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Heatseeker: The Missile Strikes Far Above Mediocrity

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 42 / 42
Date: May 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

As many gamers already know, the hype for Heatseeker's release was lukewarm at best; branded as 'yet another Wii port,' the game was originally designed for Sony's Playstation 2 and PSP systems, respectively. Hardcore gamers and flight simulator aficionados alike lamented the news that a Wii edition was also in the works. "Here comes yet another game that was designed for last-generation systems and prior to release, was quickly 'wii-ified;'" This seemed the universal groan - that is, until May 1, 2007, arrived.

With only a few hours of gameplay logged under their nerdified belts, reviewers began critiquing the title on gaming portals across the web; as has been the trend with Wii releases, the reviews were incredibly mixed. Gamers and published writers alike didn't know what to think of the game - I follow suit.

Heatseeker is best described as a Wii software package at once extraordinarily entertaining yet also inevitably disappointing. Although the positive attributes are numerous, the same can be said of the game's downfalls. To begin, the story is entirely irrelevant. You are a fighter pilot employed by the "International Counsel" (think UN) to maintain peace and resolve military conflicts worldwide. That's about all there is to know. You and your team will face unknown rivals from imaginary nations and to be honest, none of the details are of any matter or interest. Items and aircraft highlighted in green are to be destroyed and those in blue to be protected. Simple as that. Feel free to disregard the convoluted and wholly unnecessary plot.

Assuming their customers to have read the instructions manual (ha! who are they kidding?!), one doesn't receive much instruction regarding the game's controls. You are told to maintain direction via Wiimote and speed through the nunchuck. Button B, or the Wiimote's trigger, fires weapons and A, the transparent circular button, targets enemies. Beyond that, the rest is for you to figure out via guess and check or to resolve through manual consultation - whichever you choose, do so early on. Before you know it, missiles will be locking onto your aircraft and being an uninformed gamer will certainly not protect you from impact.

The game's controls are wonderfully intuitive, simply put. The on-screen HUD and cursor are responsive and the nunchuck's control stick acts as a delightful aerial gearshift. To my surprise, the game's developers spent a great deal of time perfecting these inputs and believe me, their efforts do not go unnoticed. The controls are, without question, Heatseeker's redeeming characteristic. Because of their near perfection, you can *almost* forget about the in-game graphics... almost.

This is where the being a PS2 port becomes wildly apparent. No doubt about it, the title's graphics are horrifically last-generation and in some cases, maybe even two generations old (yes, I'm talking about the N64/PS1 era). The somewhat standard "jagged edge" PS2 appearance is maintained on the Wii - any line that isn't perfectly 180 degrees will look overtly sharp and distorted. Grounded objects are hideously rendered with the trees being no more than 2-D replicas of one another and the homes/hangers lacking detail, texture, and substance. The in-game water is sub-par but sufficient; the wave effects may be last gen but they prove effective enough.

To be fair, not every graphical element is shudder-worthy. The planes themselves are nicely designed with decent detail and flair. In addition, the cloud and particle effects do break from convention, looking considerably better than the PS2 equivalent. Explosions and missile launches are beautifully rendered - everything from smoke effects down to the debris' decent look marvelous. In fact, pilots are even ejected from their cockpits in the rare instances that their planes do not explode on impact; you will occasionally encounter one of their parachuted bodies gliding downwards to safety. Bear in mind, however, that although there is the occasional "wow" moment, this game is, graphically speaking, far from perfect.

As a final note, one should also understand that Heatseeker is NOT a realistic aerial sim but instead, an arcade-style action title. Just as you shouldn't expect your aircraft take-offs and landings to resemble those of real-life military aircraft, don't think the in-game dogfights to be nearly as insipid. This title grabs you by your pilot's jacket and won't allow you rest until all of your foes are rightly downed and decommissioned!

PROS -
+ Downright enthralling; expect to play for several hours without break!
+ Intense and wholly enjoyable high-action gaming; controls are positively brilliant.
+ Skillful voice acting, amusing cut-scenes and faux news anchor video footage.
+ Lengthy story mode; missions are multi-objective, immersive, and numerous.

CONS -
-- Occasionally ugly presentation; ground-based structures are insultingly hideous whilst aerial elements are adequate and at times, exceptional.
-- Mission composition is somewhat linear; shoot ships, shoot planes, shoot structures, repeat.
-- Wii version is unfairly priced twenty dollars higher than its PS2 companion, despite the fact that the games are identical content-wise.

Heatseeker rocks!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: May 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have been waiting for this game for a long time now and now that I've played it I can honestly say that the wait was worth it. This game is a whole lot of fun and worth the bucks. It reminds me a lot of Rogue Squadron only more fun using the wii remote. However, if you do play the control scheme 2 with the nunchuck being the flight strick is probably the best to do because it makes everything way better. The only gripes I have is that it needs a multiplayer and the graphics could be a bit better, however the gameplay more than makes up for it.

