Red Steel 2

Red Steel left a pretty terrible taste in my mouth, so it's to the sequel's benefit that it discards much of the first game's dreck. The story is still garbage, and the writing and voice acting are still laughable - but Red Steel 2 doesn't rely on them to push the game forward. Instead, everything is organized into ultra-short, easily digestible missions, and inbetween you'll use reward money to purchase upgrades and new moves.

Combat in RS2 is less like a shooter, and more like a first-person action game: you can block and dodge, and perform combos. The melee emphasis can feel a bit weird, given your lack of peripheral vision, but visual indicators for nearby enemies and special move opportunities make the combat flow quite well.

Visually, the game's aesthetic is unique (Borderlands notwithstanding) and appealing. The orange sands and windswept roads evoke an old west setting, while eastern and modern influences help it to stand out. There is perhaps an abundance of orange, but the thoughtful design of enemies and other interactive elements prevent it from being overbearing.

Aside from the terrible plot, my only other real grievance with the game is the loading times, which border on absurd. The game loads new environments when you open a door, but unlike Metroid Prime, there's no advance loading - and Red Steel 2 doesn't allow you to walk around while the loading takes place. This leaves you staring at a door-opening animation for at least several seconds inbetween each and every room. Perhaps not as long as a loading elevator, but much more frequent.

Progress: Reactivated the comm tower