.php?id=16114
"Red Steel 2 looks superb and after a wobbly first section settles into a very enjoyable first person action romp. It's a gameplay experience unlike any other, and that needs to be applauded."
86%
IGN
http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/107/1079106p2.html
"While the gameplay's impressively done, the overall presentation is freakin' top notch. Red Steel 2 is easily one of the best looking and sounding games on Wii to date. The visual style is incredibly sharp with a graphic novel influence, and its look is reinforced with a game engine that runs at a silky smooth 60 frames per second. The awesome background music matches the visuals extremely well – it's been a long time since I've fallen in love with a game's soundtrack, and Red Steel 2's atmospheric melodies are incredibly good. Red Steel 2 is absolutely an "A product." It's clear that the development team wanted to right the wrongs of the original game and produced an all new design with controls that actually work. There are still some issues, both in game balance as well as wishy-washy motion sensing control, but the awesome style and energetic gameplay are enough to make this one of the top titles on Wii."
8.6
Gametrailers
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-red-steel-2/63525
8.6
IGN UK REVIEW
http://wii.ign.com/articles/107/1079264p1.html
"There's no doubt that designing Red Steel 2 around Wii MotionPlus controls was an inspired decision, and Ubisoft deserves enormous credit for demonstrating just how much potential resides in Nintendo's woefully underused tech. As a template for how to combine shooting and swordplay within one intuitive, fluid control system, Red Steel 2 is an incredible achievement. But the bottom line is that the game takes a little too long to get going, and when it does it's all over way too soon." - they say its 8 hrs, others have said 10-12
8.5
IGN AU REVIEW
http://wii.ign.com/articles/107/1078690p1.html
"In the end, Red Steel 2 is well worth playing, especially if you bought Wii Sports Resort and want to give MotionPlus another whirl. Just think of it as a fighting game, as opposed to an action adventure."
8.4
Digital Chumps
http://www.digitalchumps.com/game-reviews/36-wii/4732-red-steel-2.html
"Few other Wii games provide a comparable sense of hard-hitting action fused with the gritty and rugged nature of a true action title. You really do feel like a sword-swinging, gun-toting badass in the heart of the Wild West, and you hold no remorse for your shameful adversaries. You can truly “feel” the impact of your actions on your enemies, and this sensation is only accentuated by the application of the Wii motion controls."
8.6
NGamer Holland
"MotionPlus's first test, and it passes with flying colours"
Score: 8.5/10
Eurogamer review:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/red-steel-2-wii-review
In the end, you'll likely forgive Ubisoft's game its shortcomings on the strength of its energy, obvious good will, and deep sense of craft. There are some thrilling set-pieces in here, along with moments that rank amongst the Wii's most beautiful, including a midnight rooftop race to catch a train which plays out under a huge cream-coloured moon. It's a lovely sequence.
As with any good Western - or any good samurai film - Red Steel 2 is ultimately about character: it's flawed, certainly, but entirely honourable with it.
7/10
G4 review:
http://g4tv.com/games/wii/43463/red-steel-2/review/
"Red Steel 2 is definitely a big step forward when compared to the original. It’s not perfect, and you will find yourself rolling your eyes at the tedious training sessions, groaning while yet another door stands in your way, and wishing the game was just a little bit more responsive to your every move. However, there’s still plenty of fun to be had and the eight to ten hours you'll spend working your way through the campaign will deliver many smiles."
3.5 out of 5.0
LATEST UPDATES:
Red Steel 2 Enemies Trailer
http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/r...nemies-trailer
Super Powers trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xJnA...layer_embedded
Studio Interview VIDEO from IGN
http://uk.media.wii.ign.com/media/86...31/vids_1.html
WEAPONS TRAILER
http://www.computerandvideogames.com....php?id=237706
GAMESPOT TRAIN RIDE VIDEOS
http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/r...gameplay-movie
Red Steel 2: The Last Kusagari footage
http://www.officialnintendomagazine....e.php?id=15382
First 20 minutes
http://www.viddler.com/explore/ContraNetwork/videos/34/
LATEST PREVIEWS
GAMETRAILERS VIDEO PREVIEW
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/pr...-steel-2/62644
VOOKS
http://www.vooks.net/story-18978-Red...pressions.html
"The first time I played Red Steel 2 I came away impressed but not astounded. This time I was blown away. It was genuinely fun to play and I just wanted to keep going and going with it. The swordplay/gunplay mashup is awesome fun and you’ll find different combos and moves that work better."
