Highlights on the list include Q3 (November 2009 to December2009) releases for Assassin's Creed 2, which Ubi prez Yves Guillemot says will cost 20 percent more than the original and be a much bigger game; the long-delayed Splinter Cell: Conviction; the MotionPlus-only Red Steel 2; Wii-exclusive Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage and Rabbids Go Home.

Announced for early 2010 (Q4 ranging from January 2010 to March 2010) are strategy title R.U.S.E., survival game I Am Alive and a new Ghost Recon.

Notably absent from the list is the previously-teased Beyond Good & Evil 2.

The French publisher is bundling both Wii titles in one package, a practice we've not seen much of this generation, particularly on the Wii. EBGames is listing the No More Heroes/Red Steel bundle for a March 19th release in the U.S.

Granted, buying both titles, new and separately, would only set you back about eight bucks more. I'd think it's worth it, if only to hide the shame of not owning an original copy of No More Heroes.

No More Hereos/Red Steel Bundle [EBGames via Kombo]

Yes, before the current version - in development at Ubisoft Paris - there was an older one, being worked on by Ubisoft Montreuil. And it was a version that, alongside the contemporary urban spaces you'd expect from the series, included levels that were a bit more fantastic. Floating towers, ethereal landscapes, that kind of thing.

Like a Max Payne dreamscape, then, only with rubbish motion controls.

"Oh, how do you know it was rubbish?" I hear you quip indignantly. I can strongly suspect that was but one of the reasons Ubisoft shut development of the game down in October 2007 over "concerns about the game's quality", and handed it over to Ubisoft Paris.

Plenty of concept art at the link below.

Red Steel 2 [Wii - Prototype / Beta] [Unseen 64]

SEGA Europe's Alan Pritchard explains cites the success of both Resident Evil 4 and Red Steel on the Wii. "But since then, many publishers have migrated towards the more mass-market family titles," says Pritchard, "so perhaps there hasn’t been the array or depth of hardcore titles on Wii. So there is definitely opportunity here."

The publisher hopes the upcoming MadWorld will capitalize on that opportunity. Quick, time for a show of hands: Who's picking up MadWorld on the Wii?

Sega targets hardcore Wii gamers [MCVUK]

Red Steel 2 has been in development for many months now, and this new device will help us be even more precise in what we do with the product. The Red Steel brand is strong — I think we released it on year one, and that people understood that it was a first try on new technology, technology that wasn't completely finished.

And our game tried to grab the best out of it, and was a bit rushed to be sure to offer something in year one to Wii consumers. But Red Steel is still selling well — at a lower price of course, but still it's in the top 30 or 40 in every country on Wii.

So Red Steel is a brand, and as with every brand we have, we now have to reach the top quality possible. What was missing was the preciseness of the sabre — and with this new device I think it will change the experience.

By "change the experience", Corre must mean "make Red Steel not sucky."

Alain Corre - Part One [Games Industry]

Well now we know that Red Steel 2 is coming. Published in the upcoming Nintendo Magazine (UK), this teaser ad reads: "Your Move, Young Grasshoppa...Bigger. Better. Bolder. Bloodier. First screens and hands-on impressions. Only in next month's Official Nintendo Magazine." Then they add, "And oh - it's online." So is anyone out there actually looking forward to the sequel, especially with online play? Or were you one of the million copies sold, making an impulse buy to hit your minimum Wii bundle quota?

Official Nintendo UK mag confirms Red Steel 2 online [via gamingblog]

Publisher Ubisoft later denied that the follow up has been officially confirmed. Again, Red Steel 2 hasn't been officially confirmed. However, you know how Wesley Snipes quipped in Passenger 57 that one should always bet on black? Well, I'm here to say always bet on red. As in Red Steel. More specifically, that there will be a Red Steel 2.

That doesn't read as well as it sounded in my head. Michael McWhertor

MAJ : Red Steel 2 enfin confirmé ! (même pas vrai) [Inpact Virtuel]
Ubisoft denies latest Red Steel 2 reports [CVG]

Red Steel is the first Ubisoft game soundtrack to be released online, but certainly not the last.

"We're really happy to make this possible, especially with Tom's spectacular work on Red Steel," said Didier Lord, Executive Director of Ubisoft Music. "It's an important move as it will be Ubisoft's first soundtrack released on major digital distribution channels - the first of many to come!"

