Update: The official Red Steel 2 website also went up today, prominently featuring the game’s logo and a catchphrase highlighting MotionPlus compatibility. Keep an eye out for updates.

Ubisoft officially announced today that Red Steel 2, the second installment in its katana-brandishing first person shooter hybrid, will hit the Nintendo Wii later this holiday season.

Set on a high-tech metropolis surrounded by an arid desert, Red Steel 2 utilizes the soon-to-be-released MotionPlus attachment for 1:1 precision and mapping of movements on-screen. For instance, the game will take into account how much force players put into a katana swing and deal damage accordingly, based on the impact and strength of the blow.

“Red Steel was a unique opportunity for Ubisoft to work in tandem with Nintendo to create a title exclusively for the launch of the Wii console,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing US at Ubisoft. “Red Steel 2 is another milestone for the company as it is the first Ubisoft title with full Wii MotionPlus integration.”

Red Steel 2 is due out exclusively on Nintendo Wii this coming holiday season. While the presser below was fairly light on details, more concrete information is promised for the June issue of Nintendo Power.

UBISOFT® UNSHEATHES RED STEEL® 2
Sword-and-Gun Action Fighting Title to Return at Holiday 2009

SAN FRANCISCO – April 29, 2009 – Today Ubisoft announced Red Steel 2, exclusively for the Wii(TM) system from Nintendo. Red Steel remains one of the most successful Wii titles and the only brand created specifically for the launch of the platform. Red Steel 2 is being developed by Ubisoft Paris and will be available for the 2009 holiday season.

Red Steel 2 returns with an artistic style and flair created just for Wii. Set in a desert-bound, high-tech metropolis, Red Steel 2 is a revolution in the action-fighting genre, taking full advantage of the capabilities of the Wii MotionPlus(TM) accessory. Your movements are faithfully replicated on-screen, putting the emphasis on swinging, shooting and fun! With the ability of the Wii MotionPlus to sense the strength of a swing, you will literally be able to make an impact on your adversaries through power and precision.

“Red Steel was a unique opportunity for Ubisoft to work in tandem with Nintendo to create a title exclusively for the launch of the Wii console,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing US at Ubisoft. “Red Steel 2 is another milestone for the company as it is the first Ubisoft title with full Wii MotionPlus integration.”

Just as Red Steel broke ground as the only third-party brand created for the launch of the Wii, Red Steel 2 will be the must-have game of Holiday 2009 for those who wish to stretch their own capacities and fully experience a game that was built from the ground up to take advantage of the Wii MotionPlus.

More details on Red Steel 2 will be revealed in the June issue of Nintendo Power magazine. For more information on Red Steel 2, please visit www.redsteel2.com.

Ubisoft Officially Unveils Red Steel 2, Set for Holiday 2009 Debut [eXophase.com]