IGN
http://wii.ign.com/articles/107/1070807p1.html
"I was only allowed to plow through the first few missions, but these at least show the variety of levels and the balance and variety they have. In some you'll just have to take down waves of bad guys from the other clan, while in others you'll have to seek out their trucks and blast them out of commission. Along the way you'll find crates, barrels, bottles and other items that can be opened and smashed for cash, and you'll turn this extra money into additional moves and weapon upgrades. There are even hidden treasures like Sheriff Stars tucked away that'll earn you even more money. "
G4
http://g4tv.com/games/wii/43463/red-...eel-2-Preview/
"Fantastic swordplay would have been enough, but judging from the couple hours I spent putting the game through its paces, Red Steel 2 fixes and awesome-ups everything about the original. It's just pure, drool-inducing video game fun. Red Steel 2 looks amazing; The shooting game is spot-on, the Wii MotionPlus-exclusive controls are as tight as a rich guy’s fist, the action is frenetic and non-stop, and while there's nothing heavy and "important" here, it's all-out, kickass jaw-dropping action fun... and isn't that what's really important?"
Eurogamer
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/re...ds-on_4?page=1
"The main difference between Red Steel 2 and the original, however, may not be the improved controls so much as the fact that you'll genuinely want to put in the time to master them in the first place. With a sugary rush of missions, dungeons, and upgrades riddled with collectable Sheriff's badges and oddball unlocks, 2010 might just be the year that face buckles finally go mainstream"
Kotaku
http://kotaku.com/5476604/hands+on-s...th-red-steel-2
"Its combination of broad and precise motion, its colorful aesthetic, come together to deliver an experience far more fun than the original Red Steel. Being only about half-way through the title, it's too early to tell if there will be enough of those complex fights and blending of motions to make the game the sort of deep experience I want, or whether the end result will be a game that feels too light, too easy to be satisfying."
Joystiq
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/22/red-steel-2-preview/
"Red Steel 2 may have received a cosmetic makeover from its predecessor, but it's still lacking a key element: fun. Perhaps 2010 will change all that, and I'll be able to enjoy an inspired version of Red Steel 2 ... on my space ship, with my robot buddies "Chuck" and "Max." I can't wait for 2010!
Best of luck,
2009 "
NGamer preview
http://computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=236506
Consider our expectations slashed. Red Steel 2 takes what you thought you knew and carves it up.
Travelling to Paris to stink up Ubisoft's offices with a MotionPlus-enabled sweat, our three-hour playtest reveals a game quite unlike its forebear.
CUBED 3
http://www.cubed3.com/preview/329/
"Red Steel 2 has come along nicely since it was first shown off at E3 last year . The swordplay mechanics have been refined to the point that - with minor exceptions when performing very broad motions - the game responds perfectly to your actions, resulting in a satisfying and immersive experience. The coalescence of Japanese, Western and modern inspirations into a cohesive visual style is also a treat for the eyes, and especially impressive at a consistent 60 FPS. Worth a look from any self-respecting Wii owner."
Red Steel 2 screens and interview From Wii Italia - yet its in English
http://www.wiitalia.it/2010/03/04/re...erghe/lang/en/
(Red Steel 2 Interview With Roman Campos Oriola GS
Red Steel 2 Video Preview IGN
Three more interviews
"Now, Red Steel 2 is a Wii exclusive and we're not going anywhere with it. This is going to stay Wii exclusive."
Red Steel 2 CVG interview)
All here: http://thevgpress.com/forumtopics/re...0#comment58039
Dev diary video: Taking controls to the next level
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=208tA...er_profilepage
This is really worth watching. 
"We actually shifted to the Lyn Engine, which is internal Ubisoft tech. It's being used for a lot of projects and being developed across multiple platforms, but was originally developed specifically for Wii. We were able to start over with an engine that from the beginning gave us a real head start," said Vandenberghe.
