Medal of Honor Heroes 2 (Wii)

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"This game handles really well," I immediately thought to myself upon easing into the first level of Heroes 2 for Wii. Even though the moderately polished graphics are nothing to gawk at, and despite the overused World War II setting, EA's latest installment in the long-running Medal of Honor series feels new because of its controls -- the best yet of any Wii shooter.

Notwithstanding the game's unrefined shortcomings, it's still an enjoyable and worthwhile experience.

There are three primary game modes in Heroes 2: single-player campaign, single-player arcade and online multiplayer. Contrary to what's advertised on the game box, there are no split-screen or arcade multiplayer modes available, which is a shame for those hoping to co-op or skirmish within the confines of their own living room. Still, the play modes present offer good variety.

In campaign, players assume the role of Lt. John Berg, a superhero-like soldier who is able to absorb an abnormally high amount of Nazi gunfire (even for a videogame character) and live to tell the tale. As the story goes, Berg is tasked with infiltrating French Normandy from behind enemy lines to undermine the spread of 1940s fascism. Predictable as it is, the story does its job in setting up believable objectives over eight different locations.

What sets Heroes 2 apart, however, are the inventive and gesture-based controls made possible with the Wii remote and attached Nunchuck. Forward, backward and strafing movement is handled by the Nunchuck's analog stick while the Wii remote simultaneously takes care of aiming, turning and multi-directional scanning. The default settings feel like Metroid Prime 3 controls, which were lauded for pioneering a legitimate first-person experience on Wii. But Heroes 2 takes the superlative interface a step further by allowing for an unprecedented level of sensitivity customization to either stabilize or quicken the reticule response. The added immersion is enjoyable to say the least.

In addition to standard movement and aiming, players will throw grenades like baseballs, reload ammo with a quick flick of the wrist, fine-tune the frequencies of antique radios, and set bomb timers by twisting the Wii remote. You'll feel goofy raising the Wii remote to your ear to engage a bazooka, but the effect is a fun diversion.

Heroes 2 also features a decent cover system, letting players enter Aim and Sniper modes at any time by pressing the A button (thankfully, the B trigger is used to fire). Overall, the controls feel accurate, stable, responsive and satisfying when pulling off a shot. EA has obviously taken care to keep controls from being over the top -- an issue that has plagued a number of previously released Wii games.

Though each of the three play modes supports the Zapper, I found the peripheral's use during campaign and multiplayer to be more of a hindrance than an advantage. Fortunately, the $20 make-believe weapon heightens the enjoyment of the Arcade mode, which essentially presents the eight campaign missions as an on-rails shooter. Though included to appease casual gamers, core gamers will like enjoy the Arcade mode as well when played with a Zapper. It's an added bonus that complements a somewhat short single-player campaign.

Perhaps the biggest draw of Heroes 2 on Wii is the inclusion of 32-person online multiplayer. I'm happy to report that the service runs without hitch, at maximum capacity -- provided you have a stable wireless connection. Though only six of the eight maps are supported, competitors can continuously join existing matches without excessive lobby waiting and create their own custom deathmatch, team deathmatch or capture-the-flag session among both friends and strangers. What's more, gamers can bypass Nintendo's pesky game-specific friend code system by using an existing or newly created EA Nation account, which is free.