Ubisoft seeks designer for Red Steel sequel

by James Ransom-Wiley { Nov 29th 2006 at 10:25AM }

Red Steel may not be garnering critical acclaim, but the temptation of arm-flailing sword fights and point-n-click shootouts is enough to move units amidst a disappointing Wii launch lineup (Twilight Princess excluded). And so, the franchise will forge ahead. But, as a recent job listing suggests, next time, Ubisoft wants to get it right.

The company has posted a job listing (en français) for a senior designer who will be assigned to the Red Steel sequel. One of the job qualifications is experience with online play, suggesting plans to promote Red Steel out of the split-screen dark ages. Interestingly, a specific platform for development is not listed. Could a multiplatform release be on the agenda?

[Via 1UP]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Austin Powers @ Nov 29th 2006 10:32AM

Disappointing Wii launch lineup? Have you not played Excite Truck, Raving Rabbids or Trauma Center? This is the best launch lineup since the SNES (although Mario 64 alone made the N64 launch lineup a good one).

FuzzyPickles @ Nov 29th 2006 10:40AM

Haha, every game released on the N64 launch was amazing... that's right, the TWO GAMES released at the N64 launch were classic. 100% satisfaction FTW!!!

MonkeyJohn @ Nov 29th 2006 10:42AM

I agree with #1. Launch lineup for the Wii is very solid.

jron @ Nov 29th 2006 10:44AM

mario 64 and pioletwings right?

SR @ Nov 29th 2006 10:47AM

Wii Sports + Zelda is keeping me and my friends busy.

Flit @ Nov 29th 2006 11:04AM

Since Clover studios has been abandoned by Sony, can't we get Okami ported before another red steel sequel? Played it last night on my ps2 and i just kept thinking, damn, this would be awesome on the Wii

Aden Nak @ Nov 29th 2006 11:09AM

You know, when I first got Red Steel, I was pretty disappointed with it. I tossed it on the shelf about three hours in and proceded to LIVE in Hyrule for a straight week. But going back to it, more comfortable with the controller and willing to slog through the relatively overextended intro to the game, there's something there. Once you get to Tokyo the game picks up.

Now, is it a 10/10? Oh, hell no. It's not a 9/10 or probably even an 8/10 either. But it's not a 3/10 or a 4/10 like I saw. I'd say they got about three quarters of it right. I will say that if you cowboy up and set the aiming sensitivity to the highest setting, once you get used to it the aiming is better. No one is ever going to say, "Well, that's a great game, but it's no Red Steel!" But I don't think it's the utter dog that most people are making it out to be.

I still don't think it's a $50 game - but if I'd paid $40 for it, I'd feel like I got something for my money. The cost of buying at launch, I guess.

Markusdragon @ Nov 29th 2006 10:57AM

The Wii launch is only disappointing if you factor in the HUUUUUUUUGE amount of trashy cartoon tie-ins.

BlindsideDork @ Nov 29th 2006 11:01AM

I agree with #1.

I got Zelda, Excite Truck, and Red Steel and am MORE than satisfied with ALL of the games! I don't understand how reviewers gave Red Steel such a low score...it isn't perfect but it is FAR from a 5 or 6 rating. It seems like they only played like 2 levels and reviewed it or something fishy...

I haven't finished Red Steel (but I am a good ways into it) but so far I wouldn't mind a sequel.

Jackson Pritt @ Nov 29th 2006 1:53PM

When did the Wii launch lineup officially become "disappointing"? Especially when compared to the PS3 or Xbox 360 launch lineups?

While I don't think the travesty that is "Happy Feet" should ever have been made and there's a lot of crap littering the field, I don't think any of the lineups have been poor OR spectacular. Mind-numbingly mediocre is more like it.

Deej @ Nov 29th 2006 11:10AM

Yeah I can really see this game going multi platform with just a few minor tweaks to make up for the PS3's limited motion control and restrictive controller shape. 'Limited tweaks' such as setting the game in the stone age and replacing the katana swords with big rocks so you can hold them with both hands and bash each other with. I think I heard its going to be called Red Stone.

joey @ Nov 29th 2006 11:22AM

James Ransom-Wiley is on crack. The Wii launch lineup is awesome.

Wii Sports, Rayman RR, Dragon Ball Z & Zelda all rock! Most enjoyable launch in a loooooong time.

Tom @ Nov 29th 2006 3:54PM

A dissappointing Wii launch line up?

Zelda, Rayman, Trauma center, Excite truck, Super monkey ball, Marvel ultimate alliance, Call of duty 3, Red steel, DBZ TB2, Tony hawks, metal slug anthology and madden. Thats at least 11 solid launch titles. Apart from Red steel (which is less than 3% off) all of those are ranked over 70% at gamerankings, quite a few over 80 and then of course zelda which has been changing position in the top 10 of all time.

