Ubisoft using MotionPlus in Red Steel 2

By Robert Purchese Published 28 July, 2008

Wii now capable enough to handle concept.

Ubisoft has revealed that Wii sequel Red Steel 2 will use the freshly unveiled MotionPlus peripheral.

The publisher feels this accuracy-improving device will help the game finally achieve the ambitious sword-swishing goals set for Red Steel 1.

"Red Steel 2 has been in development for many months now, and this new device will help us be even more precise in what we do with the product," Alain Corre, Ubisoft big shot, told GamesIndustry.biz.

"The Red Steel brand is strong - I think we released it on year one, and that people understood that it was a first try on new technology, technology that wasn't completely finished. And our game tried to grab the best out of it, and was a bit rushed to be sure to offer something in year one to Wii consumers.

"So Red Steel is a brand, and as with every brand we have, we now have to reach the top quality possible. What was missing was the preciseness of the sabre - and with this new device I think it will change the experience," he said.

Red Steel was released on the same day as the Wii console in Europe, and attempted to mimic user movement for gun, sword, and fist fights.

Head over to our Red Steel review to find out what we thought.

Alternatively, saunter over to GamesIndustry.biz for the full interview with Ubisoft executive director Alain Corre.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (26) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Dizzy #1 4 years ago

    Hmmm....

    So now finally the Wii hardware is ready? I thought Sony was the only one who did this?

    TBH I always found the Wiimote VERY bad for seriously accurate gaming, looking forward to testing the new MotionPlus.

  • Eraysor #2 4 years ago

    The shooting was quite fun but they should really implement some sort of cover system in the sequel.

    The swordfights were diabolical.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #3 4 years ago

    I still have my doubts about motionplus helping a lot with those sword fights. However I enjoyed the first one and I look forward to the sequel, I found the (later) FPS parts quite good. Controls took a while to get used to but after all it was the first FPS that really used the Wiimote so it's no surprise that they weren't the best controls ever - but now that they could learn from Metroid and a few others it should be fine.

  • alimokrane #4 4 years ago

    @Dizzy

    I absolutely agree. PS3/360 are slagged off being rushed/unready products where here is Nintendo doing the exact same thing and is charging people for it like they're doing them a favor.
    Edited by 1 at 28/07/08 @ 08:56

  • Eraser #5 4 years ago

    Contrary to how everyone else rated it, I actually liked Red Steel. I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel.

  • Xerx3s #6 4 years ago

    SILENCE! I KILL YOU! YOU DARE TO QUESTION THE ALMIGHTY NINTENDO, INFIDEL?!

  • Darren #7 4 years ago

    The first Red Steel was a load of dog poo IMO... poor graphics, weak level design... the only think that helped it stand out from the dozens of other generic FPSs was the motion controls and even they didn't work well. Definitely NOT interested in the sequel... FPS games play and look much better on the PS3/360 and PC.

  • Frandroid #8 4 years ago

    @Dizzy
    @Alimokrane

    The difference here is that Sony initial down-graded their technology by removing rumble before relenting and re-introducing it. Nintendo on the other hand introduced new technology (as far as gaming goes) and is now continuing to refine it. Personally, I'd rather they produced an improved controller now rather than hold off for the Wii2.

  • gingerlink #9 4 years ago

    I think if they're not making the same mistakes this time round, as in not rushing it and having more prceise technology than they had before, then the game could see a big improvment. It was just above meh for me, the single player was fairly good but the multiplayer was the worst I think I've ever seen in a game...

    again, further to frandroid, motion sensing is an upcoming technology, Nintendo made a far better job of it than sony (I don't think anyone even cares about the PS3s motion sensing anymore) and they're looking to improve it. Motion-plus wasn't at release because it couldn't be produced for a reasonable price and with the amount of you bitching about the price of wiimotes as it is...
    Edited by 1 at 28/07/08 @ 10:02

  • Santino #10 4 years ago

    "FPS games play and look much better on the PS3/360 and PC."

    they may look better and the other consoles have better fps games than the wii does, but they certainly do not play better. mp3 isnt even an fps but it controls better than any 1st person game on the other consoles, and apparently MoH improves on this and the Conduit is offering full customization of the controls.

    Red Steel was no doubt a poor game and i have no hope at all for the sequel as it is Ubisoft, but by no means is it indicative of what fps controls on the wii are...

  • Tomo #11 4 years ago

    Sounds great! Really enjoyed the first one even though it had plenty of flaws. I was just talking to a friend the other day about this possibility, so it's good news.

  • gingerlink #12 4 years ago

    It will be interesting to see if clone wars will use it. I know the force unleashed team said they weren't going to, but we havn't anything from the lightsaber battles team...

  • Doctor_What #13 4 years ago

    More importantly, is this optional upgrade hardware going to become nearly compulsory for all late-generation games?

  • lemonfist #14 4 years ago

    How nice of him to admit they rushed the first game. I expect this new sequel to be old-hat and slightly entertaining.

  • sneetch #15 4 years ago

    @Xerx3s

    Very well and very reasonably put. ;)

    I thought the shooting in the first game was ok but the sword fighting was frankly ridiculous. Here's a question, imagine you're an American bloke, called Scott Quarterback or whatever he was called.Your girlfriend has just been kidnapped, you're attempting to rescue her shooting the shit out of hundreds of guys while doing so, suddenly some guy walks around a corner holding a sword, do you:

    A) draw a katana that you've just picked up half an hour ago for the first time ever and attempt to beat him at his own game.
    B) shoot him in the face, twice, with your shotgun.

