I know we usually don’t deal with console games, but we need something on the blog, and since i am at a loss for PC gaming information, I decided to post this.
If you’re like me and got a Wii because of the first party games, then your friends probably think you have an odd white brick with a LED light on it next to your TV. Minus those few times a week that my little sisters play “Disney Sing It” and those once every few months Super Smash Bros. Brawl comes handy at parties, the thing gets almost no action nowadays.
I had been hearing about this game several months before it came out. Things like “best first person shooter for Wii” floated around the net after E3. The only one i have ever played was Red Steel, but i still agree. The single player mode is great for both kids and adults, due to its original hardness level and that there are checkpoints that autosave to your account (which you can have three of) so if you die (unlimited lives) or turn off your Wii, you restart there. The controls are as perfect as i can think, the only problem being if you scratch your back with the nunchuck you throw a nade (happened to me like five times, then i walk in on my sister playing and happened to her twice in a row, lol) and the rare (hourly) freak out that prevents you from turning until you center your aim (lasts about 15 seconds). The guns can only be described at “fun”. They run out of bullets fairly quitckly, but ammo falls around you as if its raining bullets, so it’s fine. Some weapons charge up (usually optional), some have scopes, and some are random, such as one that shoots flaming balls that veer right after about a hundred feet (imagine my surprise: “OMG, why the hell are my bullets turning?!”). Of course, melee is fun via a stabbing motion with the Wiimote. Story has a cool intro but is really just an excuse for getting a guy to tell you where to go and what to do next. As for replay value, there are ten of these almost invisible blue things on every level, as well as notes on walls that you have to use your scanner (its a flashlight, in the end). I think you get cheats (if you ever played Ratchet and Clank, you know the deal) and art.
Now for what counts: the multi player. PC gamers will be mad at their Halo like matchmaking service. It takes about two minutes to start a game, but once you are in a party, games start every twenty seconds. Almost no lag, but i did get a glitch once when I logged into a team game. It was as if i was stuck in a wall or under a map, my gun floating in front of my, spinning with my turning motions, but I was unable to shoot. I doubt they will patch it (Wii sucks like that), but i have hopes that the game will use the little onboard memory (or a little bit of SDHC) to just fix the glitches. I am afraid asking for new content is too much… The modes include a team, a deathmatch (or one man army for those Combat Arms players), and a team objective (which I didnt play). There are various rulesets and starting wepon packs (you can find other weapons off dead bodies or the ground, as well as ammo). There is Wii speak content, but knowing Nintendo it is only with those you exchange the dreaded friend codes with. It’s fine though. There isn’t much strategy if you don’t want it.
All in all, this is a solid game. The about five hours of story and the collectibles I was talking about will keep you busy, as well as the about five difficulties. There may be no local multi player, but that’s okay due to screen size. For fifty bucks, this game is a good investment compared to all the crap Wii games there are out there. I would grade with an 85% due to issues that come with working off a Wii compared to a PC (though the graphics are very well done). Buy this with a bunch of friends and maybe set up an alternate source of voice chat (on PC via Skype or I’ve heard Xbox players use Live too) for great fun.
