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Red Steel

EMAIL PRINT wii

7.0 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 54 critic reviews
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Based on 88 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Ubisoft Paris

Genre(s): First-Person Shooter, Action

Players: 4

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: November 14, 2006

Summary

Red Steel is set in modern-day Japan. Players master both the ancient art of the katana and the sophisticated technology of modern firearms taking advantage of the emotion and immersive gameplay possible only with the Wii's unique controller. As the story unfolds, your fiancee has been kidnapped and her father - a Japanese mafia kingpin - murdered by a rival gang. The only way to save your loved one is to journey from Los Angeles to Japan and confront the Tokyo underworld. You'll replicate sword-fighting movements and eliminate enemies quickly by directly targeting with the Wii controller and shooting them. Execute deadly combo moves using multiple swords or choose from a variety of firearms for longer-range attacks. Learn to harness your mental power to unleash powerful attacks in dire situations, and use the "focus system" to freeze time and effectively target several enemies at once. Learn the art of Japanese fighting, and then use these skills to take out your enemies or gain their respect and loyalty by sparing them. Challenge friends with various split-screen multiplayer modes to see who the real master is. [Ubisoft]

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What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Official Nintendo Magazine UK

Clearly designed with the hardcore gamer in mind. It's slick, addictive and as close to "cool" as a game can get. [Christmas 2006, p.68]

NGamer UK

It's liquid movement... A massive improvement on previous console FPS control... Not only making excellent use of the Wii's controllers, this is huge fun in its own right. For a launch title to get so much right is an indicator of great things to come. [Dec 2006, p.70]

Play Magazine

What makes Red Steel shine is a mixture of slick graphic novel-style cut-scenes, deft use of the hardware(reflection maps abound)and its wonderfully orchestrated gun and sword play. [Jan. 2007, p.48]

Computer and Video Games

It's a superb shooter with a great plot, innovative gameplay and some really brilliant moments that will surprise even the most seasoned of gamer. It's a decent length too, with a good 15 hours of play in the main mode. But some control issues and patchy inconsistencies (mainly in the physics and level design) pull it short of earning that juicy [90] score.

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Nintendo Power

Not only is there a lot of game to enjoy in Red Steel; it's a great jumping-off point for Wii development. [Jan. 2007, p.106]

PALGN

Red Steel is an achievement both in its own extremely playable right, but also as a benchmark that other developers must meet - and hopefully exceed.

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GameZone

Those who do not wish to hold up their controllers and have the patience to learn a new control style will not be enthused. Give the game the time it deserves, however, and you’ll find that, in spite of its repetition, this is one very cool and exciting shooter.

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Console Gameworld

It is a fun and skilled gamer experience that requires some learning and patience. You will enjoy Red Steel the first time around, but I don’t see any space for replayability value.

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Games Master UK

Some clever ideas and enjoyable moments, inside an average (but solid enough) shooter. [Christmas 2006, p.78]

GameTrailers

It’s a game like no other, but it takes a great deal of patience before you’re able to truly enjoy it.

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eToychest

There are still some minor control issues, and the game is still incredibly inconsistent in terms of visual acuity, but in spite of this Red Steel is still an unquestionably fun game to play.

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Cheat Code Central

You won't confuse a Red Steel with "Gears of War" or "Resistance: Fall of Man," but it’s clear that the Wii has some power in its corner.

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Game Informer

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.

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VGPub

Red Steel simply screams that it's a rushed launch game, which is a shame. The game has a stylish presentation and a unique premise that, with another months of development time and polish, could of worked well.

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N-Insanity

I'm rather disgusted with all those other media establishments and their unfair razing of what's a truly decent game. Again, it's not perfect, and will likely frustrate the hell out of you at some points. But try to work through that and give Red Steel a chance, you may find a hidden layer of entertainment that those guys apparently didn't.

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Pelit (Finland)

The level design is a little boring and the sword fighting should have been much more intuitive. The game seems to have been rushed for the Wii launch. [Jan 2007]

GamerNode

Red Steel is a good first try for Ubisoft in the arena of Wii shooting games, and the new, unique experience of actually being physically involved with the in-game action may be all that is needed to overcome some of the weaker aspects of the title for some gamers.

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Gamestyle

Once the final credits roll and only the memories of your experiences remain, underneath the oddly coloured skin of different environments, controls, and concepts, Red Steel is very much a first person shooter like all those other 'normal' first person shooters.

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Thunderbolt

It's not the best use of the motion controls, as it's really just an extension of the previously standard dual-analog controller. It's among the prettiest games on the Wii, and has a fun, if tacked on, multiplayer component.

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Worth Playing

If you demand your A.I. to be spot-on and choose cover that isn't made up of boxes of grenades, or if you get annoyed easily by not quite having the timing right to trigger pre-recorded sword combos, then maybe you should sit out this rather imperfect – but fun – FPS for the Wii after all.

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GameBrink

The final big problem for Red Steel is its learning curve. You have to use the Wiimote + Nunchuk together in motion and in button pressing. This can lead most seasoned gamers to be thrown off for a good hour before picking things up. And with a short length of only 9ish hours, it’s a learning curve I’m not sure many will be willing to go for.

