Topic: my thoughts on the wii version of Avatar

Hey guys, I rented the game Avatar for the Wii. Since it's a game I don't think too many Wii owners would give a second look, I decided to give my opinion.

Note that I've played a bit of the game on 360 as well, but the Wii one is what grabbed me most. It is a fun and highly competent game. It doesn't go out of the way with motion controls. While the HD version is a standard shooter, the Wii version is a more linear affair with a focus on stealth, (very) light puzzle solving and on-rails flying.

Motion controls are primarily combo based waggle and it's not as annoying as it may sound as you can upgrade your moveset to pull off some decent combos. There are tons of QTE moments that mostly play out the same way when you encounter the same situations. If you have motion plus plugged in you get a huge advantage called the Hellfire Wasp. This flying insect you control using accelerometers at certain points in the game allow you to briefly paralyze foes just long enough for you to snipe them with an arrow, or take them out stealthily.

By far my favorite moments in the game involve flying on your banshee bird, which I did using the balance board, to dodge mines and take out the occasional helicopter. Using the balance board gave these short-lived moments an exciting, visceral thrill. The most fun I've had with the peripheral since Shaun White.

While this game is definitely fun, I actually had to dig through quite a few problems. For one, the game feels unpolished and is quite buggy. It looks great in standard def but terrible on a plasma. Avatar uses an optimized version of the Jade engine, the same engine used to run the Assassin's Creed games (and by extension the HD Avatar). Needless to say, the scaled down Wii take on the framework wasn't quite ready for prime time and it shows the moment you actually have to move your character. Another unfortunate side-effect of the poorly optimized engine is the much touted drop-in, drop-out co-op feature. It's a nice addition and my friend and I had a fun time distracting snipers and mechs while the other attacks, but Avatar was clearly designed for solo play. It wasn't meant to be played like the Lego series. The camera becomes almost too much to bear at times. This could've easily been remedied with split-screen but seeing as they had a hard time getting the Jade engine to run on Wii as it is, maybe that was for the best. Also for a game that take pride in being a side story to the movie, it's both told in a very minimalistic way and doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Overall, I highly recommend you guys give Avatar a try, be it rental or bargin bin. There is a nice bit of Tenchu style fun to be had along with a touch of Star Fox if you manage to look pass the bugs. This is obviously not a phoned in licensed game nor a random Wii port. This is a decent game on it's own, especially if you have the right equipment (mp, bb). Hey, if nothing else, maybe we'll one day see a Wii version of Assassin's Creed after all.

It looks like pretty generic movie-tie-in fare to me. But, if you liked it, I'll take your word for it.

I'm trying to think of a video game released on the heels of a movie release which was actually good. Better than decent, good.

I can't think of any.

That's what I thought too at first, and the bugs definitely gives the impression of rushed in time for the movie. I'm sure some who play it would call it generic (as some reviewers already have) but I personally had a good time with it. I'm not giving it a generic number because that makes me focus too much on the faults of games. I just wanted to be insightful by giving my opinion. And note that this game is by NO means a must buy as much as it is a should try.

I really liked Chronicles of Riddick and King Kong myself.

Thanks for the review, I was considering this one. I guess it's a renter for sure.

Goldeneye

Its a James Cameron film and apparently he's very protective of his films, so according to Nintendo Power, he had to make sure that the game was a good game and not crap.

The Lion King

I was a bit put off by IGN's review. It's good to hear you enjoyed the flying bits brandon, that's what caught my eyes when I first caught glimpse of this. And the nod to Tenchu has given me some hope regarding the stealth bits.

I'll pick this up when it's cheap, which looking at the reviews, won't be long.

Uh, that's not a good example of an licensed game. I have it for the Sega Genesis and I thought it was medicoric.

The X360 and PS3 reviews Ive read dont look too great either, especially when it supposively had just as much money poured into the games as the movie, AND the game is suppose to be like the rest of the movie. I was dissapointed in the reviews but Ill prob rent it to check it out anyways.

I thought spiderman was good

Lord of The Rings: Return of the King. That is one amazing game.

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