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PAL Red Steel progressive scan mandatory?
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
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
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."
Red Steel screenshot madness, round 2
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
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?
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
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) Are we sold? Nope -- but we're not the target. Think Ubisoft captures the kids' imaginations with this one?
Taking Red Steel for a MULTIPLAYER spin [update 1]
[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
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
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
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?
G.R.A.W. composer returns for Red Steel
While it could be considered unimportant news to some, we feel that musical composition and score are just as important to a game as its story and graphics. It's often overlooked, however we're happy to report that the gentleman responsible for the musical composition in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is also taking over the duties for the company's upcoming flagship Wii launch title Red Steel. Tom Salta used a variety of Japanese instruments in sculpting the score to Red Steel, instruments such as the Koto, Shamisen, Shakuhachi and Taiko. We look forward to dispatching Yakuza (and tapping our feet during) when the game releases in December.[Via Go Nintendo]
Red Steel multiplayer details
Ubisoft has been kicking ass this year. In fact, they have been kicking so much ass that colossal EA is feeling a little threatened by their presence. One of the most impressive Ubi titles coming for Wii is Red Steel. Though we are all about those cracked-out rabbids, being a ninja is way cooler. Red Steel is looking to be one of the best Wii titles and we have the details on the multiplayer modes. Multiplayer is divided into three separate modes aptly named:
