Metareview - Red Steel

It has a half-way decent control scheme, but overall is a mediocre, jumpy mess of a FPS. Still can't wait for Far Cry and Metroid Prime 3.

Me and my roommate actually like this game a lot. It took a bit to get used to the controls, but adjusting the sensitivity helped. And though it starts off slow and kinda boring, it slowly picks up and gets pretty exciting.

It's an arcade-style FPS. I don't know what people were expecting, but that's what I expected from the screenshots and videos I saw.

FAILURE.

More on the way to come.

agreed... it's a cute idea wrapped in N64-quality graphics. feels like they spent about ten minutes coding it. and forget aiming the wiimote away from the screen for a second - your onscreen view will spin around like crazy, and it takes way too long to reorient yourself.

"Nintendo's lust for innovation has again proved to be a hurdle for developers conditioned in the old ways."

If they don't, the Wii fails-- and it won't matter WHOSE fault you think it is. Any tech is bad tech if it isn't implemented correctly.

I've been enjoying it so far; I can see why it's getting low reviews, and I guess according to IGN I'm "kidding myself"... Thanks IGN, I've just kidded myself into not bothering with your site again either!

My question is regarding the 1UP excerpt though; am I the last gamer that plays games split-screen? I mean sure online matches are fun and all, but I've always prefered the company of friends vs random online people. I game both ways, but ALL of the seriously fun gaming sessions I've had involved all players being in the same building, usually camped on the same couch looking at the same screen... The experience of playing online is never as fun; I mean, how are you supposed to pass a blunt online?

Nice try Ubi but no cigar on this one. Very disappointed with this effort, showed so much promise. Get back to the drawing board and don't come back till all those flaws are fixed (BTW i cancelled my pre order for Red Steel now, sorry but you have to do better)

AoE -

Agreed :D

oh bummer on the bad reviews i like it

im playing it right now acually although the taungts are anoying

but w/e i have a wii and zelda and red steel so now it dosent matter wut u people think

The Wii controller would be perfect for a "Die By the Sword" or "Blade Of Darkness" remake.

Someone should get on that right away. ;)

*shrugs*

I really like Red Steel. And that's coming from a gamer accustomed to using a mouse and keyboard for his FPS games. Still, as great as it is, developers are going to have to work harder to knock the computer mouse from it's throne. I bet that is why Metroid was delayed.

Has anyone notice that 1up is being frickin harsh in every review lately?

Is it just horrible games coming out, or does 1up need to change who's reviewing the games? I mean, people can get burned out of playing games and lose the fun and appeal and it becomes much more of a drag and more of a job than it should be... IDK, just something I noticed and I've really started to ignore them for it.

Ok, is it just me, or is anyone else getting tired of hearing NEXT GEN or LAST GEN each time stuff gets compared? Alright already, we know Wii is not HD, can the game reviewers get past that and rate the game on its own merits?

Fah. Wake me up when Metroid comes out.

Thank god it sold out. Tried like 3 places trying to buy it before I gave up. No way I'm gonna buy it after seeing all the bad reviews, and gamespots video review that actually showed video of it. Wow... looks like absolute crap.

Lesson to publishers, if your game sucks ships as many as possible the first few weeks. Cause after that, word will get out and you wont have anyone left to buy it.

@Iced_Eagle

Harsh words or not- I'm sick to death of inflated game reviews. Someone needs to stand up to the big publishers and tell everyone exactly how they feel. Sure- they might be risking future freebies and exclusive interviews, but they've earned my respect and support for giving me their blunt, honest, feedback. Agree or disagree with their opinions- this is certainly a step that needs to be taken by every other reviewer out there.

"people can get burned out of playing games and lose the fun and appeal "

Then hopefully that will encourage developers change their tactics. More innovating and less copyind and pasting.

Hey it wasn't Nintendo's innovation that killed it, it was Ubisofts implementation.

CoD does it well, and I'm sure Metroid will too as far as the controller goes. The rest (Apart from maybe online multipley which I assume is Nintendo slack arse at work) is totally Ubi's choice. Graphics, fighting style, lame reactions to sword slices, buggy guys who get stuck etc etc.

iced eagle

i was thinking the EXACT opposite...1up's given out 3 or 4 TEN's in the last month ( gears , zelda , bully and i think one other game) thats just rediculous imo...

I have to ditto with rhork. For a while game reviews have been a little too fluffy. I was actually suprised how high the scores were, given what people are saying about their experiences here on joystiq.

It'd be nice if there was a sort of 'pitchfork' of game review sites. The transition to tougher scales is always weird- makes everything before it 'look better' because the scores are higher. We'll get used to it.

Or maybe it's just plain ol' launch title syndrome.

according to Famitsu (http://www.gamebrink.com/famitsu/) Red Steel isn't so bad.
34/40 - [8|9|9|8] - Red Steel(JP)

Famitsu is notorious for being tough in its reviews...

I love how people that haven't played it are slamming the game. Seems like everyone lets reviews make up their mind. The only opinion I trust is my own. Red Steel is fun, period ... yeah, it takes time to get used to the controls, because it's a new type of game. But, I never die because of the controls ... it's because I moved foolishly. It really is a lot of fun ...

