A word of warning: if youve just squandered 180 quid on a Wii, playing Red Steel for 10 minutes is enough to send you into a crimson-faced, console-smashing rage. But while the twitchy controls are a bitch to master, the game still offers a taste of how Nintendos new console can put a unique spin on established genres.
A traditional first-person blaster, Red Steel uses the Wiis nunchuk and remote to offer true three-dimensional control; players hold the remote in their right hand to turn and aim, while the nunchuks thumbstick is used to move around the levels. But while the controls are a brave attempt to utilise the Wiis motion sensors, it requires intense concentration and a rock-steady hand, and youll doubtless spend the first few hours spinning wildly on the spot and crashing into walls.
Stick with it, though, and the immersive controls really make it feel as if youre at the heart of the games brutal shootouts, and while the crummy graphics and embarrassing plot are a letdown, Red Steel is still enough to sate the bloodlust of the Wiis earliest adopters.