Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex

The Wii has started to get a fair number of quality first-person shooter (FPS) titles, and Modern Warfare: Reflex has managed to neatly add itself to the list. After having spent several hours with Modern Warfare: Reflex, I can't say this is the best FPS on the system, but it is one of the most enjoyable.

THE PROS:
+++ An entertaining and enjoyable campaign mode
+++ Multi-player supports up to 10 players via Internet
+++ 13 different multi-player modes
+++ Addictive leveling and challenge goals in multi-player
+++ Customizable controls that rival those of The Conduit
+++ Possesses most of the features found in the original PS3/XBox/PC title

THE CONS:
--- Extremely pixelated graphics and kind of ugly in many places. Not even remotely as pretty as the versions found on consoles.
--- Complete lack of voice chat, making team multi-player less enjoyable than it could have otherwise been.
--- Multi-player requires Friend Codes for private matches.
--- Framerate dips can affect precision of aiming

CAMPAIGN MODE: The campaign mode is a very story driven series of levels where you attempt to thwart terrorist attacks. All in all, the campaign mode is very solid and even includes the ability for a second player to pop in and act as a squad mate, shooting enemies and basically providing extra firepower. Squad-mate mode is a nice addition, but I don't find myself terribly excited about it. Thus far my only complaint about the campaign mode is that the first two levels are rather miserable, but the farther I get into the campaign mode, the more I find myself enjoying it. I would recommend the game for the campaign mode alone.

MULTI-PLAYER: This is probably where most people will spend most of their time. Multi-player is addictive, fast and fun. As you complete matches you will level your character up, gaining access to additional features, weapons, and upgrades. The challenge system is very well implemented. If you have played Call of Duty: World at War, the experience is very comparable, except vastly improved. I find the maps to be more enjoyable, the game modes more complete, and a generally improved experience overall. The lack of voice-chat is problematic though and really holds the game back from greatness. The reliance upon the broken Friend Code system is also another huge irritation. If you enjoyed playing some matches with some stranger, good luck ever playing with that particular person again. Nintendo and Activision continue to refuse to provide players with any way of connecting with new friends and acquaintances online.

GRAPHICS: Really kind of ugly with sporadic moments of beauty. Even the cut-scenes are ugly, low-res and pixelated. Once in motion, the game looks decent, especially considering how large the environments are, but framerates sometimes take a nasty hit. That having been said, the game is accomplishing more than most other games attempt on the Wii.

CONTROLS: The controls are very flexible and accurate for the most part. The default control schemes are very serviceable, but I craved some slight differences. Luckily, every single button can be remapped however the player likes, as well as Wii remote and nunchuck gestures. After playing with about 5 or 6 different customized control schemes I finally came up with a button layout that felt amazing. This game could have earned the title of "best FPS controls on the Wii" except for the pointer accuracy is sometimes a little too twitchy and jumpy due to the framerate. Because of this, I'm not sure if I prefer the XBox 360/PS3 controls over the Wii controls.

Comparison to other FPS titles that I own on the Wii:
"Call of Duty: World at War" - Modern Warfare offers a vastly improved experience overall, but the framerate of the previous year's game was definitely smoother.

"Metroid Prime: Trilogy" - Prime offers smoother controls, framerate, and a massive campaign mode that emphasizes exploration over action. Split-screen multi-player only.

"The Conduit" - I think The Conduit offers smoother graphics with prettier effects, comparable controls, but a much weaker campaign mode. Multi-player on the Conduit is less realistic, has fewer modes, but features larger multi-player matches.

"Medal of Honor: Heroes 2" - Similar quality graphics, but vastly improved framerate. 32-player death-matches are available, but the multi-player modes are extremely limited.

If you only own a Wii, this is a must-have title for any FPS fan. The game's pros definitely outweight the cons by a wide margin. On the other hand, if you own an XBox 360 or PS3 as well, I can't really recommend this particular version of the game since the XBox 360 or PS3 versions offer voice chat and are really superior on so many fronts, in addition to currently selling for less than the Wii version.

I'll start by saying I have played about 4 hours of multiplayer and the first few missions in single player so far. I will also only talk about the wii specific stuff because Call of Duty 4 has already been positively reviewed a million times and this is the same game. Now to the review.
The Visual end of things is very good for a wii game, I would say better than the Conduit. Its not as pretty as the 360/PS3 version, but if that's your main concern, you shouldn't have bought a wii.
The controls can be customized many ways, so I think it would be hard to find something you didn't like, and in my opinion the wii remote is the best option for fps control on a console.
Sound wise, I don't have a sound system or anything like that but it sounds good to me.
The online multiplayer is the best of its kind on wii. I have encountered little lag so far and the gameplay has been fast and smooth. It takes the fun of World at War for the wii and builds on it.
The only negative things I could say about reflex is that there is no voice chat or spiltscreen multiplayer, neither of which bother me.
I would recommend this game to any fps/action game fan. If you were a fan of World at War for the wii you will love this.

Amazing game. I highly recommend it. Have put in about 20+ hours into it and am enjoying every minute.

The graphics look incredible, it's one of the sharpest Wii games out there. While the graphics are certainly not as sharp as those of the XBox360 or the PS3, they are very close.

The entire game in all its glory is there. All the modes, all the online functionality that made it the best FPS ever made are intact. And it's made much more enjoyable because of the controls. If you are used to dual analog then it may take some readjustments, but if you are used to the Wii Remote it's a piece of cake.

You're aiming the Remote just like a gun. It's simple, basic, and extremely satisfying.

This version will drive owners of the PS3 and XBox360 to anger. They will argue, "our graphics are obviously superior, so why are you wasting your time on this piece of junk?!"

Because playing games on the Wii uses more than just your mind and thumbs. It involves your body. Incorporating the body into videogames is what got it out of the realm of the nerd. The nerd only uses his head.

The body is where it's at. This version is much more than just a mind game. Feel it. Don't think it.