How About A Wii

The original Red Steel was one of the most hyped games when the Wii was launched in 2006.  Unfortunately, it was probably the biggest disappointments of the launch games.  We all dreamed of being able to use the Wii controller to slice and dice the bad guys with accuracy!  This was not the case as I’m sure you’ll agree if you have ever played the original.

4 years on and the sequel Red Steel 2 is soon to be released with the same amount of hype, and thanks to some hands-on previews it seems all our prayers have been answered.  Red Steel 2 will be launched in the UK on March 26th 2010, the USA release date is March 23rd 2010.

At the bottom of this Red Steel 2 UK Release Date page is the IGN.com Red Steel 2 video preview. This shows some excellent shots of the game. It also describes how the Wii controllers have been utilised to make this a compelling RPG game for hard-core and newbie gamers alike.

In Red Steel 2 you control a character with no name, who is the last survivor of a clan - The Kusagari. The developers Ubisoft have tried to make the swordplay as intuitive as possible by using the Wii’s ace, the Wii Motion Plus Controller (One of these controllers can be bundled with the game). I am loving the fact, that Red Steel 2 is a brand new game, so it has relevance to the dire original - Red Steel.

The setting is in a futuristic Cowboy-like metropolis with influences of both the Far East and the Wild West. For example, you battle with 2 types of weapons, the katana (Far East), and the revolvers (Wild West). This first person shooter teaches you how to play the game through required training levels and as you play through the game.

By earning money throughout the game you can upgrade your weapons or learn new special moves. These sequences are executed by using combinations of buttons on the Wii Remote and Wii Nunchuk. The gameplay is almost at a constant 60 frames per second, so for the Wii this should be one of the most fluid looking and playing games available.

Red Steel 2 can be pre ordered from the usual retailers. The RRP is £39.99 for the game alone, or £49.99 with a Wii Motion Plus accessory attached. I’ve personally got mine in from Amazon.co.uk, as they, for some reason, have the Red Steel 2 bundle at a cheaper price. It is currently at £29.73, which is a saving of over 40%. Check out the table below to get the Amazon.co.uk link and a great pre-order special edition from play.com. This Play.com Exclusive Pre-Order Pack includes:

- Exclusive Red Steel 2 artbook - take a voyage through the Red Steel 2 universe with an exclusive Red Steel 2 art book containing the influences, sketches and drawings made by the Red Steel 2 team
- Red Steel 2 branded metal bullet
- Unlock four exclusive in-game weapons: the Tataro .357 Magnum, Cord Industries Barracuda .357 AMP, Kuro No Ken (The Black Blade) and Nihonto Hana (The Blossom Sword)

Retailer	Description	Price	Link
	Red Steel 2 with Wii Motion Plus Accessory	£29.73
	Red Steel 2 with Play.com Exclusive Pre-Order Pack	£34.99

Back in 1994, an arcade game was made called Fast Draw Showdown, that for the first time, allowed you to draw a gun in a duel against a lifelike opponent in the American Old West. It was a successful machine that can still be found in a few arcades today. If you can’t find one in an arcade, or find an arcade, you can always download the game on the Nintendo Wii’s Wiiware Channel which just re-released it for 500 Nintendo Points.

Fast Draw Showdown is a western quick draw game that capitalizes on the most underused genre in video gaming, the old west. The object of the game is to simply outdraw your opponent. Each opponent has their own qualities such as speed or accuracy, as well a s quirks that tip off when to draw.

The presentation for Fast Draw Showdown was great in 1994, and still is in 2010. The game was originally made using laserdisc technology, (ah the 90’s) which allowed for actors to be filmed into the game. Therefore everything in the game is REAL. The sounds in the game are also top notch as it is all recorded from real sounds. There is corny western music in the game which adds to an “old west” mystique to the game.

The controls on the Wii version emulate the original game. In the arcade, the controller was a six shooter replica that had to be inserted in a holster before drawing. After drawing, you would aim the gun at the enemy and fire as quickly as possible. In the WiiWare version, the revolver is replaced by the Wiimote, and the holster is replaced by simply pointing the Wiimote down. This may be the thing I like least about this game as the Wiimote does not feel good emulating the six shooter, and buying a gun add on like the Perfect Shot will not work with this game.

The gameplay is good, but not as good as the arcade version. The core elements from the arcade version are well ported, making for a fun arcade experience. The enemies are portrayed by corny actors which gives the game a camp appeal that can only come from the 1990’s. The difficulty increases manage to provide each gunslinger with a challenging experience. One of the few misses comes from a lack of an add on accessory. The port also misses from the original with the lack of a holster, which makes it easier to win but less true to the original, as it will shave time off your draw time. You can also cheat the game by simply pointing close to, but not on the screen, shaving further precious time it takes to draw and fire.

Despite its few shortcomings, Fast Draw Showdown is still a solid game to own on the Wiiware. The game is well made and has a cheap price of only 500 Nintendo Points, or $5. It’s difficult to find a game so well made, that creates a fun experience for such an inexpensive price. This is what makes Fast Draw Showdown a very recommendable game.

