I hated the original Red Steel. It was a bad game with bad graphics, bad controls, bad storyline, all bad. The best thing about it was that I never actually bought it. A friend did though and an afternoon spent playing it at his house was enough to poison me against waggle games for months.

I even flat out refused to buy a Wii after playing it until my wife twisted my arm (literally, she's a strong woman). It was so bad it makes recent abominable Star Wars light saber games like Clone Wars Light Sabre Duel look good. Not to mention setting a bad precendent for adult orientated Wii games that continues today.

Well I can say with truly delusional optimism that Red Steel 2 will be much better. My impressions based on an unhealthy obsession with cowboys and sleep deprivation.

Nintendo Power's June issue claims that Red Steel 2 delivers the experience of wielding a sword in a game that you have always 'dreamed' off. But similar things were said about Red Steel, even in previews of the game which long confirms my theory that these distributor funded hands on junkets have open bars.

Still, the artwork looks very cool, my ten year old has all ready planned to get hold of the magazine so he can cut out the above concept artwork and stick it on his wall. It does look cool, I want to stick it on my wall, but I'm married so I don't get to decorate.

But look, cowboys plus ninja swords cannot be a bad thing... can it? Well, for now my anticopatometer needle for Red Steel 2 has moved up to 'skeptical'. Baby steps people, thats how hype should work, baby steps.

PS: Red Steel 2 will include Wii Motion Plus controls, I didn't feel the need to mention this before as I don't know what Motion Plus will actually do other than make Wiimote's more accurate. Personally I've achieved the same result from not drinking coffee while playing.