Red Steel Original Soundtrack Now Available Worldwide On iTunes®, CD Album Available In Stores May 29

Tom Salta's Award-Winning Video Game Score Released as Ubisoft's First Digital Download Soundtrack

New York, May 21st, 2007 - Composer and music producer Tom Salta today announced his award-winning music soundtrack for Red Steel™ is now available at iTunes® music stores worldwide and will also be released to retail on CD by Persist Records / Sumthing Distribution on May 29. Renowned for his versatility and prolific writing styles, Salta's highly acclaimed kaleidoscopic musical score immerses gamers in the unique gunplay and swordplay actions set in modern-day Japan. The Red Steel Original Soundtrack marks the first Ubisoft video game music score to be released as a digital download.

"We're really happy to make this possible, especially with Tom's spectacular work on Red Steel," said Didier Lord, Executive Director of Ubisoft Music. "It's an important move as it will be Ubisoft's first soundtrack released on major digital distribution channels - the first of many to come!"

To ensure the authenticity of the game's soundtrack, Salta arranged and recorded traditional live Japanese instrumentation such as Koto, Shamisen, Shakuhachi and Taiko performed by expert Japanese musicians including the specialist percussion group Taikoza. The score also features performances from conservatory-trained Japanese opera singers and renowned violinist Lili Haydn. In order to reflect the diverse and Western-influenced soundtrack of fashionable Tokyo, Salta further embellished the soundtrack with a wide spectrum of music styles - such as orchestral, electronic, rock, hip hop, dance, easy listening, jazz, lounge and Japanese pop - that truly embrace the game's cinematic story and vibrant locations.

The Red Steel soundtrack received numerous accolades for its unique approach and vibrant musical palette, including 2006 Best Original Score from IGN, who commented, "The selection not only has a richness and definition often lacking in video games, but the compositions are catchy and memorable too." In this Wii exclusive game, players master both the ancient art of the Katana and the sophisticated technology of modern firearms, taking advantage of the emotion and innovative gameplay possible only with the remarkable Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers.

Tom Salta's other video game credits include the original score for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter® 2, which features a dynamic, emotional music soundtrack recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony and Choir. He also penned the score for the first game, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter®, which was nominated for Best Video Game Score at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. Recording under the artist name Atlas Plug (www.atlasplug.com), Salta is currently working on the follow-up to his highly acclaimed debut solo album, 2 Days or Die. For more information on Tom Salta, visit www.tomsalta.com.

For more information on Red Steel, please visit the official website at www.redsteelgame.com.

According to the Mega 64 kids, this "lost Red Steel ad" was set to debut near the Nintendo Wii launch. However, "the shockingly aggressive reactions of many of the bystanders in the video perturbed some of the folks behind the game" and it hasn't seen the light of day since. My verdict? Not their best work, but I'm what the kids call a humorless, son of a bitch stick in the mud. Michael McWhertor

Oh Red Steel why?

The shooting and slashing first-person Wii title from Ubisoft had such great potential, but it just didn't come together.

I played the game a bit at E3 and during that Nintendo event in New York City earlier this year and both times I was concerned about what I saw. It seemed like a really cool idea that just didn't fully deliver. The controls felt wonky and I was concerned that the game wouldn't come together.

Boy was I right.

Not only are the controls still a little bit loose, but the game is plagued with a plethora of other issues.

For starters the artificial intelligence is just horrid, like 80s horrid. The way the bad guys popped up from obvious hiding places or charged down long hallways at you made the game feel like one of those old light gun titles, essentially a cleverly disguised shooting gallery.

And the dialog, who the hell wrote the dialog. I'm taking on this gang, this evil Yakuza gang and when I shoot at them, I kid you not, they call me a murderer. Seriously, what's up with that. And they use the word over and over again, mostly because there only seems to be a few phrases built into the game for use during the many shoot-outs.

The graphics are, at times, quite sub-par, with white lines popping up around characters, jaggies, and glitches. You can't shoot people who have given up or are bystanders. Actually you can shoot them, but it does no damage and they say things like "Hey, watch it."

Oh, and the voice acting is crap, absolute crap.

The thing I found most troubling about the game was the way the character's hand seem to sort of bend the wrong direction while holding the gun. I think this was because the sensor showed I was pointing slightly to the right, more than I was, and it translated that into this weird, physically impossible wrist turn.

