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NPD: Red Steel 2 sold 50,000 copies through April 3
Based on NPD figures (via Kotaku), Ubisoft's sequel, Red Steel 2, managed to sell 50,000 copies in its debut month of March -- up until the end of the NPD's catalog period, April 3. Admittedly the game was released at the tail-end of the month on March 23, but we'd still classify the sales as "decent." A Ubisoft representative broke it down to Kotaku like so: "Considering that the NPD sales only accounted for 12 days on the store shelves and that NPD doesn't include all retailers we are looking forward to a complete month of sales data to see where we stand." We're anxious to see how it'll do in April and suggest you sheathe your "it's on Wii so it won't sell" sword until the April NPDs arrive.
Review: Red Steel 2
Click to enlarge I'm not going to sugar coat it: Red Steel 2 isn't a hardcore first-person shooter. In fact, it's not actually an FPS per se, unless you take the acronym to mean "First-Person Sword-er." What Ubisoft Paris has made here is an arcade-style game that most closely resembles a good old-fashioned hack-'n-slash side-scroller -- only viewed through the eyes of its protagonist. There's some light exploration -- even some hidden areas and items to be found -- but Red Steel 2 is, at its heart, a brawler that relies heavily on combos, special moves and finishers. There's some shooting, but it plays only the slightest supporting role to the main attraction: Swinging the Wiimote around like a sword and looking cool (on-screen, at least) in a stylized, sci-fi western world. %Gallery-88746%
Cut a rug with Red Steel 2's enemies in the latest trailer
Well sure, the baddies from Red Steel 2's "Enemies" trailer aren't quite dancing, per se, but there is quite a bit of fancy footwork going on -- not to mention tons of other stuff getting cut, as you might imagine. From the adorably named "Katakara" to the not so subtly named "Ninja," it seems that Red Steel 2 is full of flamboyantly exaggerated personalities, all of which are ready to put a sword or bullet through you at a moment's notice. Oh, and if you were wondering how your foes will stop your combination of bullets and sword charging full speed at them, you'll want to pay extra close attention at the end there (spoilers: they handle it like jedi). %Gallery-51378%
Red Steel 2 launches March 23 in US, March 26 in Europe
After pushing most of its anticipated titles from Fall 2009 into the new year (and some even further), Ubisoft has finally revealed when Red Steel 2 will exit the saloon doors and somersault onto retail store shelves. The latest trailer -- titled "Caldera" -- reveals the Wii-exclusive sequel will release on March 26 in Europe, while GameSpot confirms the game lands in the US on March 23, as previously suggested. Ubisoft plans to launch Red Steel 2 in two flavors: Standalone software for $50 and bundled with the Wii Motion Plus add-on for $60. GameStop preorder customers will also get exclusive access to two in-game swords. We're still smitten with the sequel's new manga-esque, East-meets-West visual style and "desert-bound, high-tech metropolis" setting, but we're also still holding our breath to see if Ubisoft can tweak the "canned" gameplay we experienced during our last hands-on with Red Steel 2.
Red Steel 2 dev diary brings a sword to a gunfight
Most of the doubt surrounding Red Steel 2 has to do with the swordplay -- and it's for good reason. The bandana'd thug-slashing permeating the entirety of its predecessor just flat out didn't work, most of us can surely agree. But this latest video diary shows how the addition of Wii MotionPlus has really changed the experience in the sequel, at least from a slashing and stabbing perspective. See for yourself in the footage above.
Red Steel 2's TGS trailer introduces your buddy Payne
He may be introduced as "a nice guy," but we're betting Red Steel 2's newly introduced character "Payne" isn't quite as friendly as the trailer above would let on. Sure, he may take you for rides on his motorcycle and ... um ... show you the inside of his new truck (?), but won't he get you killed when his path of destruction drags you down with him? The risk is yours, friend, should you decide to take the chance. You'll have plenty of time to decide between now and the notoriously vague "early 2010," when the game's set to hit store shelves. With a sword! There, are you happy?!%Gallery-51378%
Red Steel 2 director would 'love' to see series on 360, PS3
During a Q&A session following the PAX demo of Red Steel 2, creative director Jason VandenBerghe told Joystiq that he would "love" to see Red Steel arrive on other platforms. When asked about the possibilities of the new motion control options headed to PS3 and Xbox 360, VandenBerghe said, "I personally would love to see any and all consoles have more sword fighting experiences." He then added that any decision to develop the series on other consoles would be up to Ubisoft. Here's hoping Ubisoft decides to throw us more than a deluge of Rabbids once the 360 and PS3 climb aboard the motion control bandwagon.
