Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex Edition (Wii) Review
While the HD consoles are busy with Modern Warfare 2, the Wii is getting a version of its own. However, its version is more like “Not-So-Modern” Warfare because it’s really a port of the original game released two years ago just re-dubbed the “Reflex Edition” for some unknown reason. I assume it’s for the twitchy nature of the pointer controls, but only Activision — or God (a.k.a. Bobby Kotick) — really knows.
This is honestly one of the hardest reviews I’ve ever done. You see, in reviewing Modern Warfare for the Wii, you can look at it from several different perspectives. If you look at it one way, it’s a heavily downgraded port of a two-year old game being sold at full price. Another way of looking at it is that some people only own a Wii and haven’t yet had a chance to play the game. Then there are some that might just want to play Modern Warfare with pointer controls despite already having played the hell out of the HD version. For the sake of this review, I’ll just say I’m the latter of the three.
The Wii team at Treyarch — the same team responsible for both Call of Duty 3 and World at War — has returned to sharpen their skills in what would normally be an “off” year. Last year’s game, while still largely faithful to its HD counterparts, wasn’t quite there. It was missing an entire level in the single player campaign, as well as things like the unlockable Nazi Zombies mode and several multiplayer modes. So, it’s with that bit of information that I am pleased to say that everything from the original version of Modern Warfare is here. All maps. All missions. All modes. The only differences are, of course, the audio and video have been downgraded — it runs at 30 frames-per-second instead of 60, for example — the max number of online players is less, and the controls have been overhauled.
The final game (bottom) looks a bit better than the pre-alpha screens (top) we saw for months.
First, as far as visuals go, even though the machine its running on is technically a major downgrade, the game still looks pretty damn good, especially considering it was never intended to run on the Wii in the first place. It certainly looks better than World at War, and the framerate is much more stable this time around, which is crucial when using pointer controls. It’s only in the last two or three levels of the single player where things might become a problem, but it’s never especially frustrating. Both 480p and 16:9 are supported and make the game look considerably better on HD sets, and on the audio side, effects are clear, voices are crisp, and music is as well-timed as it should be. And sure, it’s only analog, but the directional accuracy of the Pro Logic II support is great. The only real significant difference lies in the explosions. Suffice it to say, just don’t expect much activity from your subwoofer.
Online, things are pretty solid, and that’s good news because, let’s face it, that’s really where this game’s longevity lies. I experienced some lag when someone came into the game with a horrible connection, but that’s inevitable. There is still no WiiSpeak support, which is a shame, and the typical Friend Code system is there for you to use. Added this time around, though, are game invites and the ability to join your friends in public servers, both taken straight out of The Conduit..
So, with the content being all there, and the graphics and sound taking a hit, what reason could there possibly be to buy this game over the HD version? Obviously that’s the controls, and even that’s a debatable reason for some people. I honestly have more fun playing with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk than I do with dual analog, and that’s due to the sheer nature of pointing and shooting, but there is a definite learning curve that could scare some people away. So, for those who haven’t ever played an FPS on the Wii before that might be considering this one, it should be noted that there are several presets on offer, and should none of those fit your bill, the dead zone, turning speed, cursor speed, button layout, and reticle are all fully customizable. Basically, if you can’t find something that works for you in this game, you probably won’t ever find a Wii FPS that will, so this is definitely a great one to start with.
And that brings me to the bottom line. This game isn’t new, but it’s new to the Wii. As far as the big picture, it’s harsh to say, but it really is a largely downgraded version of a game released two years ago being sold for as much, if not more, than the superior version. From that perspective, it’s not really easy to recommend. On the other side of the coin, as far as Wii games go, it’s easily the best “traditional” FPS on the Wii, and the best HD-to-Wii conversion made to date. Even with all of the visual downgrades, it still looks and feels like Modern Warfare, and no matter how you look at it, that’s impressive. Treyarch deserves major props for getting this incedibly popular game to the Wii like they did, and their efforts here have gotten me excited to see what they do with their own Wii Call of Duty title next year.
Verdict: B
Related posts:
Great review and its good that you wrote in what perspective your looking at this game from.
“Then there are some that might just want to play Modern Warfare with pointer controls despite already having played the hell out of the HD version.”
Graphics certainly do look better and everyone was quick to write the game off, including myself, from the alpha screens. yuck.
Sadly, online with the Wii has totally lost me since Smash Brothers online failed so bad. I hope to try out The Conduit and this to turn me around.
Major props to Treyarch for pulling off what seemed a maddening development process.