Game review by Anthony Lifrieri.

Read more Wii game reviews by Anthony @ examiner.com

Anthony’s reviews on howaboutawii.com here

The NBA 2K series is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed sports franchises in all of video gaming. From its roots on the cult Sega Dreamcast to the Wii today, it has endured for over 11 years, despite EA’s best efforts to kill the series. With the first installment on the Wii, NBA 2K10 makes a statement to all other game publishers that you can release a major sports game on the Wii without major drawbacks.

NBA 2K10 is the first and only official NBA game released on the Nintendo Wii. All the usual gameplay modes are back with some new goodies. The NBA Today allows you to play any game schedule on the day of a game. The Wii’s WiFi connection not only keeps track of team records and stats, it also updates on a bottom line in game which I think is outstanding.

New to the NBA 2K10 is My Player mode. My Player Mode allows you to create your own player from scratch, and take him through his entire career from rookie summer league play, to the NBA D-League, to eventually a real NBA career. In this mode you start out a raw player and through performing certain in game actions and gaining career achievements, you gain points to upgrade your player. I really enjoyed this mode as it delivered on NBA realism. You are rewarded for good team play while being a selfish keeps you from succeeding. It’s not a perfect game mode, but it’s one of the best career modes I’ve ever played.

The Graphics in this game are average for the Wii. The game runs smoothly but the graphical quality itself is little better than an original Xbox game. The sounds are well done. Sound effects are accurate and sync up well with the visual action while the soundtrack to the game is amusing to listen to.

The controls are a night and day scenario. When I first played the game with the Wiimote and Nunchuck I hated it. It was impossible to do something as simple as shooting. I was about to give this game a terrible review until I gave the Wii Classic Remote a shot. The Wii Classic remote makes the controls a lot better. Shooting, stealing, blocking, and other various actions became much easier. In fact the controls greatly reminded me of the original NBA 2K games I grew up playing.

The gameplay itself is wildly entertaining with the Wii Classic remote. The games are challenging but not overly difficult, and with all the different gameplay modes, there is lots to do with this game.

All in all, NBA 2K10 is a pretty solid game that is one of the best non Wii Sports games on the Wii. That being said the game plays just like it does on the other consoles with the exception of the inferior graphics. If you have an Xbox 360 or PS3 and you wanted 2K10, I’d encourage you to get it on that console and not the Wii. The graphics are better and more realistic. However, if you only have the Wii, or you just want a smoother running game, stick with the Wii version.

Game review by Anthony Lifrieri.

Read more Wii game reviews by Anthony @ examiner.com

Anthony’s reviews on howaboutawii.com here

Super Smash Bros. was a classic fighting game on the Nintendo 64 that has been re-released on the Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console. The first game in the series was groundbreaking in that it was the first game to include most of Nintendo’s greatest characters in one game. It is currently on sale on the Virtual Console channel for 1000 Nintendo Points.

Super Smash Bros. features eight of Nintendo’s most famous characters in its history including, Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, Fox McCloud, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, and Pikachu. Four additional characters can be unlocked through various achievements including Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, and Jigglypuff.

The presentation in Super Smash Bros. is good but inundated. The graphics hold up decently but are borderline obsolete due to the Wii’s graphical engine. As for the sound, the music takes songs and themes from the various games the characters have starred in, creating a brilliant soundtrack. The sound effects also borrow from the original games to create a sense of nostalgia. Retro gaming sounds never get old…

The controls were simple on the N64 and they still are on the Wii. There are simple button presses to do each action, which is preferable to the twelve buttons it takes to throw a punch in almost every other fighting game. Essentially, controls for each character are quick to learn and master, creating a great gaming experience. However, movement on the Wii Classic remote is incredibly difficult. You will find yourself jumping when you want to run ,and running when you want to jump, a trait that will cost you numerous lives. This game is one of the few times I can recommend bringing the old Gamecube remote out of retirement.

Super Smash Bros. is essentially a 2D fighting game that allows you to determine who the most powerful Nintendo character is. There is a single player mode for each character with several ways to customize the game including difficulty and number of lives. The single player mode is enjoyable and provides a good challenge with higher levels of difficulty, but it is mostly played to unlock the other characters, or to train for playing against your friends in multiplayer mode.

The bread and butter of this game is the multiplayer mode. The Super Smash Bros. series is famous for its awesome multiplayer and the first game is no exception to the rule. There are a few different multiplayer modes including time battle free for all, stock battle free for all, team battle stock, and team battle time attack modes. Each mode is fun and exhilarating, and holds up phenomenally well ten years later.

Super Smash Brothers is still a pretty good game is well worth the $10 download. However, there is little doubt that the newer Smash Bros are superior to the original in almost every way. If you own any of the newer games, I’d recommend skipping this download but if you don’t, the original Super Smash Bros. is a great way to learn the series.

Game review by Anthony Lifrieri.

Read more Wii game reviews by Anthony @ examiner.com

Anthony’s reviews on howaboutawii.com here