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The New York Times

Playing with the controller is so much fun that it takes a while to realize that the game is pretty unexceptional. You basically run into a room, shoot a bunch of guys and do that again and again. There are some nice ideas, like a shootout in a car wash, but for the most part this is a conventional, predictable shooter.

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My Gamer

Yeah, the game feels unfinished, but it gives a good impression of what the future of First Person Shooters is capable of on the Wii.

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Da Gameboyz

The main selling feature of this game, the control, has some really great ideas, however this time around they were not fully realized and the promises of great wii-mote control just never fully panned out.

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AtomicGamer

This one simply has almost no replay value and its action isn't as refined as I expected it to be.

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Extreme Gamer

Red Steel is one of the most interesting and ambitious launch titles for the Wii, and even though it doesn't provide a flawless experience, it's still fun.

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GamePro

It's buggy and unevenly presented, which spoils what fun there is to be had. However, it did give me a taste of how FPS games can and will change on the Wii, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the genre will play out in the future.

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Gaming Nexus

It blazes a lot of new trails but doesn’t make much headway, and the traditional shooter elements aren’t done very well. The multiplayer really needs more depth, but hopefully the inevitable sequel will do it better, because I can’t imagine playing deathmatch very long with the controls as they are.

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Nintendic

What Red Steel has achieved in its mildly clumsy and visually under-whelming way, is to have laid down the promising foundations that not only prove that the FPS genre can and will work on Nintendo’s console, but also that the Wii can be much more than a glorified ‘mini-game machine’.

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AceGamez

Sadly, positives such as the great audio are counterbalanced and often outweighed by missed opportunities and poorly executed gameplay mechanics. This leaves a game with a great concept and a few innovative ideas that sadly leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

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Eurogamer

It has inspired moments and a substantial single-player venture, but the whole thing is undermined by the terrible presentation and the all-permeating impression that Red Steel isn't quite finished, from the story-board-sketch cut-scenes to the jerky animation and weird, basic, placeholder textures.

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NintendoWorldReport

The overall gameplay in Red Steel would have been much better if it had just focused on the shooting part and dumped the swordplay. Most of the game's controls are not very intuitive. There's nothing special about the game's story or its gameplay, either.

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G4 TV

The enemies almost seem to know you’re at a disadvantage, control-wise. They’re far from the brightest opponents, often standing around seemingly bored when they have clear shots at you. This does keep things from becoming frustrating, but in this era of challenging AI in games like "FarCry" and "Gears of War," Red Steel can sometimes feel like a throwback.

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Games Radar (in-house)

An average run-and-gunner that wouldn’t deserve a second look if it weren’t for its use of Wii’s unique controls. Pacing is horrible, with levels constantly being interrupted by overblown dialogue.

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Digital Entertainment News

It's a decent FPS, with great (for the system) graphics and audio, and makes for a decently enjoyable run, although it's only worth making the run once. Rent it first.

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Boomtown

The visual swagger of Red Steel is that of a been there, done that affair.

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IGN

It nails everything except gameplay control, which is absolutely and indisputably the most important factor. It's especially unfortunate because the game's aiming sensitivity is fine.

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Nintendojo

Red Steel's FPS control style is superior to a standard console controller, but that's a credit to the Wii, not the game; Red Steel does its best to ruin what the system provides.

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GameSpot

Red Steel introduces a promising control scheme both for shooting thugs and for slashing them with samurai swords, but wraps it in a buggy, thoroughly unimpressive game.

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Kombo

Unfortunately, Red Steel was built on the premise that the controls would bring a new level of immersive gameplay and fun never before seen in the genre. This was never truly delivered and in turn has done more harm to the game then aid.

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Electronic Gaming Monthly

Once you strip away the nifty new controls, you're left with a flawed shooter that does nothing I haven't seen a million times. [Jan. 2007, p.62]

WHAM! Gaming

Thanks to clunky gameplay and having been recently spoilt by unbelievably detailed environments on competing platforms, with more than passable gameplay to boot, Red Steel, despite its novel approaches feels anything but next generation.

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Gaming Age

A pretty average game. If Ubisoft would have delayed the game and worked a little more on the controls and making sure stuff doesn’t explode because of a sword slash, the game would have been a lot better.

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GameShark

What can’t be overlooked though is the poor dialogue and voice acting, which ranges from stereotypical to absurd.

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games(TM)

For every moment of satisfaction, there's an equal moment of frustration to match it. It's probably just as well for Ubisoft that the novelty of Nintendo's Wii Remote will carry Red Steel as a launch title. [Christmas 2006, p.110]

Edge Magazine

It's easy to over-rate launch titles thanks to the shock of the new, doubly so when the control scheme is as interesting as this one, but at its heart Red Steel is just another lever-pulling trawl through big rooms and S-shaped corridors. [Christmas 2006, p.77]

Deeko

Horrible graphics - even by Gamecube standards - and a lousy presentation make this game something you'll be ashamed to show your friends.

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1UP

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.

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GameCritics

Although it acts as a wonderful selling point for anyone considering developing an FPS for the Wii, Red Steel is too much of an unsatisfying tease to succeed as much else.