    The old saying about never bringing a knife (even a large one) to a gun fight comes back to me whenever I think of this game.

  • Landmaster #16 4 years ago

    I thought Red Steel was alright, didn't look too shabby neither.
    (EXCEPT IN MULTIPLAYER IT LOOKED LIKE A FUCKING PS1 GAME!!)

    (:

  • APHIZM #17 4 years ago

    "mp3 isnt even an fps but it controls better than any 1st person game on the other consoles"

    I disagree. I hated the controls so much that I had to give up playing MP3 through pure frustration.

  • Darren #18 4 years ago

    Santino - "mp3 isnt even an fps but it controls better than any 1st person game on the other consoles"

    I don't agree with that at all. I love all the Metroid Prime games, particularly the first which I thought was the best in the trilogy, but I thought the final instalment didn't really benefit from the Wii's controls especially. All they offered was a different way of playing the game. I didn't think the game felt any better or any worst than the earlier GameCube versions myself but if I'm being really picky I'd say I prefer to use an analogue stick to look around rather than moving a Wiimote from side to side. I did quickly get used to it admittedly but conventional controllers are far more comfortable to use for long periods than the Wiimote and Nunchuk IMO as you don't have to wave them around in front of you all the time!

  • Santino #19 4 years ago

    i'm sorry but if you are waving the controllers around in front of u then u are doing it wrong. i have said many times before but imo i find a 2 piece controller far more comfortable as i can sit with my arms pretty much how i feel like having them as long as one is pointed at the screen. i agree that the first was the best of the three, in fact its easily one of the best games i have ever played, i wouldnt mind playing through it with the wii remote though, i found it very immersive in 3.

  • sneetch #20 4 years ago

    @Santino

    I thought the controls in MP3 were great, I especially like the "challenge" of actually holding your aim while firing (with keyboard/mouse or conventional controllers it's much easier to get rail-gun accuracy) but after a couple of hours of pointing at the screen it gets a bit tedious/tiring. I learned the lazier "rest it on your lap and just move your wrist" method quickly (that sounds somewhat dodgy, now that I read it) but it is still much more straining on these old wrists of mine than a conventional controller.

    @Eraysor
    I agree, it'd be a real improvement. I think a cover system is becoming more of a standard, almost required feature in shooters these days. After playing R6Vegas and a few others I really miss cover in, say, HL2.

  • Razorus #21 4 years ago

    "What was missing was the preciseness of the sabre..." yeah, and good voice acting, and decent graphics, and a proper story line, and a playable multiplayer mode etc etc.

    I'm actually looking forward to this because the concept of Red Steel is excellent, but the game EPIC FAILED all over Wii owners' faces. If this has truly been in development for several months and this motion plus gizmo helps improve sword fights, Red Steel 2 could actually be good. Please...

  • smelly #22 4 years ago

    @alimokrane:

    But unlike the 360, you dont need to get a replacement machine to fix the issue

    and unlike the ps3, you dont need to buy a brand new pad to get the extra feature

    Here you're getting an addition, which will come free with a game...

  • Razorus #23 4 years ago

    Frakking internet glitches. I wrote an essay and it didn't post. I'll summarise.

    1- Red Steel was utter shit.
    2- MotionPlus ftw, thus looking forward to RS2.
    3- Please be good.
    4 - Metroid Prime 3 IS an FPS. Whoever said otherwise is Turbo-Tard.
    5- Doesn't the MotionPlus thing go in the remote slot? How do we connect nunchuck.
    6- Please be good.

  • smelly #24 4 years ago

    "but after a couple of hours of pointing at the screen it gets a bit tedious/tiring."

    Geesus!

    And to think the stereotype of a gamer used to be an out of shape geeky kid with no arm strength!


    Honestly, your arms got tired playing MP3?? Gees, do you have problems picking up cans of beans too, do your muscles ache the next day after lifting a tin of heinz beans out of the cupboard?

  • smelly #25 4 years ago

    >4 - Metroid Prime 3 IS an FPS. Whoever said otherwise is Turbo-Tard.

    Well "fps" isnt actually a genre. it's just a method of play.. So yes, it is first person and you do shoot things.

    But it's GENRE is action adventure.

    "FPS" in itself isnt a genre, just a method of play.. It's just that no-ones told the developers of such games that... So 99% of games are of the "running around trying to find an exit while getting turned on by red splats on the screen" genre.


    >5- Doesn't the MotionPlus thing go in the remote slot? How do we connect nunchuck.

    Yes.. If you look at the clips at E3...

    it goes on the bottom of your wiimote.. and has a plug on the bottom of that which the nunchuck goes into...

  • IronCladChicken #26 4 years ago

    @Dizzy
    @Alimokrane
    @Frandroid

    Also when people say that they tend to be either PS3 fanbois slagging off 360's& 360 fanbois slagging off the PS3.
    Wii owners seem to be pretty quiet (generally becasue they have to deal with PS3 and 360 fnbois who are still freaked out about the Wii's continued popularity... & the threat to the hard-core gamer image they have been cutlivating for almost six months now.