Theres quite a few good exclusives there, if thats a dissappointing launch line-up then the PS3's must be the worst thing ever.

Anticrawl @ Nov 29th 2006 11:15AM

At #2/#4

Haha, well it was 3 unless you lived in the US, then it was too. But honestly I'd rather have two near perfect games with groundbreaking elements and be the first of their kind than 10-30 abysmal standard games with 1 or 2 decent in there.

Anyway, for trivia fans the third game was Saikyou Haniu Shogi, some random simulation game. Don't really remember much except the funny guy on the cover. I sold it off to a pawn shop long ago.

On topic - I hope the sequal is good, I almost cried when I played Redsteel. First time in a long time I fired up a game and was instantly disapointed when I started playing.... ahh.. atleast the menu system was cool.

Anticrawl

billychaos @ Nov 29th 2006 11:28AM

I still wonder what everyone is crying about. I find the controls to red steel fine. I even play my friends multiplayer and I pwn them. It does take a learning curve (roughtly 30-45 minutes depending on your level of reasoning/patience).

I guess i approached the game different than anyone else seems to have. Everyone wants it to play like the want it to play. I just looked at how it played and mastered it. I actually find the controls much better than even the PC in many ways. You just have to get over the fact that it does NOT play like a PC FPS. Once you realize this and accept it you'll master it in no time.

James Sorensen @ Nov 29th 2006 11:26AM

why oh why???

ever get a rental, or gamefly rental that as soon as you played 3 minutes you returned right away???

well that is what i did with the crap title Red Steel from gamefly... disapointing that instead of working on a better NEW IP and building a great library for Wii, at least one developer intends to continue flooding crapware for the console...

Raquor @ Nov 29th 2006 1:10PM

I have to say...I felt Red Steel was severely undercut by most reviewers. Being a launch game on a system with a new interface (remote with point and click) it gets a little more leeway than an FPS on the Wii will get a year from now. I'd give it a 7/10.

That being said, I myself don't find the controls all that terrible. I started with beginner sensitivity and within 10 minutes upped it to intermediate which was pretty decent. Next time I play I'll likely switch up to Expert sensitivity. The difference between beginner and intermediate is pretty big.

I also have to say...I HATE the menu system for Red Steel. It's a pain in the ass. Just give me a selection menu with words for crying out loud.

xeaxes @ Nov 29th 2006 12:08PM

I've found the controls in Red Steel pretty good, but only after I played for a while. They are not instantly accessible. Really, once you play through the first level (tutorial level pretty much), and then the second level it gets pretty good. You learn to adapt to the controls. I'm just past the Excite Wheels garage level, and it was awesome. Going through the car wash was great. Sword fights have picked up pace, and the shooting has gotten better and better. It's pretty good. I've bumped up the sensitivity to high and am whipping around the levels. Really fun stuff.

Jaguarandine @ Nov 30th 2006 12:10AM

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...

Lou D @ Nov 29th 2006 12:19PM

The reviews for Red Steel had 1 day to review 27 Wii titles...more or less.

Yeah, I think everyone had/has visions of what they feel like an FPS should control like...

red @ Nov 29th 2006 12:23PM

I found Red Steel to be decent, and the controls were good.

Miniboss @ Nov 29th 2006 12:58PM

Hmm... disappointing, says you.

DjFIL @ Nov 29th 2006 1:00PM

I personally am really enjoying red steel. Don't get me wrong, it has it's issues. And it doesn't deserve better then a 7/10... but it is playable, and I am finding it enjoyable. The "comic book/anime" cut scenes could had been done away with. And there is frame rate stutter, and some times major slow down. But once you take time to learn the controls (this is a huge learning curve game)... it can be a fun game to play through. I am happy I got Red Steel at launch, and I'm happy to hear Ubisoft will try to improve this title with another game.

Figboy @ Nov 29th 2006 8:28PM

Flit, Clover Studios was abandoned by *CAPCOM*, not Sony. Capcom owns Clover. Sony had nothing to do with Clover's demise.

if there is one thing Sony has shown during the past 6 years, they will support a developer that they feel has talent and potential (ie, Team Ico, who created the phenomenal Ico, which sold terribly. instead of pulling the plug, Sony continued to back them, and we got the equally, if not more phenomenal Shadow of the Colossus). Sony also backed the game Heavenly Sword (which i played, and it kicked ass), when Microsoft turned it down.

Sony may be an evil, moneygrubbing corporation (aren't they all, though?), but at least check your facts before you start decrying their evils. not everything they do is bad.