Great action play! Simple, but not too simple!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: November 30, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3GX2VGNGMXTIU My only beef with this game is that it's very redundant and unrealistic. However, real life is boring, so they had to put in non-real-world scenarios and give your fighter endless ammo limited only by over-heating. I love the controls of the game, it really adds to the fun! Here's a video of how it all works!

A fun 3/5 worth $30.00 game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: October 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I was actually able to pickup this game for $20.00 a week ago, and have been blasting through the missions. The flight controls take some getting used to, but once you know them, flying around is a lot of fun. Unlimited missiles and ammo is a bit unrealistic, but fine for this type of arcade title.

What's lacking?
- Multiplayer support (vs or coop would have been nice)
- Next-gen graphics (the Wii's capabilties were not pushed at all)
- A compelling storyline (Tie Fighter back in the day had an awesome story)

Overall, a fun ride, and worth $30.00 if you can find the game for that price. Hopefully enough people will buy this game, prompting Codemasters to make a sequel incorporating one or more of the above points. Then we'd have a 4/5 or 5/5 title.

Great game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I just bought this game a few days ago and so far I think its a terrific game. I don't agree with any of the critisism from online review sites for this game. First of all, the graphics seem fine and in many cases beautiful, when viewed on my non-plasma/lcd traditional TV. Second, the gameplay is always challenging and whatever unique elements they add to each level really provides a new and exciting challenge to the player each time. But don't worry, you end up getting so good at the excellent controls that you can handle the difficulty as long as you select the right plane and configuration for the mission.

This is what I love about the wii, just like in need for speed carbon, you can get so caught up in the motions you make with the controlers that after playing for a while, you almost feel somehting similar to sea sickness. Well that's probably not a good thing but at least its really fun to play.

The fun doesn't last long...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Edited: In hindsight, this game should have been a 2/5.

The game has its merits, but it just doesn't last. Being a huge fan of the Wii remote, I thought this and many other games had great potential. This one could have paid off, but instead falls flat.

The title of the game gives it away. You're going to be lining yourself up behind an enemy, launching a missile, rinsing and repeating. The variety of gameplay is so limited that it would only last for a very narrow audience. The graphics are rather poor, even considering the way the Wii's graphics have looked since launch. The controls aren't fun either, because while they could have implemented a joystick-style (like in a real cockpit) but instead chose to use a stupid control scheme that makes no sense.

Essentially, I'd say stay away from this game unless you get a deal. The controls are interesting but not quite what I (and I'm sure others) would have hoped for, and the variety of gameplay just can't last.

Fun but tricky for a novice

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

If you're looking for an interesting and challenging shooter game Heatseeker is a good choice. The "plot" is useless, time-consuming and generally annoying but the actual action is challenging. The fact that you can upgrade weapons and planes adds to the fun. The graphics are good... not particularly noteworthy but adequate.
As a novice gamer (my last system was a Super Nintendo), it was difficult to get the hang of the controls although they really are fairly intuitive. (I had to restart the first mission about a dozen times before I got the hang of the controls -- coulda' read the manual... naaaah)
Worth the money. Go for it

Great game, but controls are difficult

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 6
Date: June 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Controls on this game on pro mode are very difficult, but pro mode is all the excitement of maneuvering the plane. It's either that or I've just played too many flight simulator games, and I better start getting a life. Seem like a joke, but if you think about it it's sad at the same time.

flier

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: October 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I need takeoffs & landings, it shuld be easer to fly the aiecraft, reduce the number of controls. I don't fly it much because of all the complications.

If you liked After Burner, you will love this!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Honestly I like Heat Seeker; reminds me of the arcade hit After Burner. It has everything that makes a video game great including unlimited ammo and missiles. The graphics are great for the wii and the wii remote integration is natural. You start out with a basic jet and then move on to faster ones as you successfully complete missions. The missions have a common theme; shoot everything, don't get hit. You can also upgrade the type of missiles your jet carries but I have found only slight differences in the performance of each one. Any jet you fly has two speed settings; fast and hela-fast, watch out for mountains. If you're a coward just shoot everything down with missiles, if you like a challenge try shooting down enemies with your canon. I was never much for school or relationships but I have become quite good with the canon.

The Good: Nice graphics. Awesome rendition of retro shoot'em up game. Interesting missions (some actually require more than holding down the fire button). Take out land and air targets with a cool arsenal of weapons. Nice natural control with the wii remote.

The Bad: Really annoying Commander voice, stop yelling for crying out loud! Your jet can take damage when in a fight but it will eventually become unusable. You really just have to ditch it and start over. You can set the controls to video game or real flight mode. I'm no pilot but I tried real flight mode but after landing in the ocean every time I've given up on that. The unlimited ammo gives this game a hint of unrealistic play but it is what it is.

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