The Wii version of Modern Warfare manages to hold its ground with its HD counterparts.
While Modern Warfare 2 is pretty much captivating FPS fans on the PS3 and 360 at the moment, Activision and Treyarch have also rolled out the first title once again, this time for the Nintendo Wii. While the original Modern Warfare skipped out on Nintendo's home console the first time around, instead opting to go from Call of Duty 3 straight to 5, the wait has probably done the port quite a bit of good. I'd venture to say that I actually think MW, now subtitled Reflex, is a far better representation of what a FPS title on the Wii can be, and manages to edge out World at War in overall control and ease of use. There's still some mental hurdles to overcome, there was a bit of a learning curve for me when it came to wrapping my head around the motion controls in a game that I had grown used to playing with a controller up to this point, but for Wii only gamers I think there's enough good about Modern Warfare Reflex that makes it worth seeking out.
If you're completely unfamiliar with the game, and have obviously been living under a rather large rock at this point, Modern Warfare is the title that Infinity Ward developed under the Call of Duty moniker that took the series out of it's comfortable World War 2 setting for the first time. It came equipped with one of the best multiplayer experiences on consoles at that point in time, and generated a huge base of fans that still support the title to this day. This port actually manages to retain every single aspect about the original that made it so great, and it's nice to see that nothing was chopped or cut to make it work on the Wii. The visuals have taken a hit, sure, and there's a little more distance fog and other tricks applied to get things running smoothly (for the most part), but it's nice to see the online component carry over so well, and intact to boot.
The experience isn't without a few hiccups though, framerate can get a little choppy at times, more noticeable during the hectic firefights of course, but still a pain to deal with and see. And like I mentioned, the visuals do take a noticeable hit from the 360 and PS3 versions, with some less than ideal textures. The animation quality is actually pretty good though, I thought characters looked very close to their HD counterparts, and independent solider movement and mannerisms were pretty much the same. The graphics issue isn't something that could be entirely avoided, but it's hard to say whether or not it could have been improved a bit more.
As far as controls go, possibly the most important aspect of having the game on the Wii in the first place, it's a really good experience. There are a number of preset modes you can choose from at the on-set, but if none of that works for you, you can opt to go in and fine-tune some details. It'll take some playing around with to get the right feel, none of the presets were entirely to my liking, but chances are you'll be able to find a fit. It's nearly as varied in selection as The Conduit was, which is saying something. The basics have you aiming with the Wii remote, moving with the nunchuk, and then various button combinations for tossing grenades, running, and keeping aim steady when in sniper mode. You can also lock the screen when aiming, which is incredibly useful for keeping things steady if you have a bit of a shaky hand.
I'm not sure that I could see the point in picking this up if you already own a PS3 or 360, while the controls for the Wii version are certain neat and work well, I'd still prefer to play the game on a regular controller, in part because that's where the majority of my experience with the game already lies. However, if you're a Wii only owner, and you've been wondering what the hype is all about, I can see little reason not to pick this one up. It manages to pack in everything the original had, and the online side of things works extremely well, with no issues in finding games or lag that I could find in the many games I played. If nothing else, the online experience really puts your control set-up to the test, and you'll find yourself getting accustomed to the controls quicker than you will in the single player game. Either way, it's a really great FPS title, and improves enough upon World at War's set-up to make it worth checking out.
