Looks official at last: Red Steel sequel
While it certainly looked like things were headed in that direction, now it seems that a Red Steel sequel is pretty much confirmed. The only thing left is for an official press release to start making the rounds. The good ol' Dojo of Pain, the game's community website, recently featured the following telling quote: "...if any student think he anywhere near ready for Red Steel 2...Get Ready to Do My Laundry! [sic]"Late last year, Ubisoft posted a job listing announcing they were in need of a designer for more Red Steel action ... a designer with online experience. While Red Steel may not be the best game ever to hit consoles, the multiplayer is actually pretty fun, and taking the fun online could really make this a viable franchise. Well, that and actual cut scenes.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
manny @ Jan 18th 2007 3:44PM
is that the mystery sequel?
They better tighten up those controls, too.
Mr. Khan @ Jan 18th 2007 4:12PM
sans the mechanics for grenades, i enjoyed the controls
Made me anticipate what the Wii will be able to do in the future for the FPS genre
Loban @ Jan 18th 2007 4:24PM
I've said it once and i'll say it again. I think of Red Steel as more of an experiment or proof of concept more than an actual game. It's hard enough for a developer to make a game for a new console with new hardware, let alone an entirely new control scheme. I for one wasn't surprised that the Wii launch games were rather ho hum, it was to be expected with a console that is so radically different from anything anyone has ever seen before in mainstream gaming. Just wait and see though, when developers work the kinks out and hit their stride, Wii games will be amazing and they will all "feel" amazing as you're playing them. Red Steel was a test to see what they could do with the system, Red Steel 2 will be the real game. This is my hope anyway. :)
Cosmos @ Jan 18th 2007 4:34PM
The control setup was the only good thing about the game. Mr. Khan is right about the grenades, though; the problem was that no matter how you threw the nun chuck, the grenade would always take the same predetermined arced path. Makes me suspect they originally planned to assign a button (down, probably) to throw grenades.
Aden Nak @ Jan 18th 2007 4:45PM
This right here is why Ubisoft has become such a great game studio. They are willing to take calculated risks, and they are also willing to take a look at a risk that didn't quite pan out the way they wanted it to and do more with the results than just toss them out the window.
Being the first FPS style game on the untested Wii, and setting themselves up as the first "adult launch title" on a system made by a company that had the youngest pre-existing audience was a calculated risk. They counted on their own staff to deliver, but also on expectations to be a bit lower for a launch game and on the lack of competition on the platform to help sales.
Those things did help, but it still got mediocre reviews. A company like EA would either scrap the project entirely or else make a nearly identical sequel (ah, EA, remember when they didn't suck it?). Ubisoft, by all appearances, is admitting that Red Steel was flawed and is willing to improve those flaws and fix up what could have been a great game.
Take Prince of Persia. Sands of Time was a wonderful game, but the combat system left something to be desired. They took a risk with Warrior Within, and while they fixed the combat system they also broke the atmosphere and style of the game. So they learned from both those experiences and Two Thrones came out to be the best of all worlds.
When people buy an Ubisoft game, they have an expectation of quality, and when they buy an Uibsoft sequel, they have an expectation of improvement. If we have to live in a world of "franchised" gaming, we can at least be glad that Ubisoft uses its franchising to further its games, not to sell copies of the same old crap on a new disc.
Pedro @ Jan 18th 2007 5:08PM
Good. Red Steel was a much better game than everyone gave it credit for. Once you get used to the controls (admitedly ths takes a few hours), you start making these wildly impossible shots with ease.
Billy_McBong @ Jan 19th 2007 2:54PM
the control scheme is nice once you get used to it(except in the sword fighting i truly hated that until i started to get new moves)
"Makes me suspect they originally planned to assign a button (down, probably) to throw grenades."
you can use a buttons to throw a grenades, hold down and push B
and if they make red steel 2 i will definitely buy it
Andrew @ Jan 19th 2007 6:09PM
Wow the "fake cutscenes" in Red Steel really did get annoying. Other than that, The Multiplayer really shined for me.
Especially on 4 player when you put the wii-remote to your ear at the same time as others to hear your mission "You are the mystery player, survive" hey, Ryan's the mystery player "what! no I'm not"
Haha incorporating online would make the sequal be alot more worth buying.