Massive Q and A here with the producer.
http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/t...7/m/7461098867
Badass Mega interview here with lead designer and creative lead
http://www.livewii.fr/article/123537...eel-2.html?c=0
Interview with Lead game designer
http://wii.nintendolife.com/news/200..._campos_oriola
Red Steel 2 Caldera trailer
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/ca...-steel-2/61235
Bad Day trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyEmaIhG8fw
Payne trailer
http://media.wii.ign.com/media/867/867131/vids_1.html
Exclusive Red Steel 2 video interview
http://www.eurogamer.net/videos/excl...el-2-interview
E3 2009: Red Steel 2 Hands-on - June 1, 2009, Previews
http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/988/988473p1.html
We shoot 'em down and cut 'em up in Ubisoft's gorgeously stylized first-person shooter / sword-fighter sequel.
E3 2009: Red Steel 2 Interview - June 1, 2009, Features
http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/989/989002p1.html
The game's creative director explains the story, setting, art style, MotionPlus, and why it all took so long.
Cancelled version pics
http://www.unseen64.net/2009/03/05/r...el-2-wii-beta/
I did, yesterday! And I could not play this game from Monday to Saturday because of a broken WM+.
I haven't been able to play the game for a few days. Too much work and I spent the weekend with my family. But I will get my fix later today.
I knew about the ammo, not the rest. Will check the moves on the pause menu. It has the directions of how to do them right?
Same here, damned family.
Okay, the moment you guys have been waiting for. The event that will give some meaning to otherwise mundane and useless lives. It is time. Time for my final verdict of Red Steel 2. Are you ready?
Okay, here it is, it is awesome!
What you want more?! Okay, you soul sucking succubus, I shall give you more.
Let's start with the style. Like I said previously the style can be described as a clash between the Wild West and the East. More specifically samurai meets cowboy. This is not the only clash, there is also the clash of the past vs. the future. Dusty town and futuristic robots, old western like trains, that run on electricity, old revolvers and force fields. When you think about it, it does not make a lick of sense. But that is not important. Important is that it looks cool, and oh boy does it look cool.
The theme is the same for the whole game, there is always the desert backdrop. But within the theme, there is plenty of variety. After Caldera, you explore a train, then a abandoned western style ghost town and finally a canyon with some Indian (Native American for the political correct) motive. But we all knew the style would be awesome the moment we put our eyes on the game, but what about the gameplay?
Luckily Red Steel 2 does not suffer from the same style over substance syndrome like No More Heroes and Madworld. The battle system actually works, and the more moves you get, the more flexible the system becomes. For instance enemies with armour. Normally you would need strong slashed to get rid of the armour before you can brutalise the enemy. Well later in the game you get two moves, the crush and reaper that do that for you. You can also knock him in he air, jump after him, repeatability slash him in mid-air to knock off his armour and finally plunge a sword to his chest to finish him off for good. Or fully upgrade your shotgun and just shoot him once. One shoot will remove his armour.
The same is true for enemy defence. Three strong slashed will break their guard. A horizontal attack will break a horizontal guard, a vertical slash will break a vertical guard. The ram move will also break a guard, the dragon will push enemies away, the bear will knock enemies on the ground.
The battle system is just so much fun to use. I was playing on the ninja difficulty and it was really challenging. You really need to know what you are doing. Sometimes you can dodge, sometimes you have to block. You need to participate in crowd control. Kill the right enemy at the right time. and do not go wailing on single enemy, while the rest is raping you from behind. You will die lots of time when you do this. The enemies on ninja difficulty are not damage sponges, they do not take lots of hits to finish, but they will surround and kill you if you do stupid things. Once you survive a brutal encounter a feeling of pride will overcome you, a good feeling it is.
Last thing about the battle systems are the enemies. Oh boy are they cool. I mean you have ninjas and samurai with machine guns, what more could you ask for?! (Foolz if you answer pirates I will kill you) Once a special ninja, actually knocked off my sword once, I had to retrieve it, how cool is that?! Different enemies require different strategy, the hammer guy needs to be taken from behind, the minigun guy needs to be knocked on his ass with the Bear, etc.
I mentioned upgrading your shotgun before, well the upgrading system is quite robust. You can upgrade your guns, RE4 style with the final upgrade giving you a special ability. Like the aforementioned armour removing ability of the shotgun. You can also upgrade you bullets for each gun, so they deal even more damage. And lastly you can upgrade your sword, sword powers and you can buy new moves. These upgrades cost money, sometimes lots of money. Money can be found by smashing all kinds of objects and by doing missions and side missions.
