A Nintendo Wii
Well, obviously. That's why it's called the Wii Contest. What else?Red Steel
Ah! This is more like it. Some bonus prizes! This one in particular has been one of the main talking points for the Wii since its original unveiling at E3 2006, and has garnered the interest of gamers around the world, as well as tickled their imagination for what the Wii could truly be capable of.For the (many of you, I'm sure) people who've been hiding under a mushroom for the past six months, Ubisoft's upcoming Red Steel is the Wii's flagship launch title that doesn't feature fairies. The game is a first person shooter, a genre which is commonly dubbed FPS (seriously, look it up!), and has the player wielding the wiimote and "nun-chuck" (did I mention how much I hate that they called it a nun-chuck?) controllers to take control of their character's hands. The wiimote, naturally, acts as your primary gun. You're able to freely aim at any pin-point location on the screen, and pointing to the far edge directs your character to turn in that direction. The controller reacts precisely to any movement you make, it even tracks the twisting of a wrist, so yes, you can go for the stylish shoot-out with your gun tilted to the side. How many games let you do that? Far too long have we gone without the ability to turn our weapons sideways.
The "nun-chuck", on the other hand, is used primarily to move forwards, backwards and sideways, using the old-fashioned analog stick. However, pushing the controller forward acts as the game's "activate" button, and allows you to open doors and activate whichever buttons or levers look like they need a good firm pushing.
Oh did I mention the sword fighting? That's what everyone envisaged when the Wii was announced, right? Swinging your controller around the living room and living out your life-long dreams of being one hell of a badass ninja / pirate / jedi / musketeer? That's what gaming's all about, right? Well Ubisoft didn't disappoint. Red Steel, which you may have guessed by the name (or maybe not), features several moments that have the player wielding his or her katana in a battle of wits and steel against a master swordsman. Slashing the controllers in the desired motions will have your character attack, block and parry, and the game even lets the player wield two swords at once. Come on now, unfair much? The poor AI characters are already a little short on the IQ side of things, you want to give them a disadvantage with the weapon count as well? For shame.
Potentially unfair battles aside, those wishing to add a more serious title to their Wii lineup this launch will do well to check out Red Steel. It's not only the first game of its kind, but is also possibly the biggest showcase so far for what the Wii is actually capable of. When a launch title makes such in-depth use of the control setup, you have to wonder just how immersive future Wii titles will become.
