Best 1st Person Multiplayer Shooter for the Wii...and that's just sad.
In general: this game is just another re-skinned crapfest CoD game. With a few tweaks and some added items, the core trash-heap that is CoD: insert-tagline-here remains. Flashy, theatrical single-player campaign with linear, repeating, limited game options are an insult to anyone looking for an interesting challenge.
Nevertheless I gave this game a chance and did have some fun with it. The single-player campaign is the best yet with story-line and characters. The maps and scenery are not particularly interesting this time around; in fact they are boring as hell compared to MW1 and MW2. But the story, as unoriginal as it is, caused me to care about the characters and the outcome because of its execution, dialogue, and terrific voice acting. The tie-ins to real events in history add a personal and exciting touch. But make no mistake about the game play: there is no real challenge here. Sure it can be DIFFICULT sometimes when you get to a choke-point that kills you within nanoseconds, but in order to get past it the game allows nothing but the option to re-try and re-try it again and again until your reflexes and trigger button manage to clear your path to the next scenario. "OK, when I restart this again, I need to shoot the guys on the left, then grenade the guys on the right, then duck behind the box." Process of elimination. Mindless. Uninspired.
And then there's the ever-so-popular multiplayer; the meat and potatoes of what has become of the CoD franchise. SERIOUS OWNAGE! EPIC! NO-SCOPED YOU! I PWN! 360 KNIFE KILL! Pass me the vomit bucket, please. Having spent about 3 hours online I have not learned how to navigate the maps yet (I've played them all but I still can't find my way around well which puts me at a huge disadvantage), I have not unlocked the best weapons yet, I am at level 23, and I have a 1.6 K/D ratio, and placed 1st in many games, and always end up in the top 3. Is that a big deal? NOT AT ALL. I'm merely saying this so that you, the reader know that the "you don't like it because you suck" argument flies like a rock with me.
Some improvements:
1. The point system. Here you can basically unlock what you want for the most part using points as currency instead of having to follow a specified path with each weapon or perk.
2. The kill-streak reward system. MW2 had the most flawed kill-streak reward system in the history of gaming. 5 kills put you on a snowball effect kill-streak reward path that could easily win an entire game with only 5 real kills (the rest are handled by all your air support as you just relax and let them do all the work). Here, your kill-streak rewards do not count toward the ones higher on the ladder.
3. Deletion of the nuke option. MW2 granted a NUKE as a 25 kill-streak reward. Cool, huh? Not cool when all the unskilled children that played it exploited the "nuke-boosting" tactic. But that does not exist here, so bravo.
Why this game blows:
1. Spawn system: the biggest complaint since MW1 got popular was the nauseating spawn system. Not only has it not improved, it has gotten WORSE. I spawn 3 feet in front of an enemy, or vice versa. I have spawned on grenades. I have spawned to the blade of an enemy knife. I have spawned in the crosshairs of the infamous NOOB-TUBE. I have spawned in the dead center of 3 enemies that were only feet apart from each other. It happens to everyone, but that doesn't negate the fact that the biggest complaint from players fell on deaf ears when this rubbish was produced. This alone is reason not to buy this game.
2. CAMPING: the way these maps are designed, in a way, entices people to camp like scout-masters. Some argue that it's a good strategy to win. Yes, it is a good strategy to win. But it requires no skill or intelligent strategy. Therein lies the flaw. Flanking, teamwork, varied loadouts and tactical warfare have no place here. Any 4 year old can camp and win.
3. MAP DESIGN: These itsy-bitsy little maps are quite cute, indeed. They remind me of playing soccer in kindergarten. 22 small children frantically kicking and running in every direction, within a 20 foot radius. If you do get lucky enough to flank someone and are not equipped with a silencer you have about 3 seconds before another enemy is on your 6. You could try sniping, but due to the small nature of the maps that won't do you any good, either. Fire one shot and you'll be stabbed in the back before you can put your next bullet in the chamber. And so to what then do the players resort? SEE #2 ABOVE.
4. Glitches, hacks, and cheats: since this game is still in its pupae stages of online play, it's only a matter of time before players resort to using glitches and hacks to take them to victory. This I predict because it was rampant in MW1...then MW2 was infected with so many of these unskilled maggots it became virtually unplayable. The only way I play MW2 anymore is in a private match. And Lack Ops (excuse me, Black Ops) is virtually the same as its predecessors, with the players migrating straight to it like lemmings with no foresight.
This game requires virtually no skill whatsoever. But it can be fun in a private match with friends. I give this game points because of that, and because the single-player campaign was fun to follow.
It is pretty sad that the Wii's best online 1st person multiplayer is this pathetic little game. But the Wii is simply not built for this type of game. XBOX 360, PS3, and PC simply cannot be touched in that department. The Wii has its place in the gaming community, and this certainly is alien territory.
I do not understand how Activision and Treyarch get away with re-skinning a severely flawed, all-sizzle-and-no-steak game again and again. Yes, I do actually. Because people run out and buy it in droves, and the producers are laughing all the way to the bank. This series is like the countless trashy romance novels you find in grocery stores: constructed from a superficial, overused template; boring, heartless, and as intellectually engaging as having a conversation with the cast of Jersey Shore. The only thing Activision could do to more clearly tell its customers what it's doing is to put Fabio on the front of each case. And at midnight when so many children line up to buy MW3 (which I'm sure will be coming out this year) across the nation, I shall again be reminded of the shopping mall in "Dawn of the Dead" (1978).
*REVIEW UPDATE* Confirmed hackers. What a shocker.
*REVIEW UPDATE #2* 15 of 21 users who read this review never played a game that requires any skill or strategy.