After being unveiled in our pages a few short months ago, Red Steel was shared with a wider audience at E3 in playable form, and was easily the most talked-about third-party game for the Wii. Unlike the version we saw in Paris, the E3 build of Red Steel had both the shooting and swordplay sections of the game playable, as well as some of the other motion-based features, such as reloading and opening doors. The Freeshot feature, which allows you to pause time and pick your targets, was in place, as was the ability to command surrendered foes with gestures. But getting to finally try the swordplay was easily the biggest thrill, as we faced off against a boss character at the end of the demo level.

Not only did the remote accurately replicate our actual sword slashes, but the recently unveiled motion sensor in the nunchuck attachment could be used to parry attacks. Just as the Red Stel team promised, timing and observation was key to winning the saber duels nearly everyone had as kids, so anyone who ever dreamed of being a samurai will pick it right up.

Both the sword and gun sections of the game will be polished even further before release, but Red Steel was already playing remarkably well, and we’re confident it will be one of the hottest games of the Wii launch.