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Armchair Empire

A huge disappointment. The general concept is decent, but the game never evolves past that. The controls are frustrating, and the aesthetic / story of the game is such a yawn fest that only those with tremendous patience will be able to persevere for more than ten minutes at a time.

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Yahoo! Games

The swordfights, which seem to promise the ability to jump around and swing your Wiimote like a living room ninja, are a profound disappointment.

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GameSpy

It's a broken, buggy game, and if the statement about learning curves were true, it would still take far too long to gain wings before the average gamer would grow disenfranchised. The game feels completely rushed to retail in time for the launch.

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VideoGamer

Sadly, Red Steel is nothing more than a rushed launch title that will inevitably end up in bargain bins across the globe, and that's unfortunate. Why? Because Red Steel has a ton of potential.

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Game Revolution

A time machine that only goes backwards to the age when a glut of no-name shooters clogged the shelves.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 88 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Brian M. gave it a9:
This game might have occasionally frustrating swordplay and sometimes repetitive gameplay, but by no means does that mean it's not fun to play. It's shocking to see some of the very low scores this game is getting. It deserves a 7 at the very least. Anything lower than that is madness.

Derek S. gave it a6:
Red Steel is a good shooter, but not great. It was rushed at launch. Though there is 4 person multiplay, a satisfying single player, and fun gameplay, most of the time, there are blatant flaws. Bad voice acting, bad character models, small bugs, no online play, boring sword fights. There's a sequel coming out. You are better off purchasing that.

Vijay L. gave it a10:
I was a bit reluntant to get this game with the mixed reviews. #However i found it fun and light. I'm busy so picking up the game enjoying some non sci-fi fps (which isn't a ww2 game) with some sword slashing was excatly perfect. violent fun is whats this game is about not great strategy play.

Richard C. gave it an8:
Yes, this game has some minor annoyances in both design and control, but if you've been pining for the glory years of 2002 and 2003, the years of colorful fantasy worlds, optimism, and simple, satisfying blaster combat, you'll see this as a gaming great! If only it could be patched.

Chris M. gave it a7:
This is an awesome game. Ignore all of the fake reviews giving it bad scores (they are all obviously paid by competitors to slander the game, no one gives games a 1, 2 or 3 unless they're trying to reduce the overall rating of it), it's an obvious tactic because they're getting smashed by the Wii. Red Steel has sold over a million copies world-wide, despite the political tactics employed by competitors. I didn't buy this game for a while after getting my Wii because of all the bad reviews, but I finally did get it and it's a very fun game to play. All everyone does is talk about graphics, but no-one mentioned graphics when the Gamecube had games that looked better than anything on XBOX or PS2, (Metroid 2, Mario Soccer etc...) but now that's all anyone talks about. This game is fun to play. The controls are NOT HARD TO LEARN. WHAT IS HARD ABOUT DUCKHUNT??? If you can't point a gun at a screen then you should be classified as disabled, and as a disabled minority you should not really comment on what the masses should or shouldn't think of something. BTW this game is not short either, despite what some reviews have said. The reviews I've read for this game have led me to not trust any reviews anymore. Reviewing videogames has become a form of paid advatorial. These game sites are leeches... they don't create anything, they just attempt to dictate what other people should do and like... anyone with half a brain should realise this and take reviews as what they are - namely ONE PERSON'S OPINION. Of course this review is only one person's opinion (mine), but I'm reviewing the state of videogame critics and the legitimacy they have in this current world-state. I never cared what score a game got back in the early nineties when I was 10 years old, I just cared if it was fun. Now all anyone cares about is the score the game gets! And for the record, the term "next gen" could possibly refer to many things. The supposed "Next-Gen" graphics of the PS2 and XBOX 360 are not really as immersive as "NEXT-GEN CONTROLLERS!" All that aside, I'll probably still be playing Haze on the PS2 because Free Radical aren't bringing it out on any other system, same for GTA4 (cause I don't have $2,000 for a new PC to run it)... but I'll have to wait until the system price is reasonable, because right now IT COSTS TOO MUCH. It doesn't cost Sony any more money to produce these systems than it does to produce the PS2 systems they sell for next to nothing. Perhaps these companies might realise the way to dominate is to make the system affordable (almost at a loss or breaking even) and then to sell LOTS of games, instead of making the system unaffordable and mutilating the market, when the actual real costs of making the machine are so minimal it's almost criminal.

Eric J. gave it a9:
Game is under-rated, once you get use to the controls its so fun and engaging. I love those massive firefights with bullets smashing glass, boxes, cars and more! Its a whole heap of fun, and it feels like your playing in an action movie, hope they make a sequel... people that dont like the controls really need to spend a bit of time with it, my system is fine, using the control scheme is second nature for me now in this game, very very enjoyable!

Power By Azn Lee gave it a3:
This game is not that good. i was hoping to be blown away with this game, but i couldnt imagine that this is game freakin weak!!... the graphic is like 007 Golden eye on N64. the sword fighting and shooting are retarded. the enemy is easy to kill. Rent this game first! Call of Duty 3 is way better easier to control. Res4 is even Better and way more fun!!!!

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