Well hey, look on the bright side...someday there'll probably be a Wii Zelda! You'll get another good game for that console someday...

I don't care what those reviews say I've played it for
40 minutes and I love it. And also who really cares about the graphics if thats all i cared about i wouldn't play ocarina of time and also split screen is not last gen. Most of my friends have xbox live but they still preffer getting together and doing it because other wise it feels like you are just playing coms that talk to you. Also by the time the composite cables come out it will look a lot better.

Guys, the game got slammed for graphics not because the Wii is underpowered, but because Redsteel looks WORSE than the graphics on the console it succeeded. I know the Ninty fans have bought into the whole "graphics don't matter" mantra, but come on, if a reviewer gets a little miffed that 6 year old hardware costing less than half as much as the Wii could produce a better looking game, the scoring has merit.


As for the Famitsu review, it would seem the hype over in Japan has numbed their senses as they also gave Mobile Suit Gundam Crossfire for the PS3 a high score. If you care to see the metareview for that pile of dog doo, just read a little further down the joystiq blog...

socrates

yes cause we all no the console future can be determine by launch titles

I was really enjoying Red Steel. And I look forward to getting my Wii back (110213... argh) in 3-5 business days so I can start playing it again. I'd say it's a 7/10. Graphics are fine, tho framerate drops at times. Gun gameplay is good, but with a large learning curve. Sword gameplay isn't the best... but it's not as responsive as I hoped. Story does the job, but not great. Audio is fine too. And at least there is voice acting (one of very few gripes with zelda), tho cheesy at that. Multiplayer (tried 3 so far) was fun too.

I don't see what people find wrong with this game. I've played many FPS's before, and I find myself enjoying this game more than Half Life 2 even. And more than Zelda. The controls work flawlessly for me, so either 95% of people that play this game are retarded, or they don't know a well-crafted game when it falls right into their hands (literally). I have a strong feeling that people who are having issues did not calibrate it right at the beginning (Pointing at the fish), because the controls could not be more perfect from my experience.

Amazing how you guys only picked the back reviews.
Like one of the reviews said:

"It was an experience in itself to learn it. I mean, how often will you get to have a completely new gaming experience that makes you do more than practice for about 10 seconds? If you can't stay around to learn how to play this game, you shouldn't have bought the Wii! "

Redsteel is difficult to control. But I only spent about 1 hour playing. How long did these guys play for? Excite Truck and Zelda also took a while to get used to playing, but was more fun. Dying 3 times and still not finishing the level is not fun, but a challenge.

I'm sure that after spending more time I will get used to all the controls (there are a lot of controls to learn). And the game is just hard, really difficult!

I returned my copy of Red Steel for Rayman...which I have enjoyed a LOT more than RS. My reasons for returning it? It glitched 20 minutes into it. Completely froze my system.

I don't care how good it might have been, that's just utter crap that it did that. And from what I have read in reviews (I was seeing if this glitch was a one time thing), I had found that there were more glitches in my future if I kept playing.

As was stated before, I'll wait for MP:3 and Far Cry.

You have to wonder if they play tested this with focus groups. A small sample would have highlighted many of the issues presented in those reviews and on vaious forums and blogs. Or, perhaps this is the best they can do for FPSs.. which doesnt hold well for MP3.

I'm completely surprised by this. I mean, we all know that when an FPS is named after a melee weapon found in the game, it's a guaranteed classic.

Gah these reviews are too nice. I actually played Gundam since yesterday and can say that its a far more enjoyable game then this buggy pixilated shooter with horrid AI and poor multiplayer. Or at least its better in my opinion, although my Gundam sitting was limited to about 3 hours at a friends house, while my Red Steel time clocked in at about 10 before I gave up on this POS.
All I got to say is thank god the Wii has Zelda and SMB. Otherwise I would have returned it as soon as I beat Zelda.

I REALLY wish I hadn't wasted my money on this game. Unfortunately, it fell victim to launchitis. Ubisoft normally makes great games, but this one feels very rushed and unfinished. I will say that the swordplay is a little more fun than the FPS aspect of it, but it doesn't save it. Oh well.. maybe I can exchange it.

@11
1up is harsh to any FPS that is NOT HALO.
You know, Shoe's objectivity died in the moment he started played Halo.
My trust in EGM and 1up died that day too.

It's not the most perfect game in the world. I started spinning out of control at one point but once I got the hang of the game I was able to get into it better.

It's cute but not perfect.

Once I got used to the controls, I really enjoyed Red Steel. Granted, I'm kind of a Yakuza buff, but I thought the controls were immersive and really smooth once you got the hang of it. But I tend to not like FPS in the first place. I think these reviewers are all just a little burnt out.

And there *are* good reviews out there, just not the ones quoted by Joystiq. Anyone dismissing this game out of hand because of the reviews should at least check out a rental and decide for yourself.

The reviews raise legitimate criticisms. The hardcore gaming sites that Joystiq cites are harsher than the others, and they should be.

