As one of the first games announced for the Nintendo Wii, the original Red Steel carried with it a heavy burden. The Wii, to many people, was seen as the perfect system for a first-person shooter, and the remote was the best tool out there to control a sword. Red Steel combined both of these elements into what looked like the perfect launch title...  and completely and utterly failed to bring them to fruition. Nearly everything about the original feel short and, for many, the game’s failure was seen as a definitive moment for the system. It was proof that the motion controls weren’t really all they were promoted to be, cutting off some gamers' support for the system very, very early. It wasn't all Ubisoft's fault - the Wii just couldn't do what Nintendo had promised, something supposedly fixed with the Wii MotionPlus. Now, history has a chance of repeating itself in a big, bad way. Red Steel 2 has been released, and with it comes renewed promises of 1:1 controls. Again, Ubisoft finds itself at the forefront, ready to either prove the promise of Nintendo’s controller, or condemn it.

Ubisoft has taken great strides to repair the reputation of Red Steel. Instead of attempting to pull-off realism, they've opted for a comic book feel, cell-shading the world of Red Steel 2 to match the over-the-top gameplay. The approach works wonders to set the game apart from others in the genre, and helps hide the system’s flaws under sleek, stylish visuals. It manages not only to look as good as some games on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but does so while running at 60FPS without any slowdowns. The Toyko setting of the original is gone as well, and replaced with a fictional, futuristic Old West. Characters use six shooters, rifles, and swords, while hacking computer systems and unlocking doors with electric keys. The developers have created an interesting, unique world, with a story that feels ripped straight out of an anime. It follows an unnamed protagonist and member of the Kusagari-clan, who, after being dragged into town, finds that a group called the Jackals have taken over, killing nearly all members of his clan.