Red Steel 2 walkthrough highlights ninja juggling
Ubisoft has unleashed a developer walkthrough of Red Steel 2, where creative director Jason Vandenberg takes us through one of the game's levels. There's plenty of context-sensitive prompts to ogle and lots of swordplay, not to mention that super strong double-barreled shotgun, but the real value is in juggling those ninjas. We can definitely see ourselves having fun playing clay pigeon with a few ninjas.
Hands-on: Red Steel 2
After the awkward and misguided mess that was Ubisoft's Red Steel, it must sound like damning praise to say, "Well, the sequel's much better." After all, Nintendo's newfangled MotionPlus attachment has come to save the day, introducing one-to-one movement and finally delivering the sword fighting extravaganza that all those energetic Wii players have been enjoying in the commercials. Unfortunately, MotionPlus' binding to Red Steel 2 doesn't feel particularly effective in combating the original game's flaws. It's a miss, like sticking a band-aid on someone's knee after they've been poisoned. If the MotionPlus makes a fundamental difference to the gameplay, it's not immediately apparent within the framework of a pretty insipid combat system.%Gallery-51378%
Red Steel 2 promo video lands on YouTube
Where did it come from? Who knows. What we do know is that a promotional video for Ubisoft's recently revealed, Wii-exclusive Red Steel 2 -- prefaced by a screen bearing the words "Destination PlayStation" for no logical reason -- has been uploaded to YouTube. The roughly minute-and-a-half video talks up the game's Wii MotionPlus-infused gameplay and depicts a guy (we'll call him "Joe Gamer") swinging away in his living room as some surprisingly good looking gameplay footage is shown.We say "surprisingly" because it appears to be much sharper than Wii's 480p visuals are capable of. It is nice and smooth, which is in keeping with the game's purported 60 frames-per-second action. Pre-rendered or not, we totally dig the visual style, Ubisoft. More, please.Get thyself an eyeful after the break.[Via GoNintendo]
Compare The Conduit's graphics to other Wii FPS titles [update]
Update: Apparently neither Sega or High Voltage approved this video, and it was uploaded by accident. At the request of Sega and High Voltage, we've removed it from the post.High Voltage dares you. This isn't some kind of silly kid's dare, though. No, this is a triple dog-dare, the coup de grace of all dares. And, after watching the video past the break, which compares The Conduit to the likes of other Wii FPS games such as Metroid Prime 3, Red Steel, and Call of Duty: World at War, we'd say High Voltage has certainly made its case. What do you all think? [Via Go Nintendo]
Red Steel 2 coming in holiday 2009
Click to embiggen. The Red Steel 2 media onslaught continues today with the official announcement from Ubisoft. There's not a lot new to talk about, but we did learn that Ubisoft Paris is on development and that we'll get to slice and shoot our way through the game this holiday season.They also sent along some not particularly enlightening concept art that you can see for yourself by clicking the snippet above.
Red Steel 2 goes to the Wild West, adds MotionPlus support
Red Steel 2 is real ... and it's not really what we were expecting. The June 2009 issue of Nintendo Power will feature Ubisoft's Wii-exclusive sequel, and the cover reveals two things: MotionPlus makes wielding the sword feel "as real as you'd always dreamed!" Red Steel 2 seems to take place in the Wild West ... with swords. WTF? Now, before you freak out, let's not forget that the Wild West and the East have merged together quite successfully in the past. If Red Steel 2 turns out anything like the Charles Bronson / Toshiro Mifune mashup Red Sun, it should be the best game ever made. Check out the cover after the break.[Thanks, Fernando Rocker]
GameStop offers No More Heroes/Red Steel bundle
No More Heroes' combination of simple-but-fun brawling, compellingly freaky storyline, and, uh, t-shirt collecting just worked for us. We could play (and have played) that over and over again. If you never picked it up (and you're not too young to do so), maybe this latest offer of No More Heroes plus a game that isn't as good as No More Heroes will finally entice you into checking out Grasshopper Manufacture's very weird action game.GameStop is currently taking preorders on a NMH/Red Steel bundle for $30. We suspect that it'll just be a shrinkwrapped package of two games, rather than a single box like the image suggests -- having to print new boxes wouldn't really help Ubisoft clear out its back stock.[Via Kombo]
Ubisoft director: Red Steel 2 to support Wii MotionPlus
Ubisoft Executive Director Alain Corre has revealed in an interview with Gamesindustry that Red Steel 2, at one time Ubisoft's worst-kept secret, will support the new Wii MotionPlus attachment (which is exactly what we speculated in our Wii Sports Resort hands-on). "It's true that on Red Steel it's the typical product that will appreciate the new device," said Corre, who also indicated that he found out about the peripheral during Nintendo's press conference, like every other developer. The first Red Steel launched with the Wii console and met with tepid reviews, and while Corre admits the game was "a bit rushed," he also said the game is still selling well – "at a lower pricer, of course." While the thoughts of precise swordfighting has intrigued, we don't want to get our hopes up.