So what you have with Red Steel is very cool concept that mechanically comes in at just above playable but is wrapped up in poor graphics, bad audio, bad plot, bad script and bad voice acting. Oh and did I mention that the game uses still images as cut-scenes? Sure it's been done before, and quite well, but in this case it just makes the game look unfinished. Brian Crecente

It should come as no surprise that Ubisoft is planning a sequel (or spin-off) as nearly confirmed by the company's official site. In a job posting for a Paris-based gamed designer, Ubisoft seeks a candidate to aid in the "continuation of Red Steel". The posting also seems to indicate interest in finding an applicant with online experience, indicating that the Red Steel sequel will feature online play.

Expect a formal announcement soon. Michael McWhertor

Wow, using the Wii-mote looks like WORK—especially when there's some guy who looks like Gordon Liu making fun of you in a bad accent. Brian Ashcraft

This cool little video shows four player split-screen Red Steel. Looks like it could be fun. Also looks like it could lead to black eyes and broken lamps. Brian Crecente

Those of you wondering, like myself, exactly how Red Steel is controlled may want to mosey over to CVG (again) and check out their hands-on report, which is full of nit and grit such as follows:

One thing to note, for the technically minded of you out there, is that the controller's aim does NOT work like a lightgun - your on-screen cursor isn't positioned in the exact location that you point the remote. It works more like a mouse - the sensor bar detects your movements and translates them to scaled-up movements on screen. And also like a mouse, there will be a sensitivity option that'll allow you to set how fast the on-screen cursor moves relative to your hand movements.

I recently got into a knock-down, drag-out fight about whether Bushido Blade was the thinking man's Tekken, or worthless, flailing chaos. As I shoved Stickypig's swollen face ever deeper into the plaid sofa cushions, I screamed that you weren't SUPPOSED to just flail around, you were supposed to actually wait, think, block, and circle. The sword fights in Red Steel seem to be vaguely evocative of that system, but I doubt anyone will ever truly have patience for a one-hit kill system.

Except me. Jesus wept, I am so alone. Eliza Gauger

Red Steel Hands-On [CVG]

A short but sweet tip sent in by David draws our attention to the Red Steel homepage, where "Players: 1-4" is happily proclaimed.

The last video I saw of Red Steel was the game actually being played at the Paris party, and seeing the clumsy, drag-and-drop menu system was enough to pull another leg out from under my enthusiasm for the title.

I'm hoping Red Steel will be playable at Wii kiosks, and not just sports titles. For me, the Wii is definitely a try-before-you-buy prospect. Eliza Gauger

Red Steel [Wii]
Previously on Kotaku: Red Steel Party Bleeds Over Paris

To get Paris excited for the upcoming Wii title, Ubisoft threw a party filled with French ladies pretending to be Japanese ladies and heavy handed visual puns like red curtains and red lights. Boy, that's subtle. The game and controls have been retooled post E306, and Ubisoft was showing off the near final version of the sword wielding, gun shooting yakuza game. Hack your way over to Jeux-France for images of the festivities and screenshots. Brian Ashcraft

Red Steel Party [Jeux-France, Thanks creamsugar!]

Plucked from the pages of a game mag, reader Bill was kind enough to send in a scan of one of the most confusing advertisements for a video game I've ever seen. I believe that if you cut this apart and put it together, as explained, you'll get some sort of proverb/clue that can be used while calling the number listed on the side.I kinda dig this Red Steel Ad because I love how puzzely it is. Brian Crecente

Today is full of videos, for which I apologize. It's just what the feeds doled out last night.

Brand new as of the 14th, this Red Steel trailer is full of the new control scheme, good music (hopefully in-game), and and undoubtedly exaggerated gestures on the part of the "gamer". But this footage gets me stoked about being given more opportunity to play video games in a way that utilizes more than my thumbs.

But check out the totally un-bushido way that the hero stabs that ninja once he's already disarmed. For shame.

The gleaming white mini-katana (I know it has a real name but none of my Japanese-speaking friends are talking to me) in the background hints at a custom wiimote from my dreams. Eliza Gauger

Click here for full-quality version of the above video [IGN]

I didn't spend a lot of time with Red Steel at last week's Wii event. I had played with it quite a bit at E3 and figured I didn't need even more time with the game. But what time I did spend with the shooter reaffirmed my feelings that the controls need some work.

