Background

Ubisoft Paris, the home base for the developer founded in 1986, sought the creation of one the Nintendo Wii’s launch titles. As a 3rd-party developed game, Red Steel was the first title to have leaked screenshots, revealing to the world what punch this “next-generation” console could pack. While calling the screenshots a bit less than enticing, perhaps being generous in comparison with the Playstation 3, it no doubt later showed promise through means of trailer releases, where the innovative play style might save the day. Unfortunately, this only partially salvaged the ship.

Plot

The story unfolds in Los Angeles, California. Protagonist Scott Monroe waits patiently in a fine restaurant to meet Isso Sato, an important business man and the father of his fiancé Miyu Sato. Before the meals can even be ordered a massive hit occurs by the hands of none other than a Yakuza clan, the Shibuya Giris. Their target; Isso Sato, revealed to be a powerful Yakuza (Japanese mob) clan leader. Unfortunately, they did not anticipate interference from you. Because of your bravery, they are only able to wound Sato, altering their plans. Instead they are forced to kidnap Miyu and flee.

Tokai, the main antagonist and leader of the Shibuya Giris, through dark reasons from his past, is bent on yeilding power, power that has been kept in check by Sato and his clan. Tokai desires control of all seven other Yakuza clans. With Sato out of the way from his injuries and Miyu in his grasp, Tokai is well on the way to gaining such power through the implementation of fear tactics. What he did not count on was Sato being mortally wounded and entrusting a symbolic katana to the hands of a Gai-jin or “foreigner”. It is not enough for Tokai to merely have control of the existing clans as long as the katana is beyond his reach. This symbolic sword, titled the “Katana Giri” is a symbol of peace for all clans, used in the past to dispose of unruly Godfathers. Tokai covents this blade above all things and will keep Miyu alive long enough to lure you to Tokyo, where truth clashes with deception, in order to pry it from your cold dead fingers.

In order to confront Tokai and accomplish your goal of rescuing Miyu, as well as restoring the order of the clans, the last wishes of a dying a man, you will need support. To gain this, assistance and respect from the other clan leaders is a must. However, being a “gai-jin” you are not instantly accepted, as the Japanese are a proud people who do not tolerate change and difference easily. Therefore, proof must be established. In order to convence these families, you must complete several side missions before they will stand by you, turning the tables in your favor. Fortunately, Sato has a few remaining friends, independent from the clans that aid in your education and training to level the playing field and make it all possible.

Graphics

Now remember that the Wii is not the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, so the graphics were naturally held at a lower expectation level than those of the other 7th generation systems. However, it is still clear that they are not as developed as they could have been. At times it appears as though one of the most essential elements, the character models, as merely poorly inflated 2-dimensional beings. The intial phases are satisfactory, but as the game progresses, the characters become siginificantly flatter. As you reach the stages in Tokyo where you engage in combat with the assassins or ‘ninjas’ they are obviously carelessly rendered. Perhaps that is why they prove to be such difficult adversaries, they can potentially turn sideways and dissappear, much like Nicole Richie.

The environments are actually quite engaging. Even during the most intense of action sequences, the movement remains fluid, with no apparent struggle on the ATI video processor whatsoever. And on the plus side, while most of the objects are ‘anchored to the world’ as we call it in the design realm, a few objects are able to be manipulated. The occasional table for instance can be knocked over, allowing for cover during intense fire fights. The lighting is done fairly well and the after effects from combat, such as bullet riddled walls and boxes are quite impressive. However, if you are looking for a fully interactive and photorealistic environment, the direction that a few titles have gone and many are headed, look again, because this isn’t it. Style is the key emphasis.