Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #177 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: UBI Soft
• Released on: 2006-12-08
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Platform: Nintendo Wii

Amazon.co.uk Review

In a nutshell:
Fight against armed gangs in both the U.S. and Japan in this brand new first person actioner from the publishers of Rainbow Six and Splinter Cell. Master both guns and swords as you play through the bloodiest game yet on the Wii.

The lowdown:
One of the biggest third party games announced exclusively for the Wii, this is also the first proper first person shooter for the new console. You use the nunchuck controller to move around and the Wii remote to aim your weapons with real precision (the game even knows when you’re holding a gun sideways, gangsta style). When using a sword the motion sensors in the nunchuck are used to block and you can slash away with the Wii remote. The graphics aren’t massively more impressive than a good GameCube game but the seedy Japanese back streets and giant explosions look great and the artificial intelligence for enemies is already quite a challenge.

Most exciting moment:
The game features an ability to called freeze tagging which allows you to slow down time and “tag” enemy body parts with the Wii remote. When you switch back to normal time you can take down each enemy you tagged instantly.

Since you ask:
As seen at E3 the sword controls do not respond exactly to the movements you make with the Wii remote, for example moving the remote up actually causes a downward thrust. Following complaints though Ubisoft have promised to change things for the final game.

The bottom line:
The Wii gets violent with the next gen’s only first person sword fighter.
HARRISON DENT

Manufacturer's Description
Red Steel is an exclusive Wii launch title that takes full advantage of the console's innovative controller and puts players directly into the action-packed first-person experience with the weapon in their hand literally.

An engaging storyline unfolds as you learn that your fiancée has been kidnapped and her father a Japanese mafia kingpin murdered by a rival gang. The only way to save your loved one and defend your honor is to journey from Los Angeles to Japan and confront the Tokyo underworld.

By learning the ancient art of Japanese fighting with your katana and the focused precision of modern firearms, you will progress and adapt yourself to this foreign environment, where skills alone may not guarantee you victory.

Customer Reviews

So far so awsome...
I bought this before reading all the reviews, and had a bit of a panic when I read some of the more dismal ones.
Then it arrived and I played it.
Now, I've only completed the first 2 levels/missions but;
This game is Awsome! A note to the people who found it hard to aim, set the sensitivity down to low in the options, this is recommended to first time players when you see it in the options. With this set, the machinegun was easy to master.
I will admit some people find the control system hard to deal with (one of my mates and my Girlfriend for example, but they don't play FPS much anyway) but to me it's just so natural and intuitive, unless you get distracted and the controller points off the screen leaving you spinning madly. The game seems to bring FPS and Light-Gun Shooters into one game seamlessly. The machinegun is my preferred weapon due to quick reload and effective in short bursts, but one-shot kills of the shotgun are great if you have enough cover to reload.
Sword fighting is a little more simplistic than I'd like, and there is no point to the dodge, parrying is so much more effective and easier to do without thinking about it. Parry, slash slash, repeat, and it doesn't make much difference what direction you slash or parry in. Maybe that gets better later on.
The cut scenes seem very manga-like and go well with the japanese theme, though a skip button would be handy if you've already seen it once.
Graphics seem on a par with PS2 although I've not got an HDTV to try this on.
those minor problems drop this to a 4.5 out of 5.
If you like FPS, get it.

OK
At the begining I had one MAJOR irritation...The controls.
The controls ruined the game a four...Infact almost earned it a 2.
Other than that a rather decent game.

Awesome!
This game allows you to really get a feel of how the Wii works with its controllers as it makes good use of them in gameplay. The game has a really good story line that you can easily follow. Recommended to everyone who likes a variety in their gameplay.