It just feels like the controls are a little too loose for a shooter. I didn't feel like the reticule was aiming where I was pointing exactly, or when I was pointing there.

Even worse, the game would just lose my controller at times. Apparently what would happened was that my pointer would slip out of the sensor's borders for a second, making the screen kind of slip around while I tried to get it to start recognizing my remote again.

It was annoying, and shouldn't happen at all, let alone a few times in five or so minutes of play. I suspect this has something to do with a sensitivity setting that can still be tweaked. I noticed Metroid Corruption, which could run into the same problem, seemed to re-find the remote very quickly when it happened.

I didn't leave myself enough time to get far enough into the new demo to test out the improved sword play, but I did get to check out one of the new features: Zoom. By holding in a button and extending your arm toward the screen, the image would magnify, sort of like a full-screen zoom. Kinda cool.

I'm still on the line about Red Steel. It just seems to have to many control issues to make it worth my while to buy. Hopefully that will change by launch, because shooters definitely seem to work on the Wii.

Hit the jump for the updated Red Steel fact sheet. Brian Crecente

Red Steel

Product Description
Red Steel is an exclusive Wii launch title that takes full advantage of the console's innovative controller and puts players directly into the action-packed first-person experience with the weapon in their hand - literally.

An engaging storyline unfolds as you learn that your fianc e has been kidnapped and her father - a Japanese mafia kingpin - murdered by a rival gang. The only way to save your loved one and defend your honor is to journey from Los Angeles to Japan and confront the Tokyo underworld.

By learning the ancient art of Japanese fighting with your katana and the focused precision of modern firearms, you will progress and adapt yourself to this foreign environment, where skills alone may not guarantee you victory.

Key Features

Exclusively for Nintendo's new-gen system Wii
Red Steel is the only original first-person action game built from the ground up for the Wii.

The Weapon Is in Your Hand
Take full advantage of the revolutionary Wii controller, and control the action like never before. You'll replicate sword-fighting movements and eliminate enemies quickly by directly targeting and shooting them.

Master the Deadly Steel
Execute deadly combo moves using multiple swords or choose from a variety of firearms for longer-range attacks.

Focus Is Key
Learn to harness your mental power to unleash powerful attacks in dire situations, and use the "focus system" to freeze time and effectively target several enemies at once.

Become a Modern Samurai
Learn the art of Japanese fighting, and then use these skills to take out your enemies or gain their respect and loyalty by sparing them.

Multiplayer Modes
Challenge friends with various split-screen multiplayer modes to see who the real master is.

Product Specifications:
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Paris
Ship Date: Holiday 2006
Category: First-Person Action
Rating: Rating Pending (T anticipated)
Website: www.redsteelgame.com

2006 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Red Steel, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Wii and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo.

Outstanding news for me, Red Steel, and anyone who wanted a little blood spray on their Wii: German games site Nintendo-Lan says that Ubisoft told them swordplay will be realtime and realfeel, and furthermore that there will be NO LOAD TIMES.

Mordrag: Hi, in your interview with Ubisoft you could ask how the swordfighting is going to work now, because it was announced to be redesigned. So that the swordmoves aren't predetermined any more but are converted 1:1.

N-LAN: That's the case indeed. The developer has confirmed that the control scheme will be completely redesigned so that the controller moves are converted into the game precisely. Besides the controller sensitivity will be completely adjustable in the final version. And the graphics were improved very well since E3, now the atmosphere is darker and thrilling. But that's not all, there will be even more improvements on the graphics side.

Mordrag: Furthermore you could ask Ubisoft if there are any loading times in Red Steel or in other games on the Wii.

N-LAN: In Red Steel there will be no loading times at all because of smart streaming techniques. How it's handled in other Wii games we can't say at the moment. But it's a fact that Mario Strikers Charged will have loading times similar to the Gamecube version of the game.

This is excellent. A darker, more hackyslashy Nintendo awaits us on the Wii. I heard Frodo complaining today on the Weekly Geek that he was worried about his poor little girly arms getting tired out by all that slicing in the new Zelda.

I'd like to state for the record that Frodo is a pussy, and that if Red Steel has any multiplayer, I'm going to slice his face with big, arm-tiring sweeps of my wiikatana. Eliza "Cherry blossoms in snow" Gauger

More here [Cubed3, via Digg]