redsteel posts (Subscribe to this feed)
Looks official at last: Red Steel sequel
by Alisha Karabinus 
{ Jan 18th 2007 at 3:30PM }
While it certainly looked like things were headed in that direction, now it seems that a Red Steel sequel is pretty much confirmed. The only thing left is for an official press release to start making the rounds. The good ol' Dojo of Pain, the game's community website, recently featured the following telling quote: "...if any student think he anywhere near ready for Red Steel 2...Get Ready to Do My Laundry! [sic]"Late last year, Ubisoft posted a job listing announcing they were in need of a designer for more Red Steel action ... a designer with online experience. While Red Steel may not be the best game ever to hit consoles, the multiplayer is actually pretty fun, and taking the fun online could really make this a viable franchise. Well, that and actual cut scenes.
Reggie sez: Online in Q2
by Jason Wishnov { Dec 4th 2006 at 10:55AM }
When the big man speaks, we listen. And yes, we're referring to the deity that is Reggie Fils-Aime, standing atop his mighty pedestal after supplanting Zeus for the title. He was recently on Spike TV's GameHead, speaking rather generically about the Wii. But, as you may have guessed, there was a diamond in the rough: the news that the first multiplayer online Wii games will be announced in Q1 2007 and start shipping in Q2. Finally!We're a little disappointed that online didn't come right out of the box; God knows some games really could have benefitted: Madden 07, Call of Duty 3, and Red Steel certainly could have used the boost. Still, at least a smidgeon of online functionality is coming quite soon, with the ability to trade custom levels in Elebits via the magic of the
[We don't normally steal our sister site Joystiq's pictures, but this one was just too good.]
Red Steel 2 semi-confirmed
by Jason Wishnov { Nov 29th 2006 at 8:00AM }
Sorta kinda maybe. Everyone's favorite overly-hyped-shooter-with-glitchy-aiming-mechanisms-and-unintuitive-combat seems to be gearing up for another go. Ubisoft's Paris division has posted a big digital "Help Wanted" ad on the internet, whose transcript shall be withheld to save the reader from silly BabelFish translation errors. In any case, it asks for a game designer for the "continuation of the Red Steel franchise". There is no direct confirmation that the sequel will be on the Wii, but come on. It's pretty damn obvious.
One must wonder if the world really wants this. If they can iron out the bugs, improve level design, and add more realistic melee combat, maybe they'll have a winner. If not, we'll always have Super Smash Bros. Brawl to fall back on, right?
PAL Red Steel progressive scan mandatory?
by David Hinkle { Nov 27th 2006 at 1:55PM }
A reader from the UK wrote in to us telling of his journey to the local game shop where, upon inspecting the back of the display box for Red Steel, he noticed the above 'EDTV/HDTV only' tag in the upper-right corner. Both surprising to himself and us here at Wii Fanboy, it appears that this has to be a printing error. We've contacted Nintendo and await their response.
[Image from Go Nintendo; thanks Tom!]
What are you playing: mid-week holiday inaugural edition
by David Hinkle { Nov 22nd 2006 at 1:55PM }
It's the first time we get to ask you guys now that the Wii has released, so, what are you playing?
For many Americans, today feels a lot like Friday and, as far as our employers and government are concerned, it might as well be. With tomorrow being the day we celebrate Thanksgiving by stuffing our faces (more than usual) with turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and various delicious types of pie, we felt we'd ask what you're playing a little early. For all of our non-American readers whose country's past does not include Pilgrims and Native Americans coming together in peace, well ... be sure to rub your next exclusive holiday in our faces.
So what will it be? A little multiplayer Wii Sports with the family? Is your family interested in seeing what this Wii is all about, or is your obsession with gaming like some kind of contagious virus to them, forcing you to play Red Steel alone in the basement?
