It's easy enough to dismiss Red Steel 2 after the hype train crashed, burned, and exploded in 2005. Over a million gamers were duped into buying the original launch title. I wasn't just dismissing Red Steel 2, though; I was avoiding it and casting a nasty glare its direction every time it passed into my peripheral vision on the show floor. I was a little bitter, but can you really blame me?

Here I am though, sitting in front of my computer, foot firmly planted in mouth. Red Steel 2 is fantastic. This game has nearly nothing in common with its predecessor. The art style is now that of a stylized western set in the present day. Its cel-shaded graphics look competent but not astounding, however it is the gameplay that stands out. Built with Wii Motion Plus in mind Red Steel 2 mixes swords and guns. Wisely, the designers have given the player the choice to use either weapon at any time.



In my hands-on demo, I sword-dueled up to four enemies at a time and it felt great. The Wii Motion Plus not only replicates the direction of your swings but also the strength of them. For example, in every action game there is a certain move that you have to use in order to break an enemy's heavy armor. In Red Steel 2, you just swing like you are in the big leagues. Dodging works by pushing the A button and a direction on the Nunchuk's analog stick. There is an intuitive gesture based parry system that works well. You can fire your gun at any time by pushing B on the Wii Remote, and switching between the two weapons is totally seamless.

The actual gameplay feels like a hybrid of your average FPS action and a slower paced fighting game. There are plenty of grunts to cut down, but when against tougher enemies the player must evaluate the adversary and find their weakness a la Punch Out!! The most simple way I can put it is that this game just feels right.

Enemies seem to be competent enough and were probably toned down for an easier experience on the show floor. They can attack in groups, block and parry equally as effectively as the player. The boss at the end of the level was only vulnerable in his unarmored rear. So timing dodges correctly to reach his backside was the key to defeating the end of demo boss.

One point of interest is that there is no blood in this game at all. The presenter on the show floor was quick to point out that this game was squarely aimed at the teen rating. With an install base as large as the Wii's, you can't blame Ubisoft for reigning in the blood and seeking out the largest audience possible.

The demo had no story elements. This was purely a vehicle to show off the game's great new art style and control system. Since this game is coming out before the year's end, I would expect to hear more about the narrative before too long.

Most readers will remember that before the Wii came out and we learned of its control limitations, the sky was the limit. Our imaginations were rampant with different ways the Wii Remote could be utilized and it would work perfectly every time. The Wii Motion Plus unlocks that potential. Epitomized, Red Steel 2 looks to be the game its predecessor so desperately wanted to be.