Note: This article originally appeared on GamesToaster.com, here.

Back before the Nintendo Wii was on shop shelves, when Ubisoft unveiled Red Steel, gamers were mesmerised by what the game represented. As a gritty shooter featuring John Woo-style gun- and sword-play wrapped in a gritty Yakuza plot, it would become a poster-boy of sorts, a game used to shoot down accusations that Nintendo’s software line-up was too family-oriented, that the control scheme was a gimmick, and unable to cope with the more traditional game genres.

Unfortunately, playing the opening act of Red Steel does little to quell these concerns. The controls feel awkward, with sword-play in particular feels contrived and unresponsive. The plot falls flat, relying on the most generic of devices - an honourable boss’s daughter is kidnapped by an immoral upstart. The opening levels involve slogging through all-too-familiar corridors and factories, hiding behind crates and detonating conveniently placed explosive barrels, lurching from one contrived set-piece to another.

However, it is worth persevering. At about a quarter of the way through the game, the factories and corridors give way to well-realized Japanese streets and tea-houses. A credible world is created, with some excellent environmental effects and a rousing j-rock soundtrack. The controls click, and it becomes almost effortless to gun down foes with an ever-increasing arsenal. The sword-play still feels awkward, but is confined to rarely-occurring duels.

Despite borrowing ideas from genre-leading Halo - the recharging health-bar and two weapon limit are present here too – the game look and feel is closer to Rare’s Goldeneye. Much like the classic Bond game, the combat relies more on a quick hand rather than mind, with a shock & awe approach as likely to work as more complex tactics.

The graphics too are big, angular and more grounded in reality than those of Halo. And what the visuals lack in polygons, they more than make up for in environmental effects – from flapping curtains to shattering glass, the world is credibly brought to life.

First impressions, as they say, last. That said, if you can overcome the initially off-putting controls, level-design and storyline, Red Steel rewards you greatly with what is a highly polished, accomplished shooter, and a great omen for things to come in the genre on this hardware.

Note: This article originally appeared on GamesToaster.com, here.

Monster Trucks. Like its followers, it is big, dirty, loud, over-the-top, and very in-your-face. Perfect fodder for video-gaming. A shame then, that this videogame translation is rarely anything other than pedestrian.

Originality makes its appearance in the shape of a packed-in steering wheel attachment for the Wii’s remote - allowing you to steer the remote wildly to steer your truck around the game’s multitude of tracks. Originality then quickly says its goodbyes for the rest of the experience, and we were are left with a very pedestrian racing game.

As a port of a year old XBox game onto Wii hardware, the graphics are per-functionary at best. The track-side scenery is angular, and the mud textures are, well, muddy. And although not terribly essential in a monster-truck game, the sense of speed is quite lacking.

All of the whacky racing features are present and accounted for. Power-ups? Check. Speed boosts? Check. Upgradable cars? Check. Obligatory fire-truck? Check. The tracks vary from Egypt to Alaska to Mount Rushmore, and yet save for a change in texture colour, they don’t really vary at all. Outside of wholly derivative design choices like these, there is practically no sign of personality. Relying as they do on copying the hundreds of identikit racers out there, any attempts to be whacky or zany entirely miss the mark, and we are instead left with a soulless, joyless experience.

The title is rescued somewhat by a healthy amount of multi-player options, including soccer and combat mini-games, but are made somewhat redundant by the fact that without the steering wheel attachment, the game loses perhaps its only hook. As the single-player game is incredibly brief, playing with friends, provided you have all the necessary equipment, will perhaps provide you with most of your value for money.

It’s not that Monster 4×4 is a particularly bad game - it’s not. The problem is that it is not a particularly good game, nor shows any ambition to be so. It is almost painfully inoffensive, and as such is never going to be any more than average.