Wii games are perfectly suited for
the light-gun genre, and with the recent influx of arcade ports like Ghost Squad
and House of the Dead, it seems developers are making the connection. Wild West
Guns is the latest shoot-em-up game and it debuts on WiiWare, from developer
Gameloft.
Like Link’s Crossbow Training, WWG
gives players a limited single-player mode based around a few key gameplay
elements. Don’t expect much depth with this one. From balloon popping to can
shooting to shooting-gallery’s, it’s pretty standard fare. The single-player
game itself game be beat within an hour or so, without much trouble. Multiplayer
does, however, give this game some legs. Grab a friend and you can go co-op on
the missions.
While the presentation of the Wild
West is creative, the actual in-game mechanics are pretty cliché. Native
Americans and outlaws seem to live peacefully together in this world; well,
until you (whoever YOU are) come to town. The shooting gallery levels consist of
your character shooting everyone in saloons, graveyards, and on trains. It
doesn’t make any sense and the game doesn’t require it to.
Style is where this game does excel
a little bit more. The graphics are well-rendered for a downloadable and
everything has a black outline, giving it a stylized look (and hiding those
rough polys). Also, the menus are sleek and the environments very well designed.
In each environment, nearly every item, from barrels to chickens to wagons, is
interactable. The physics and particle effects are also impressive for this
game. The problem, however, is the frame-rate. On almost every different game,
the frame-rate would chug along while I continued to shoot with ease at the
enemies moving half-speed.
It’s also a shame that there is no
IR calibration for this shooter. It’s a relatively minor feature that does
wonders for the quality of the experience. I like to actually play my light-gun
games like I would a light-gun in the arcade.
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Gameplay: 7.0
The game modes
can be entertaining and the game is generally fun to play. No IR calibration is
a serious misstep.
Graphics: 7.5
For a
downloadable Wii game, this title looks very nice. But the frame chugs along
like a freight train loaded down with gold nuggets.
Sound: 4.0
There are about
four different sayings you will hear repeated during this game (over and over).
Heads up, they’re not funny at all.
Difficulty: Easy
Concept: 7.0
The Wild West is
under used in today’s video game market. Nice to see someone’s thinking about
it.
Multiplayer: 6.5
It does make the
missions more enjoyable to play with a friend.
Overall: 5.0
For 1,000 Wii
points ($10), there is hardly enough material here for me to recommend. Link’s
Crossbow training and Ghost Squad offer more in-depth gameplay and more fun for
a similar price.
