IGN go eyes-on with the Wii version of the game.
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 IGN gathered much from the on-site demonstration.
Heatseeker puts you in the role of Mike 'Downtown' Hudson and his wingman Hank 'Divot' Harrison, who fly around in high powered International Council jets taking down terrorists, whether they be on land, in the air or by sea. Some missions merely require you to analyze suspicious targets, like cargo ships and random aircraft, but more often than not your role is to lock on to an enemy and blast them out of the sky - with a possible forty weapons and thirty different jets at your disposal.
The game is most assuredly not a realistic simulation of piloting a fighter jet, and it's not supposed to be either. The idea here is more an arcade, Afterburner-style thrill ride, where all you need to know is how fast you're going and what direction you should point your cockpit in to catch the bad guys. The control options are fairly basic: your jet steers by pointing the Wii remote to go left or right, or alternately the 'professional' controller configuration lets you rotate your jet by rotating the remote clockwise or anti-clockwise.
Austrailia is about to get web swinging come May 30.
Equal parts cheese and action, Heatseeker draws inspiration directly from classic jet pilot flicks like Top Gun. As such, it offers a throwback to a time when games were simpler – although this isn't always a good thing. Heatseeker's repetitive design sadly has it deploying landing gear shortly after take off.
