Review: Red Steel (Wii)

Having preconceptions about different cultures is something that comes naturally, as it is easy to judge others that are not 'normal'. It's devilishly easy even. There is this generalising tendency to view all outside of your own living space as unwanted, weird or savage and it is something to be wary of. But even if you do keep yourself in check, you will find thoughts flashing through your mind, making you wonder just how deep those preconceptions are rooted. Surely, something so different is deserving of being treated differently?

So when you are presented a first person shooter game about Japanese yakuza and an heirloom katana, all these preconceptions flash through your mind. But as Ubisoft Paris mentioned far too many times in their press releases, they are giving you an occidental view of Japan. So it is OK. And like clockwork all those preconceptions about Japanese people seem to pop-up in time throughout the game. Broken 'engrish', neon-lights, sword-fighting, deep bows, a high sense of honour, finely cut fish, bleached hairdo's and a strange fixation for people in colourful spandex wearing helmets making strange unintelligible gestures with their limbs. It is all there. The only thing breaking this occidental spell is the strange ability of each and every nihonjin to speak English. A lot.

But despite making it acceptable to view this game through western eyes and cashing in on those preconceptions, there is just one preconception that works against Red Steel at every turn: the controls.

See, the thing is, the Wii Remote is not yet as commonly used as the default twin-stick setup we are accustomed to in 'normal' first person shooters. So suddenly even the most experienced gamer is thrown back to the same level as maiden spouses, unwilling parents and incompatible siblings who were hopelessly shooting at ceilings and floors yelling that it is just too complicated to control two sticks at once. And just like those non-gamers, the experienced gamer will give up and claim the controls to be impossible, not realising they simply lack the same finesse they had to learn all those years ago when they first touched a twin-stick setup. It is simply too different an experience and doesn't conform to the expectations of the average gamer.

Not so surprising then, that new gamers who never touched a controller in their lives are finding Red Steel to be a joy. Being pleasantly surprised by the directness of aiming, locking onto enemies with a button, reloading by moving the Nunchuk and disarming gangsters by zooming in and shooting at their weapons. Truth to be told though, Red Steel is not a classic hidden underneath layers of radically new controls. Even when they do click and you find yourself elegantly moving through the levels, popping off yakuza one by one, you cannot shake the feeling of having done this all before. And that is because you have done it all before.

Red Steel is a pretty straightforward shooter. Without proper balance in place to keep the game level-headed, you'll find yourself quickly hoarding specific weapons. And dying just means you did not attempt the situation with the right solution in mind, turning even the most open and free situations into trial-and-error mishaps. This is exaggerated by the relative invisibility of your enemies and their gunfire. More often than not you will find yourself moving around in an attempt to get shot so you can pinpoint where your enemies actually are. Enemies that are also plainly stupid. Sometimes the best tactic is to simply DOOM it:, charging into the fight head first, shooting enemies before they even realise they are being attacked. And while their weaponry might change over the course of the game they simply don't make proper use of it.

Despite these shortcomings the game still has some aces up its sleeve. The generic hotel setting of the first level is quickly replaced by all kinds of surroundings, providing some much needed variation. The 'pachinko-level' in which you try to take down a slightly deranged man who likes to literally play games, forms the highlight of these (allowing Ubisoft to cunningly slip their famous Raving Rabbid-scream into the game without anyone noticing). Even more fun is the initially unwieldy focus-ability, an occidental bullet-time, allowing you to quickly disarm (or shoot down) opponents and force their surrender. Again, once you learn how to perform it properly it becomes an essential part of your arsenal.

Of course the biggest ace of them all is the sword fighting. Setting out as a disappointment as well, it lacks the directness of the aiming and preferring predefined slashes. And once again, it is only after accustoming to these odd controls that you start to truly appreciate the system and properly use it to 'play the game'. In between missions you receive the opportunity to learn more attack-patterns based upon your earned respect (which you can get by defeating opponents instead of simply killing them), and performing these perfectly in actual fights makes you swell with pride as it really feels like you have achieved something. Yet, it is not able to truly take away all of the disappointment, as sword-fights become too much of a routine towards the end with opponents behaving too predictably. Almost a sin, is that these fights only break up the shooting in predefined sequences, locking you into a small space until you win the fight. They are far too complex to be called as such, but the concept of mini-game did pop into Gamestyle's mind.

Thus after mastering every aspect of Red Steel, the strain of being a launch-title becomes apparent. While generally responding well, sometimes a perfectly aimed bullet will not connect, a sword slash will not register, a parry will not be made and a door will not open, making you question your sanity instead of the controls. Likewise the graphics are both magnificent and baffling, leaving you stunned one moment with excellent lighting and design and terrifying you with miserable framerates and truly ugly environments the next. The story itself is engaging, but the presentation with cut-out cut-scenes is almost insulting. Yet when all is said and done, you will still find yourself revisiting levels and dipping into multiplayer. Just for fun.

It is not wrong to harbour preconceptions concerning Red Steel, but just like in real life, you will have to cast aside such suspicions, as you learn how the game truly plays. 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.

Sadly in the world of videogames this means being treated 'normally' as well when it comes to scores.

Rating: 7 / 10

Words by Vincent Leeuw