Metareview - Red Steel
by James Ransom-Wiley { Nov 21st 2006 at 10:15PM }
Ubisoft's closely watched project has failed. True, Red Steel has likely enjoyed enough press to move units through the holiday, but critical reception is decidedly underwhelmed.Ubisoft's would-be-grand FPS is still broke, dashing hopes that a third-party developer would 'get' Wii at launch. Instead, Nintendo's lust for innovation has again proved to be a hurdle for developers conditioned in the old ways. Give it time.
- Game Informer (75/100) - "Aside from Zelda, Red Steel may be the most-anticipated Wii launch title. Unlike our boy in the green tights, this game's doesn't fully deliver on its promise ... Most of Red Steel's faults lie with the game's presentation. Enemies shout annoying obscenities in your direction during every firefight, the cheesy score is bad enough to incite chuckles, and the jaggy graphics look worse than many Xbox and PlayStation 2 games."
- IGN (60/100) - "When we first started playing the title, we were prepared to score it in the low 5s because of the controls. Defenders may claim that the Wii is unable to simulate a faster, quicker aiming mechanic, which is untrue. Activision's Call of Duty 3 looks like a mess compared to Ubisoft's effort, but it is still the better shooter because its controls are much more responsive ... [We] think that there will be a lot of gamers who will completely ignore any control drawbacks and focus on the prettier visuals and varied play. But these people will be kidding themselves, for although Red Steel was born to use Wii's controller, it rarely uses it in a satisfyingly intuitive manner."
- 1UP (50/100) - "[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 ... Don't be fooled into thinking Red Steel reinvents the FPS. It's nothing more than a ho-hum shooter with a creative but flawed gimmick stapled on."
Metareview: Red Steel
by David Hinkle { Nov 20th 2006 at 12:55PM }
Looks like the game did not recover from its less-than-stellar showing at E3. With two of the three largest game reviewing outlets slapping the game silly in their reviews, are we to believe the game is that bad? What do you fine and intelligent readers who picked the game up already say?
- Gamespot - 55%: "Red Steel isn't completely devoid of merit, but it's a half-baked, buggy game that feels rushed and poorly executed. There's a good concept in here somewhere, as a swords-and-guns shooter pitting you against yakuza villains certainly seems like it could be very exciting. However, the experience itself hardly fulfills any of the promises behind it. So if you're looking for an exciting new way to simulate gunning or cutting lots of dudes down using the Wii Remote, you'd best keep looking."
- eToychest - 78%: "However, despite its faults, the long and short of it is that Red Steel is a fun first-person shooter, and hopefully a decent indicator of where developers will be able to take this genre on the Wii. The title controls extremely fluid, and is likely to draw praise from those PC gamers who up until now have been turned off by how the first-person shooter genre has been portrayed on the home console market. This is certainly one of the stronger titles for the Wii's retail debut, and while certainly not for everyone, is still a commendable example of the immersive experiences the Wii is capable of conveying."
- 1UP - 50%: "Don't be fooled into thinking Red Steel reinvents the FPS. It's nothing more than a ho-hum shooter with a creative but flawed gimmick stapled on. Sure, it might not steal the launch lineup, but at least it proves this type of game is welcome on the Wii."
Red Steel screenshot madness, round 2
by Alisha Karabinus { Nov 18th 2006 at 4:05PM }
Here we are, just hours away from the US launch of the Wii. Still debating on Red Steel? Here are some shiny new screens to look over while you think about it. Several of these really showcase the lighting effects to their advantage. The Wii may not be able to boast the power of the PS3 or the Xbox 360, but if the design is good enough, Wii games can be just as beautiful.
Check out the screens after the jump.
Red Steel screenshot madness
by Alisha Karabinus { Nov 17th 2006 at 7:00AM }
Say what you will about Red Steel -- whether you're interested in the game or not, the concept art we've seen from the design process has been uniformly gorgeous. We got our hands on some fresh new screens that are almost as pretty. Check 'em out after the jump.
