When I think of a video game featuring motion controls, sword movements always come to mind. And in my experience, Wii Sports Resort is the last game to utilize it well. Sadly, the sword-play only exists in mini-game form, and didn’t provide me with enough swinging satisfaction. But from what I experienced so far, Red Steel 2 fulfills that desire by making sword combat its primary focus. And mixing the gameplay with a first-person shooter seems to go hand-in-hand for this “Japanese Western.”
First and foremost, Red Steel 2 is a sequel only in name. It’s deprived from sharing any other relation to its predecessor — and for the better. As an exiled (and nameless) member of the Kusagari group, you return to town and find that nearly every original occupant is gone. All that’s left are your enemies, who call themselves “jackals.” As the story progresses, the protagonist is constantly acquiring new skills or enhancements. Specifically, I discovered new katana moves, and upgraded (or purchased) guns in order to match the opposition. Thanks to this, the action feels pretty fresh and demanding. And given the array of enemies (so far, I’ve seen rivals with pistols, katanas, armor, and large mallets), specific new moves are necessary to provide a fighting chance. It’s definitely harder to win if you spam the same moves — you can’t always fight these ever-evolving foes in the same way.