By Dirk Lammers
The Associated Press
Pigeonholing "Red Steel 2" into a particular genre is no easy task, but here's a first stab: an East-meets-West, samurai-inspired yet futuristic first-person slicer presented in a visual style similar to "Borderlands."
That may seem like an odd blend, but the good far outweighs the cheesy in "Red Steel 2" (Ubisoft, Wii, $59.99 with MotionPlus add-on), which turns a Wii MotionPlus enhanced remote into a katana samurai sword.
The sequel bears little resemblance to the 2006 original, which was set in urban landscapes from Los Angeles to Tokyo and suffered from a frustrating control scheme.
Ubisoft clearly spent a lot of time refining the controls of "Red Steel 2," benefiting greatly from the more accurate MotionPlus scheme to get players off the couch for some outlaw slashing fun. Swinging the Wii remote feels like you're swinging a sword.
You take on the persona of the story's protagonist, a Kusagari clan member who returns to the Nevada desert town of Caldera to find it has been overrun by jackals and Katakara thugs.
Though you begin your quest as a gunslinger, you soon meet up with the Kusagari swordmaster Jian and regain your long-lost weapon of choice.
Detailed tutorials walk you through the horizontal slash, vertical slice, stab-and-block moves, which along with a gun are more than sufficient to bring down the early enemies you face.
Completing missions and killing enemies earn you cash, which can be spent to learn more damaging combos, finishing moves and extra powers that become a necessity as you encounter stronger foes who are heavily armored. The town shops also let you upgrade your katana sword or buy additional firearms and armor.
The missions are straightforward, guiding you to green arrows that lead to battles. Optional side quests provide extra opportunities to gather money, but the real fun -- and a good bit of exercise -- comes when you're battling sword-in-hand.
"Red Steel 2" sports some beautiful cel-shaded comic book-style animation, but the game suffers a bit from an underdeveloped story line and cliched character dialogue.
But that's OK, as Ubisoft rights the wrongs of the original "Red Steel" by getting the controls right and producing a third-party game that begins to showcase what the Wii was meant for.
Three out of four stars.
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On the Net:
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