Which brings us to the missions. I already explained the mission structure in my previous hands-on. I will focus more on the pacing. The game goes really quickly if you only do the main missions. The pacing is really quick then. It transforms into Metroid-lite when you do the sidemissions, because they require exploration of the interconnected map. Explorations yield one thing and one thing only, money, lots of money. Which in turn can be used for upgrading. On ninja difficulty this is vital. Exploring is nice, because of the beautiful levels, but the side missions are mostly meh. Go destroy 10 cars, find 3 ammo dumps, take down wanted posters. It is usually find this, find that. But like I said before, the missions are just excuse for the real meat of the game, and that is the awesome battle system.
I already mentioned the meh, let's go with mentioning the bad.
First the game is bit short, especially if you do not do any side missions. You can probably blow through the game in 6 hours if you race through it, 12 hours when you do proper exploration and upgrading.
I compared this game to Okami in my previous impression. In a way this game is also the opposite of Okami. Okami goes on and on and on, way to long. Red Steel 2 never overstays if welcome.
But the real problem is not the shortness of the main campaign, no the game lacks content. After you finish the game, you do not get a new game+, where you can keep all your weapons, you do not get a secret weapon you can play around with, no cheat codes, no new game, you get a big fat nothing. If you start the game again, you can only fight the last boss and that's it. The last level has lots and lots of money you can find, but for what? There is nowhere to spend it, why are there hidden tokens that give you $5000,- when there is no store to spend it on? Or even a new game+, so you can fully upgrade the rest of you weapons.
But surely the challenge mode will offer some replayability? Well the challenge mode is not a RE4 like mercenary mode. It is exactly the same as the campaign mode. It is an section of the single player campaign, big section sometimes, that will end up with the game scoring your performance. The reward is money, money that you cannot spend. Oh great! The challenge mode is basically pick your favourite scene, you usually see in DVDs. So if you quickly want to replay your favourite scene, pick it and play. It is not really suited for high score attacks, because the levels go on for too long and is missing the "just one more time to break my high score" feeling. But luckily you keep all you weapons and moves you earned in the campaign. So you are able to pummel the fist boss with all you advanced moves in the challenges.
There are also codes for extra weapons, but they are nothing more than skin changes. You do not get new sword moves or something. There is not even a sound test, so I can listen to the music. I did not really pay attention to it, busy not trying to get killed, but what I heard sounded good.
Another negative point is the story. Don't worry about spoilers, everything you are curious about, won't be answered in the game at all. There are all these awesome characters, but nothing is explained. What is the story behind Shinjiro. He trained with the Kusagari, but then what? Why did he betray them? Why does he have ninjas all suddenly? Tits get shot in a cutscene, what happened to her? Did she die? Did our hero motorboat her delicious looking chest? Who is this Okaji fellow? The leader of Kataraka clan? Why is the Kataraka clan working with Shinjiro? What happened to Jian and that business man? Why was our hero banished? Why does he not have a name? How much wood would the woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck would chuck wood? Seriously nothing is answered at all. There are even plot holes. Why does Shinjiro needs the hero's katana, while he has one of his own? And why did Payne not give it to Shinjiro while he had it?
The last bad point is the map. You have this Metroid like minimap in the corner of your screen, but you cannot press the pause button to see the whole map. You only see a small section of the map. Why? It does not make sense.
So in conclusion RS2 is an awesome game, with an awesome battle system and cool enemies and bosses. It is not perfect though, it could have used a better map, better side missions, better story and more unlockables. It is like a horny supermodel, nice to look at, nicer to fuck with, but it could use more meat on her bones.
Rating range 8.5-9.0
The game is geting better and better by the minute and right now, even on ninja dificulty, it's not being too much of a challenge. But once again, that's not the case of the game being easy. It's just the case of me being a badass kusagari
My posts have mysteriously disappeared overnight. I replied to igas review.
Anyhow, according to my stats I have played 13 hrs worth and still haven't completed it. For a single player FPS this is good.
So what were you comments!
Speak dammit!