Red Steel: how do you feel?
by Alisha Karabinus { Nov 9th 2006 at 4:32PM }
Red Steel is certainly shaping up to be one of the most talked about titles of the Wii launch. Love it, hate it, or maybe think it's just a quick rental way down the line -- likely, you have an opinion, and we want to hear it. And we'll even give you something new to talk about, like this new video from GameTrailers (sorry, you'll have to follow the link for this one). Though it must be said ... whoever is navigating in this video doesn't appear to be the world's most skilled player. It's either that or all the bad guys are capable of massive damage, and we're going to bet on the former.
Check out the video and speak out: are you gonna get your vengeance on or take a pass on Red Steel?
[Via NeoGAF]
Red Steel TV spot aired, for the kids
by James Ransom-Wiley { Nov 8th 2006 at 8:25PM }
Ubisoft's first Wii ad, a Red Steel TV spot, has all the makings of an effective after-school commercial:- Action (swords, guns, flailing arms, etc.)
- Humor (stereotyped Asian "master" ridicules disciple: "you suck")
- Reassurance (older gamer is playing; it must be cool)
Taking Red Steel for a MULTIPLAYER spin [update 1]
by Jason Wishnov { Oct 26th 2006 at 3:30PM }
[Update: we've added the trailer, YouTube style, after the break. Enjoy!]We've heard about this mysterious "multiplayer" mode in Red Steel, but it was fraught with mystery and shroud ... till now. IGN has posted the official multiplayer trailer for the game, which you should probably go watch if for nothing else than the entertainment value of the trailer itself. When we play, we're totally ducking behind coffee tables for cover, and then climbing onto the ceiling only to drop down uselessly onto the couch we just left.
In any case, the split-screen looks serviceable enough, though very little swordplay was shown (we assume there will be a swords-only option in the final build). Why couldn't it have been online? Bah. Red Steel 2, we're talking to you.
New Wii hands-ons, plus Phoenix Wright import
by James Ransom-Wiley { Oct 26th 2006 at 3:20PM }
Game|Life has scored some precious hands-ons with Ubisoft's Wii launch titles and also managed some time with the Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice For All (DS) import while traveling to and from the Ubisoft offices. Check out the coverage:- Monster Truck 4x4 and GT Pro - "...just old games with Wii controls shoehorned in, and how do you really get excited about that?"
- Red Steel - "I didn't play Red Steel at E3 ... So I had no firsthand knowledge of the game until today. And what I played was great. Apparently they've made great strides between E3 and today, because the controls ... were spot-on..."
- Rayman Raving Rabbids - "...this might be the best non-Zelda game of the launch, and easily a great showpiece for the controller's abilities."
- Splinter Cell: Double Agent - "After spending a half an hour struggling to complete the first level of Double Agent on Wii, I went home, popped in the PS2 version, and blasted through it unscathed in minutes."
- Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice For All (DS import) - "Not only is the game bilingual, it's actually a global product. When plugged into an American DS system, the title bar on the console's menu screen reads -- instead of Gyakuten Saiban 2 -- 'Phoenix Wright: Justice For All.'"
Taking Red Steel for a spin
by David Hinkle { Oct 26th 2006 at 1:00PM }
Chris Kohler over at the Wired Blogs recently got his hands on Red Steel and came to the conclusion that he is pretty darn good at it. Citing other journalists' claims of having a tough time getting used to the controls and busting caps in Yakuza with ease. Chris also notes that he did not get his hands on the game at E3 or Nintendo's NYC event last month, stating that the controls were "spot on" and made for "an immersive, thrilling ride."
It's good to hear some positive news about Red Steel, right?
Japanese Red Steel trailer
by Alisha Karabinus { Oct 20th 2006 at 4:36PM }
So, apparently Western fellows like to have a little sushi with their shooters. Japanese guys, however, have to get their Red Steel on in a dramatically-lit boiler room. What is the lesson here? Red Steel isn't just a game, man. You have to have the proper environment. And while we still like the original master of intensity, this new video has some fights we haven't seen as well as hot grenade action, and you can't beat that with a stick. Follow the link for the video, as we can't embed it here.
Anyone want to tell us what he's saying after the video? Where are you, dedicated Japanese translators?
