Codemasters attempts to thrill Wii owners with its aerial combat game, Heatseeker. Although it comes up short in key areas, most notably the absence of a multiplayer mode, its engines never sputter, making it worth a play.
Heatseeker doesn't operate on rocket science. Players don't need to understand how to balance yaw and pitch or maintain certain readings in order to fly. They simply get into the pilot's seat and take off for instant action. The story shifts around four different locales, with a number of enemy pilots looking to make mincemeat out of anything in their path. Cut-scenes can be skipped at any time by hitting the minus (-) button on the Wii remote, a wise choice considering the cheesy dialogue.
During play, the action rarely lets up. Players track enemy jets on-screen with green targeting icons. From there, these icons change to red once they get in range. The pilot can then either smoke them with a well-placed missile or try their luck at shooting them down with machine guns. The controls work nicely with the Wii remote, making each plane easy to move through the skies. The combination of both the remote and the Nunchuk results in the ability to pull off fantastic maneuvers, including barrel rolls and quickly changing altitude. These come in rather handy for evading an enemy's constant counter-attacks, such as gunfire or incoming missiles.
The addition of the Action Cam works great here as well, showing the up-close-and-personal destruction of enemies. Those wanting to get a missile-view of the action can continue to hold down the button after firing, following closely behind as it zooms to its explosive conclusion. For those too far away from opposing threats, no worries -- simply kick on the after burner to boost up to near light-speed.
Throughout Heatseeker, players try their luck with various Lockheed-Martin and Boeing licensed aircraft. These include such specialties as the SR-71 Blackbird, the F-22 Raptor and the usual line of F-15's and MIG's. Other jets can be unlocked over the course of the game, although they don't maneuver too differently from one another. Heatseeker's difficulty picks up with each new level, with enemies growing somewhat smarter and more aggressive. That makes the game worth playing over and over again, if only to get the best out of the virtual opposition.
Unfortunately, virtual opponents simply can't fill the shoes of real ones. Heatseeker lacks any multiplayer option -- not even a split-screen mode. While the game does offer lots of unlockable content in the single-player mode (including several bonus goodies like bigger weapons and stronger enemy jets), multiplayer would have added greatly to the experience.
That leads to the Heatseeker's other problem -- the presentation. Despite all the chaotic action happening, the game maintains a very steady frame rate. However, some of the in-game details lack polish. The clouds, for instance, don't have the kind of transparency that real ones do and look even worse once the after burner kicks in. In addition, the ground looks washed out and uninteresting, like LEGO buildings instead of real military bases. However, the graphics don't nearly take as much of a hit as the audio. The dialogue gets read in a not-so-serious manner, taking away from the game's intensity. These people sound like mockeries of themselves instead of real, heavily burdened military command. Furthermore, the cheesy guitar rock gets old fast, drowning out the above-average sound effects.
Heatseeker could've been a fantastic game -- enough to score an 8 or a 9. The lack of serious effort in the audio, along with the tiny graphic issues and the missing multiplayer, resulted in problems that can't be overlooked. However, the game still accomplishes what it sets out to do, letting players gun down hundreds of enemies. It doesn't hit the mark every time, but at least it makes enough of an impact that it holds up from beginning to end.
Final Score: 7 (out of 10)
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