The Call of Duty 4 engine is now on Wii and it looks freaking awesome. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=16807 Before I delve into how the latest Call of Duty on Wii controls, I have to tell everyone the breaking news regarding this game: it looks fantastic. At first glance, I thought this was the Xbox 360 version of the game. It wasn't until I got closer and noticed a Wii Remote and Nunchuk that I realized it was the Wii version. Upon further inspection, it is clearer that it is not the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 version but the fact of the matter is that Treyarch got the Call of Duty 4 engine to work on Wii and its looks marvelous.
Great graphics aside, Call of Duty: World at War for Wii controls nicely too. While I didn't get a chance to see the 8-player online multiplayer, I did get to play a sample from an early level of the American campaign in single player and I was also able to play Squadmate alongside an Activision employee on a later level.
The game is intuitive to control as the analog stick on the Nunchuk controls the player while the pointer on the Wii Remote aims the shooting reticule. The B button fires and the A exchanges weapons. Reloading is done by shaking the Nunchuk or pressing the minus button. Secondary functions, such as grenades, can be controlled by Wii Remote gesture or on the Nunchuk's buttons. The best part of these controls is that they are customizable and they can be geared to how exactly you want to play. While I was not able to test the Wii Zapper, there is supposed to be a Wii Zapper specific control scheme.
Throughout my time on the level called "Hard Landing," I spent the majority of it being ambushed by Japanese soldiers. The cinematic aspect of the levels was showed off as the beginning of the level started quietly until the soldiers found a crashed vehicle. Upon investigation, Japanese soldiers sporting guns with bayonets ambushed the American team. While I downed most of these enemies, one of them ran at me and knocked me down. Right before this soldier was about to gut me with his bayonet, the game quickly hinted at pressing down on the Wii Remote's d-pad and my soldier fought back with a well-timed knife to the neck. According to developers, these events show up often. As I got farther through the level, I noticed how well the game's Combat Look camera system works. Instead of having to worry about always keeping the Wii Remote's pointer aligned perfectly, the game made it easier for me.
Contrary to the first player, the second player in Squadmate mode only uses the Wii Remote. The controls for the Squadmate are a lot simpler and will best be used for novices to the genre or fans of shooting galleries. Basically, all you do is point and shoot. Reloading is either done automatically or by the A or minus button. The only problem is that the Squadmate can only change guns when the first player stops dead over one. During my play, I had to remind the first player that I needed a new gun because I am out of ammo. Other than that, Squadmate mode is a very nice addition and will hopefully function similarly to Super Mario Galaxy's co-op mode.
Despite some small issues, Call of Duty: World at War looks like it will be the most complete first person shooter experience on the Wii when it ships this November.
Video taken by Aaron Kaluszka at the Fall 2008 Nintendo Media Summit.
Topic: IMPRESSIONS: Call Of Duty: World At War (Read 2184 times)
