E3 06: Red Steel: Hands-on

News
By published

Wii: Getting to grips with the Wii FPS

It's the game that Nintendo is keen to hold up as an example that Wii can handle mature action games, so we got hands-on with Ubisoft's Red Steel to see if it can live up to expectations.

As expected the controls were mapped on the new Wii controller with the analogue stick on the nunchaku used for strafing and movement, and the remote handling the aiming and shooting.

Putting the two elements together took some time - not only because this was the first time we'd played an FPS in such a way, but also because the aiming isn't as instinctive as we'd hoped. You have to hold the remote a long way out in front of you while making highly exaggerated movements. The result is that you're constantly making readjustments to hit the target which means your arm soon gets tired.

To aim accurately, you can hit the A button to zoom in on the target which slows down the tracking of the on-screen reticule, but also slows down the movement of your enemy making them a far easier target to hit.

The time when the action really flows is when there is cover that can be used. Hitting the Z button on the nunchaku controller makes your character duck behind available cover, sheltering you from incoming fire, and giving you time to rest your arm and plan your next shot.