The turning sucks. The graphics are functional, but unimpressive. The aiming takes a few hours to really acclimate to. The story is OK, the audio is fine (turn down the remote speaker, and it sounds a lot better since the quality is too low for it to make loud sounds), the voice acting is bad in a vaguely amusing sort of way. The AI is cool 90% of the time and sucks the rest. Multiplayer kinda sucks.

I bought it and am about 5 hours in. I would have rated it at a 5 at the beginning, but now I'm more in the 6-7 range. Never more than a 7, though, the turning sucks too much (although you can strafe and aim in this game better than on a dual-analog setup). I don't regret my purchase, but I'll probably trade it in to EB after I'm done with the campaign. They're giving $25 for it.

If you're unsure, I recommend a rental, but be sure to play at least until you get to Japan, where the game begins to pick up. And it practically requires component cables, as in 480i it's obvious the game looks better than it's coming out.

It's a launch game, guys, chill out. Superior efforts will be forthcoming.

The only game that makes the Wii worth buying right now is Zelda, and it's a gamecube port. lol

Seriously, other than Mario and Zelda games, what else comes? METROID? If Nintendo doesn't topple Resistance Fall of Man in online play, and doesn't even scratch the surface of Halo 3 (whatever it may become), then it doesn't really matter how "revolutionary" their control scheme becomes.

Let's hope something good and original comes for it. As of now, all current-gen machines own all the next-gen consoles, especially PS2. Gamecube will have the new Zelda anyway, which is the only game that justifies the steep price of a gamecube with a remote (that's a huge maybe). And Xbox 1 has better games than Xbox 360. Gears is overhyped, and according to C-net users in Metacritic, the average score of Resistance is 91 while for gears it is 87. Something smells fishy (Microsoft dough), as in inflated scores given by the press.

@ 38

Gears of War was hyped but lived up to it's hype.
And Xbox 1 doesn't have better games then 360. Xbox = Halo 2? Over rated.

"[The] four-player splitscreen multiplayer, while somewhat fun, is sooo two gens ago. After playing games online, it's hard to revert back to the archaic act of herding four friends together in a room"

What kind of review is that?!? Split screen/4-friends-in-the-room gaming is the entire allure of console gaming. If all you want to do is play alone online then ya might as well just use a PC.

I don't understand the Red Steel hate. I'm well into the game and the effects are awesome, and the game looks and plays great. This is what I think FPS games should be like in the first place. The people who made these reviews I doubt even beat the game.

It got 91% in Official Nintendo Magazine UK

""[The] four-player splitscreen multiplayer, while somewhat fun, is sooo two gens ago. After playing games online, it's hard to revert back to the archaic act of herding four friends together in a room"

What kind of review is that?!? Split screen/4-friends-in-the-room gaming is the entire allure of console gaming. If all you want to do is play alone online then ya might as well just use a PC."


Yes, online gaming will NEVER hold a candle to getting together with friends, sitting in the same room, looking at the same screen and generally being social. Anybody who says otherwise is either a sad nerd, or a sad old joyless git who's life revolves around their 7-to-9 job. Period.

Anyone who is hating on the controls in RS need to go and give up on Metroid Prime 3. Ubisoft basically talked to the guys from Retro studios to find out what they were going to do with MP3. So the controls will be either just like RS or very close. I guess you'll have to adapt or perish with the Wii.
I have been an avid PC fps player until losing a finger on my left hand and no longer being able to easily strafe left. The Wii is a godsend for me. I like the Wii control set up even more than mouse and keyboard now. I would love to take on some thumbstick fpsers or some PC fpsers with the Wii. I think that after using it for a week Ican honestly say that the Wii is way more natural and intuitive than even a mouse and key board.
Take your time and get used to the controls and all will be good.

@ 29: Red Steel didn't freeze your system, the Wii has some issues. A lot of games have been freezing.

Is Red Steel as good as the early hype? No, but anyone that was expecting the next Goldeneye was going to be let down anyway. Yahoo Games a 4.0? Everyone here knows the game isn't as bad as other Wii launch games (Rampage and GT anyone?).
-I don't get this debate on four-player splitscreen versus LAN versus online. Some people just don't have an internet connection or four systems and games, and want to be social and hang out with friends, period. To call that "antiquated" means you have no real-life friends to me. All three have their merits.
-Finally, about the graphics, if you have a component video cable, and a wide screen, the game at times looks better than anything on Wii and GCN (even RE4). It's just wildly inconsistent. The game is not nearly as polished as it could have been.
Get over the controls, the game is good people. Not Gears/Halo good though, and probably never will be. Wait for the patch to work out some kinks...

I don't understand why so many people don't like this game. I have it, and I have played it for more than 3 hours now, and it is reallly great. The graphics are poor in comparison to the hype, but lay off. We need to support titles like this. What if they had sold out every copy, and next year made a Red Steel 2 that had amazing graphics like Halo 3 will, but also had the cool controls? For me the, the Idea of this happening would be awsome. If Ubisoft has proved a point here with this title, that things like Red Steel can be done, what may the future hold?