Question: Is quick precision aiming (ala PC first-person shooters) possible?
Answer: No...maybe?
If you are looking for the same kind of precision a mouse and keyboard FPS setup provides then look elsewhere (like a mouse and keyboard). The Wii Remote's functionality gave everyone the impression that PC gamers would be envious of our FPS experiences, but based on Red Steel this might not be the case. It is far more intuitive than the dual analog control setups seen on other console FPS games, but Red Steel doesn't quite feel like as intimately awesome as I imagined.
Moving the remote moves an aiming cursor around the screen, and likewise your character's gun. The player's view does not change unless the cursor is moved to the edge of the screen. When this happens, it pushes the view in that direction. It's similar to moving your view of the map in a RTS (real-time strategy) game by dragging the mouse to the edge of the screen. In fact, it's exactly like that. This means that aiming in Red Steel may be quite intuitive, but quick turns and, well, any turns are slow and clumsy (at least until you get used to it). It's a bit awkward seeing your character move his arm around the screen wildly to the edge just so you can look around, but it works. Given the fact that Red Steel is designed as more of a slow paced shooter, this is forgivable, but for the first FPS on the console it may worry some as to whether or not a Quake style fast-paced shooter is possible on the system.
Reportedly, Red Steel's development began with the aim cursor for a weapon centered on the screen at all times (like a PC FPS) and moving the remote would move the view as expected, but it was stated that many found this to be disorienting because the slight movements needed for the remote, accompanied with the fact that it is nigh impossible for a person to keep their hand perfectly still unless it is rested on something, caused the player's view to move around far too much.
Is a Quake style shooter possible on the Wii despite this information? I believe this is so, but it will require some extra work on the developer's part.
Okay, okay. So we can't whip around at super human speeds to shoot our foes, but as a slower paced shooter do the controls work? Yes, yes they do. There is enough functionality in the title to sidestep around corners to make sure you can see your enemy as well as aim quickly. You just won't be circle strafing enemies and bunny hopping over their heads. The game is about taking cover and killing your enemy, not running around them in circles while holding a rocket launcher. In the final game, the gameplay is said to start off with a play style favoring brutal rampages. Using machine guns and shotguns are the main course here as the player (and the character) becomes accustomed to the art of combat. By the end of the game, less frenzical weapons (as in destructive weapons that tend to create an orgy of chaos) are to be used and the goal is to kill five enemies with just five bullets.
Throughout the demo only three guns were used. Each gun is given to the player at specific times (no weapon changing was possible in the demo). Two of the guns, an Uzi and a shotgun, were obviously quite frantic weapons. Since the whole point of those types of weapons is to spray your target with lead, it was impossible to see how intricate the aiming could be. I found myself able to aim in the general direction of an enemy's head with ease, but given that an Uzi is not very accurate, it was hard to say whether or not I would be able to score headshots with relative ease with a more appropriate weapon. At the end of the demo, a pistol is used to demonstrate the game's slow down time mechanic. This is the only non-maniacal weapon in the demo, but since it was only used to show off the slow down time mechanic, I was again unable to see how effective I could be at aiming at specific body parts on my own. The slow down time mechanic, however, is quite awesome, and I will discuss it in full later.
Judging by the demo, it's hard to tell whether or not Red Steel will be as intricate as GoldenEye or the first Perfect Dark in terms of hitting specific body parts, or whether or not I can hit such body parts without slowing down time. Shooting an enemy in the legs rather than the upper body with the shotgun (and likewise the Uzi) did yield different death animations, but will I be able to use a pistol in the final game and shoot a man in the knee cap to instantly cause him to kneel without killing him? These are the questions I wanted answers to and the demo provided no answers.
Answer: No...maybe?
If you are looking for the same kind of precision a mouse and keyboard FPS setup provides then look elsewhere (like a mouse and keyboard). The Wii Remote's functionality gave everyone the impression that PC gamers would be envious of our FPS experiences, but based on Red Steel this might not be the case. It is far more intuitive than the dual analog control setups seen on other console FPS games, but Red Steel doesn't quite feel like as intimately awesome as I imagined.
Moving the remote moves an aiming cursor around the screen, and likewise your character's gun. The player's view does not change unless the cursor is moved to the edge of the screen. When this happens, it pushes the view in that direction. It's similar to moving your view of the map in a RTS (real-time strategy) game by dragging the mouse to the edge of the screen. In fact, it's exactly like that. This means that aiming in Red Steel may be quite intuitive, but quick turns and, well, any turns are slow and clumsy (at least until you get used to it). It's a bit awkward seeing your character move his arm around the screen wildly to the edge just so you can look around, but it works. Given the fact that Red Steel is designed as more of a slow paced shooter, this is forgivable, but for the first FPS on the console it may worry some as to whether or not a Quake style fast-paced shooter is possible on the system.
Reportedly, Red Steel's development began with the aim cursor for a weapon centered on the screen at all times (like a PC FPS) and moving the remote would move the view as expected, but it was stated that many found this to be disorienting because the slight movements needed for the remote, accompanied with the fact that it is nigh impossible for a person to keep their hand perfectly still unless it is rested on something, caused the player's view to move around far too much.
Is a Quake style shooter possible on the Wii despite this information? I believe this is so, but it will require some extra work on the developer's part.
Okay, okay. So we can't whip around at super human speeds to shoot our foes, but as a slower paced shooter do the controls work? Yes, yes they do. There is enough functionality in the title to sidestep around corners to make sure you can see your enemy as well as aim quickly. You just won't be circle strafing enemies and bunny hopping over their heads. The game is about taking cover and killing your enemy, not running around them in circles while holding a rocket launcher. In the final game, the gameplay is said to start off with a play style favoring brutal rampages. Using machine guns and shotguns are the main course here as the player (and the character) becomes accustomed to the art of combat. By the end of the game, less frenzical weapons (as in destructive weapons that tend to create an orgy of chaos) are to be used and the goal is to kill five enemies with just five bullets.
Throughout the demo only three guns were used. Each gun is given to the player at specific times (no weapon changing was possible in the demo). Two of the guns, an Uzi and a shotgun, were obviously quite frantic weapons. Since the whole point of those types of weapons is to spray your target with lead, it was impossible to see how intricate the aiming could be. I found myself able to aim in the general direction of an enemy's head with ease, but given that an Uzi is not very accurate, it was hard to say whether or not I would be able to score headshots with relative ease with a more appropriate weapon. At the end of the demo, a pistol is used to demonstrate the game's slow down time mechanic. This is the only non-maniacal weapon in the demo, but since it was only used to show off the slow down time mechanic, I was again unable to see how effective I could be at aiming at specific body parts on my own. The slow down time mechanic, however, is quite awesome, and I will discuss it in full later.
Judging by the demo, it's hard to tell whether or not Red Steel will be as intricate as GoldenEye or the first Perfect Dark in terms of hitting specific body parts, or whether or not I can hit such body parts without slowing down time. Shooting an enemy in the legs rather than the upper body with the shotgun (and likewise the Uzi) did yield different death animations, but will I be able to use a pistol in the final game and shoot a man in the knee cap to instantly cause him to kneel without killing him? These are the questions I wanted answers to and the demo provided no answers.