Wiimote Makes This Game What a First-Person Shooter SHOULD be

OVERVIEW

Medal of Honor Heroes 2 adapts the popular Medal of Honor series for the Wii console (similar to the adaptation for the PlayStation Portable handheld).  The best way to think of it is as a sort of Medal of Honor 'Lite' - the core of the series' popularity is intact, but because of the limitations of the Wii (which has less processing power when compared to the Xbox 360 and PS3) some of the detail and immersion are gone.  Despite this, however, the game is a triumph for the Wii.

The game features:

- Arcade mode (which basically turns the game into a simplified first-person shooter as you're automatically shuttled through levels for the sake of expedience - it's sometimes called a "rail" shooter because you're moved around as though you were on a rail),
- Campaign mode (just like the other versions of the game where you're given objectives to complete - some of which appear during gameplay - en route to beating the game in one of three difficulty levels,
- Online play (which enables you to go online and jump into live play with as many as 32 other players, in three modes: deathmatch, team deathmatch, and infiltration/capture the flag).  Your online account will also track your performance in multiplayer combat.

GAMEPLAY

This is the most exciting part of the game.  Overall the gameplay is excellent (the game uses the combination of the Wiimote and nunchuk, or the Zapper), and makes good use of the unique properties of the Wii's motion-sensitive controllers.  Rather than aiming with a directional knob or pad, you point your Wiimote at the screen and shoot your targets (which makes playing considerably easier to get the hang of, especially for novices), while moving around with the directional knob and shuffling between weapons with the directional pad.

What sets the Wii version of the game apart (in a very positive way) from all of the other versions for other consoles is how well it makes use of the motion-sensitive controller.  When you throw a grenade, you actually reach back and throw the grenade.  Interacting with items in mission objectives is much more realistic (like turning the timer on an explosive device and breaking it off to set the fuse).  When you acquire a bazooka, to wield it, you actually raise the Wiimote up and invert it on your shoulder as though you were shouldering the weapon and then you use the directional knob to do the finer aiming before firing.  Similarly, manning the mounted .50 cal machine guns you encounter periodically in the game requires using "both hands" with the Wiimote and nunchuk.

PROS

- The game makes excellent use of the Wii's superb audio capabilities.  Explosions are bone-rattling, gunfire is jarring, and the ancillary sounds of moving through various forms of terrain and engaging in various tasks are richly detailed.

- The gameplay is fun and engaging, and the Wiimote is an absolute blast to use (what other console lets you actually 'throw' a grenade?).

- Processing is smooth and quick with very few hiccups - even online.  I have a middle-of-the-road DSL connection and am able to play over my wireless network with no problems or lag at all.

- The 'feel' of the game is appropriately somber and historically accurate; from the uniforms to the missions to the weapons.

CONS

- Occasionally the gameplay will get hung up if you point the Wiimote away from the screen (say, to throw a grenade) and it can be difficult to get back into the game in the middle of a lot of action.

- Environments aren't as immersive or as sprawling so the game play is a bit more limited.

- Graphics aren't as good as the current versions of the game on other consoles with better graphics processing technology.  This has practical consequences beyond purely aesthetics; faraway objects and characters are often difficult to discern (which is why the targeting system compensates by flashing 'red' or 'green' depending on whether the character is a 'foe' or 'friend').

- The AI of the enemies leaves something to be desired.  Your AI opponents will often crouch out in the open, or run blindly at you - yet many of them have an unrealistic level of accuracy in their shooting.  Given the three levels of game play, the difficulty from novice to veteran is a bit steep.