Red Steel

When the Wii was announced the very first thing that leapt into the minds of gamers was the possibility of waving around the controller to simulate sword fighting.

Red Steel was the first game to bring sword fighting to the Wii console, but despite the hype it is the least rewarding part of the game.

The promise of realistic fencing has not been fulfilled, Red Steel has just a few basic moves and most enemies can be easily dispatched just by wildly swinging the controller in the air. What’s most disappointing is that sword fights only take place when you face up to particular bad guys in preset situations.

Thankfully the gun fights are far more enjoyable. The Wii controller works particularly well when it’s pointed like a gun, Red Steel has a good auto-aim system that eliminates any annoyance from the control shaking as you hold it, and it has a clever zoom that’s activated by simply moving the controller toward the screen.

Red Steel’s story is typical b-movie fluff, but the silly acting and cheesy script actually work quite nicely in conjunction with the cliché plot. What can’t be forgiven are its visuals, which in places look as though they haven’t been finished. Basic textures adorn the levels and it looks very poor next to the latest Xbox and Playstation FPS games.

Verdict:

Poor graphics, great gun fights, weak sword play. Good demonstration of what’s possible with the Wii technology, but as a game it falls short.