Red Steel costs little green
People seem to either fall in the "love it" or "hate it" camp for Red Steel. For some, the controls were a mess, but others felt that they worked pretty well after an hour or so of playing. If such mixed opinions initially scared you away from Ubisoft's launch game, you might be happy to know that you can now pick up the title for super cheap.Starting today (and lasting only one week), GameStop is selling used copies of Red Steel for $9.99. This deal is available in brick and mortar stores only, but you can check if your local store has copies in stock by using the retailer's website.For those of you who've played Red Steel -- is it worth $10?
Ubisoft loves getting exclusive with the Wii
In an interview with Ubisoft UK's Managing Director, Rob Cooper, GamesIndustry unveiled some insight regarding Ubisoft's policy on Wii-exclusive titles. Many gamers have complained about the piles of shovelware and lousy ports while Wii Play and other mini-game compilations continue to dominate sales charts worldwide.His line of thinking makes sense. While it may be easy to port the latest rubbish from other consoles, Wii gamers are clearly buying original titles by the bucketload. Cooper explains that exclusive titles for the Wii will always get that extra bit of attention, and since gamers are already rocking out with casual party games, they will be looking for bigger games you can't find anywhere else. Okay, Ubisoft still likes to throw a few random games out there, but based on Cooper's interview, from a business perspective they know what will end up being the most popular.Need some examples? The Raving Rabbids series, No More Heroes and yes, even Red Steel are some of the successful names in Ubisoft's portfolio. As gamers, we already know the Wii is something different entirely, and it's good to see some positive reinforcement from the powerful players in the industry. For further Ubisoft shenanigans, check out the full interview.
Wii's third-party million-sellers revealed
Ah, how we all knowingly chuckled when Sega predicted it would sell four million copies of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games across the Wii and DS. Like a drunken, rowdy friend boasting of sexual conquests that never actually occurred, Sega's strutting came across as the stuff of fantasy.And then the news came through. They'd sold five million. D'oh!We were reminded of our misplaced Mario & Sonic cynicism again today, after That Videogame Blog listed the third-party games that have shifted one million units on the Wii. Sure enough, the plumber and the hedgehog taunted us from the top of the pile (with 3.4 million sales), while Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (1.8 million), Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (1.6 million), Rayman Raving Rabbids, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Carnival Games (all 1.2 million), and Red Steel (1 million) sat beneath it.Helpfully, author Ashutosh Chhibbar has also listed those titles that are nearing the magical seven-digit landmark, with Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, MySims, or LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga just needing one last push.
Todd Mitchell tells us how the Wii sucks for third-parties (again)
Just in case you didn't hear him the first time he said it, Kaufman Bros. analyst Todd Mitchell has reiterated his belief that the Wii only truly benefits Nintendo, and that third-party developers have only seen "isolated successes" on the console. Mitchell's argument may have been aired before, but it's also tricky to dismiss, especially as only two third-party titles have so far broken the one million sales barrier (launch twosome Red Steel and Rayman Raving Rabbids). Then again, when it comes to top-drawer, original Wii software, Nintendo has delivered on a fairly regular basis. With the odd exception or two, can the same really be said of other publishers? [Via Go Nintendo]
1UP talks turkey games
What better way to spend Thanksgiving than talking about turkeys? And by turkeys, of course, 1UP's referring to those massively-hyped titles that ultimately fizzled.We can't say we agree with all of the choices presented, though 1UP's criteria suggests that the games featured aren't necessarily "bad," but that all of them "fell short of expectations."Still, given the sheer number of games out there, there are bound to be bigger, badder turkeys hiding in the bushes. Any more main-course nominees?
