Red Steel have been reviewed by IGN(UK), they gave 8/10.
Here's the thing though - Red Steel's actually much, much better than either we thought or you might have been let to believe. Let's get those negatives out the way first then, because it's not like you probably haven't read enough of them by now. Firstly, it's a mess from a visual perspective - for every sumptuous-looking level (of which the game has more than its fair share), there's an astonishing affront to your eyeballs. For every lusciously-detailed exterior, rich with foliage and extraneous environmental detail, there's an N64-era corridor, devoid of anything but a smeared texture, ugly geometry and - if you're very lucky - a badly rendered box in the corner....
It should be pretty obvious by now that Red Steel isn’t without its flaws – and, given the game’s breakneck development time, that shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone. Entirely dismissing the game based on its imperfections or failure to innovate would be missing the point though – unlike traditional first-person shooters where content is king, Red Steel is all about showcasing Nintendo’s new control system. The game itself is a competent, if unexceptional, playground existing almost entirely for you to test out your new toys. Where things truly shine is in the Wiimote’s ability to draw you into the action in wholly new, exciting ways – and for all its cookie-cutter qualities, Red Steel is a blast to play as a result. At this point in time, it’s practically a cliché to harp on about the Wii’s potential to immerse you in games like never before – but, on the strength of Red Steel, it’s a marketing line that’s actually close to the truth. With titles like Metroid Prime 3 on the horizon, it’s only a matter of time before we see as much emphasis placed on content as has been placed on immersion here. Certainly, Red Steel isn’t the best game in the world but it’s undoubtedly an amazing demonstration of what Nintendo’s little beast can offer – and surely, that’s what launch titles are all about?
It should be pretty obvious by now that Red Steel isn’t without its flaws – and, given the game’s breakneck development time, that shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone. Entirely dismissing the game based on its imperfections or failure to innovate would be missing the point though – unlike traditional first-person shooters where content is king, Red Steel is all about showcasing Nintendo’s new control system. The game itself is a competent, if unexceptional, playground existing almost entirely for you to test out your new toys. Where things truly shine is in the Wiimote’s ability to draw you into the action in wholly new, exciting ways – and for all its cookie-cutter qualities, Red Steel is a blast to play as a result. At this point in time, it’s practically a cliché to harp on about the Wii’s potential to immerse you in games like never before – but, on the strength of Red Steel, it’s a marketing line that’s actually close to the truth. With titles like Metroid Prime 3 on the horizon, it’s only a matter of time before we see as much emphasis placed on content as has been placed on immersion here. Certainly, Red Steel isn’t the best game in the world but it’s undoubtedly an amazing demonstration of what Nintendo’s little beast can offer – and surely, that’s what launch titles are all about?
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