Since the birth of the First Person Shooter on the PC way back in the early 90's the matter of aiming your weapon has been a primary focus. Early "2.5d" games like Wolfenstein3D and Doom got buy with primarily keyboard only controls because of their flat plane style of aiming. As long as you had your enemy lined up on your X axis, the shots you fired would find him. With the arrival of Quake and its true 3D world, Aiming with the mouse became the preferred way to play. If you played online (over a modem of course!) you had to learn how to use this strange new analog method of pointing and shooting. When Nintendo established the 3D era of console gaming with the Nintendo64, they brought a new method of control: The analog stick. Rare brought the legendary GoldenEye to the N64 audience and the first "legit" console FPS was upon us. The analog stick went dual and this became the standard way to play a first person shooter on the console for a number of years.
Hold it! I've got a big problem here. I suck at controlling FPS games with dual analog. I'm not really very good at single analog either. It's not just me. The gaming industry as a whole largely views the dual analog as an inferior way to play compared to the keyboard and mouse. Tired of the PC hardware rat race and frustrated with dual analog I looked forward to next gen. The 360 was introduced, and the controller remained largely the same. PS3 is revealed and the layout is near identical to the dualshock (yeah, the sixaxis waggle came later, but that doesn't help me any) One contendor remained, and controller speculation ran wild across the internet. Finally, at TGS 2005, Iwata drops the bomb: a radical new controller with gyroscopic-like tech that allows for free aim! HOLY CRAP I CAN PLAY FIRST PERSON SHOOTERS AGAIN.
So, what have we got on the Wii so far? we let's give a run down shall we?
Red Steel
Redsteel certainly has its share of detractors. The first Wii game the public got an in depth look at, expectations ran high. I personally enjoyed the game, but plenty of others were disappointed in the controls, the graphics, and overall lack of polish. Fear not! Red Steel 2 is on the horizon and hopefully the extra time and experience that Ubisoft can give the sequel will result in a better recieved FPS.
Single Player: Yes! with sword fighting too!
Offline Multiplayer: Yes! Four Player Split Screen DeathMatch, Team Deathmatch and Mission Mode
Online Multiplayer: No! Hopefully in the sequel.
Call of Duty 3
Coming out at launch, this game was drawn up alongside Red Steel for inevitable compare and contrast pieces. In general, CoD 3's controls were viewed upon more favorably, feeling more fluid, or quick, in every way. Also, while CoD3's main characters didn't wield swords, they executed a small assortment of motion-controlled gestures like planting explosive charges, wrestling over rifles with enemy soldiers in scripted sequences, or turning cranks. But while the game may have fared better critically compared to Red Steel, there were relatively few fans who would forgive it for being a straightforward (albeit very "Call of Duty") one-player only experience compared to glossier, online versions on other consoles.
Single Player: Campaign mode
Offline Multiplayer: Nope. Zilch. Nada. Zippo.
Online Multiplayer: See above.
Far Cry: Vengeance
Yes, it's a horrible port. The graphics look first-gen last-gen, the FMVs tear, and my younger brother actually gasped in pleasant surprise the first time he saw the game run at a steady 10 fps. And of course, it's ironic that FarCry was a franchise reknowned for its graphics when it first came out on the PC. But, even though this title didn't quite make it for the Wii's launch (it was released mid december), it exhibited some of the most solid controls of any early Wii FPS. Too bad there were so few willing to look past the look of this game long enough to discover the feel of it.
Single Player: You better believe it!
Offline Multiplayer: Two-player split-screen versus
Online Multiplayer: Hey, this Ubisoft, remember?
Medal of Honor: Vanguard
Medal of Honor Vanguard that sounds decent on paper, but has some shortcomings. The Graphics are decent (good lighting) The controls are customizable. and it actually plays well once you tweak it to your liking. However it doesn't have the most inspired missions, the WWII sub genre is tired, and the game is short (I think it took me around seven hours, and I take a long time to play through games) However, a glimmer of hope was born with this EA title and the upcoming sequel is sounding good, plus it rocks the 32 player online!
Single Player: Yes! But it's short and you've played similar levels before.
Offline Multiplayer: Yes! 4 player splitscreen Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, abd Scavenger Hunt
Online Multiplayer: No! But the sequel does have it.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Yes I know, it's a FIRST PERSON ADVENTURE. It makes the list though because it has more shooter elements than the previous two GC titles, and it really is the definitive FPS on the Wii so far. Great graphics, sound, and control. It doesn't get much better than this. Not just on the Wii, but anywhere.
Single Player: Yes! and it's freaking fantastic
Offline Multiplayer: No! Samus is at her best as a lone wolf
Online Multiplayer: No! Wait, does trading friend vouchers count?
There we have it, the First Person Shooter experience on the Wii. The future of the genre looks undeniable on the Wii, with
Brothers in Arms: Double Time (tactical FPS ooooh)
Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 (32 online multiplayer!)
Red Steel 2 (Can Ubisoft do us justice?)
Special thanks to Kairon for his contributed summaries. Now go forth and shoot something! In the face!
Topic: Shooting Things (From a First Person Point of View) (Read 6545 times)
