First Look: Heatseeker

January 31st, 2007, 22:52 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

Publisher Codemasters recently brought by a nearly finalized version of Heatseeker for Wii. The title, which is developed by both Codemasters and IR Gurus, is an action-oriented take on the traditional flight simulator. In place of overly complex controls and a heavy focus on realism, Heatseeker serves up an easily accessible flying experience overrun with intense dogfights. The game is set to release on Wii, PlayStation 2 and PSP this March and to celebrate the impending debut, we got to see -- not play -- the game in motion. For whatever reason, Codemasters didn't want anybody to go hands-on with the title just yet, but we gathered much from the on-site demonstration.

We've previously detailed the game's selection of jet fighters and levels so we're merely going to offer a refresher on the subject. You can choose from some 30 playable fighters, including everything from an F-15 Eagle and F-35 Lightning II to the MiG-29 and Su-47, and dogfight in the skies or under the radar in a variety of locations around the globe. The planes have individual attributes and distinguishable sets of weight and physics, they can be skinned differently, and a host of unlockable weapons can be added to them as you advance. Finally, Heatseeker brings air combat to life with a cinematic impact cam that dynamically shoots the action from different angles.

According to a Codemasters representative, as the company has learned more and more about Nintendo's console, the Wii version of the title has become the primary focus. We can't say we blame the studio, either, because the Wii remote and nunchuk seem to be a perfect fit for a flying game of this type. Codemasters and IR Gurus have capitalized on the setup and come up with a control scheme that, while seemingly experimental, appears to work triumphantly. It makes use of the nunchuk attachment's motion-sensory functionality for fighter movement. To turn left you simply tilt in the direction with the nunchuk; to turn right you do the same. (Incidentally, EA is using these same mechanics to carve in SSX Blur and both games are giving us hope for the future of nunchuk-controlled titles.) Meanwhile, to make a plane dive down you simply motion forward with the nunchuk; and to pull up -- that's right -- you merely pull back on the nunchuk.


On top of everything else, you can hold forward on the nunchuk's analog stick to give your fighter a burst of speed, which is integral for catching faraway enemies during dogfights. After about three seconds, your jet's rockets will ignite and an impressive visual blurring will overtake the screen as the craft shoots forward with notable force. You can alternatively pull back on the analog stick to slow down.

We didn't get to try any of this for ourselves, but we've been on the Wii end of the industry long enough to spot shoddy controls from afar -- and Heatseeker is thankfully looking smooth. Even the simplest of nunchuk tilts would smoothly cause jets to turn left, right, take a dive toward the earth or ascend into the clouds, whose quasi-volumetric density is a cut above most console-based efforts. (That noted, the clouds do pop-up out of nowhere periodically, which shouldn't be happening.) We could easily see that controlling planes in Heatseeker is going to be an enjoyable undertaking.

Not to be confused with a PC-like sim, Codemasters and IR Gurus have together taken steps to ensure that Heatseeker appeals first and foremost to action fans. To that end, the game is fast and filled with different challenges, from typical air combat -- lock onto enemies, send missiles flying and the impact cam goes to work -- to flying missions low to the ground to avoid radar detection. You'll never have to worry about weapon management because there isn't any. In Heatseeker, you can unload as many missiles as you want and you'll never run out of machine gun ammo -- you've got it all infinitely because action, not realism, is the focus.

Based on what we've seen thus far, the title is showing good promise. It is not exactly pushing Wii's technical boundaries -- a truth we contribute to the fact that Heatseeker undoubtedly began its life as a PlayStation 2 endeavor, but was eventually moved to Nintendo's console, too. Textures could be crisper and some of the geometry -- landscapes, mostly -- lacks detail. But the title does run smoothly and to its credit, it is humming along in both 480p and 16:9 widescreen modes.

All of that noted, if you're looking for an intense dogfighting game, Heatseeker seems to have you covered, and we'd be shocked if it didn't play best -- and by a long shot -- on Wii. The nunchuk-based motion controls seem to work too well for the other versions to hold up. The only glaring omission is the lack of a multiplayer mode, which has for some reason been sacrificed on Wii and PlayStation 2, but exists on the PSP version.

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