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WarMen Tactics Review for Nintendo Wii

WarMen Tactics Review for Nintendo Wii

As a games reviewer, it is occasionally my pleasure to experience some of the most creative and artistic moments in entertainment history. Conversely, there are games that are so poorly conceived you’re left wondering what the developers could possibly have been thinking. WarMen Tactics is one such game, and though the angel on my right shoulder is telling me to warn wary gamers not to blow 800 Wii Points on this fiasco, the devil in me wants everyone to revel in this comedy of errors.

WarMen Tactics screenshot

WarMen Tactics is an on-rails, light-gun shooter much in the vein of the Time Crisis series. You’re given a splotch of story – something having to do with a new-world order, which you’re opposed to. There’s a female character who chimes in every now and again to give you a completely unnecessary heads-up on your situation, as well as a forgettable male character who makes an appearance toward the end of the “adventure.”

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To put it mildly, presentation is not WarMen’s strongest suit (and that’s saying something). The dialogue is laughably bad, but the delivery by the game’s actors actually manages to trump it. The game’s a perfect candidate for the Mystery Science Theater. The framerate during cutscenes labors like a dying dog, and the visuals… we’ll get to the visuals later, actually, since they deserve special attention.

Upon starting up the game for the first time, I was surprised to find that only the Wii Remote was required. It’s actually not a bad approach in terms of controls, and some of the gameplay ideas are fairly inspired. In execution, however, WarMen Tactics is a complete mockery of a game.

WarMen Tactics screenshot

The controls are simple: you aim with the Wii Remote, shoot with the B button, and there are command tabs on the bottom of the screen, executed by pointing and pressing A. Essentially, you control when your character moves, but the A.I. handles everything else. There’s no moving backward, either, so once you move your character into place, you’d better be prepared for any enemies lying in wait.

The A.I. is absolutely terrible, though, and your only real concern will be enemies that spawn behind you after you’ve already moved your character to a new location. Enemies won’t try to flank you and they can be taken out just as easily while they’re taking cover as when they’re out in the open. When enemies do decide to close in on you, they simply stop right in front of whatever area of cover you happen to be camped at, waiting for you to easily pick them off. There are three difficulty settings, but the A.I. performs the same, regardless of which mode you choose.

WarMen Tactics screenshot

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  • Gel padding is incredibly comfortable across a wide range of head sizes


We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Though action commands were most times read properly, there were occasions when my character would get confused. Often when I’d command him to move forward, he’d swap out his weapon instead (or vice versa). Aiming is slow and lumbering, though hit detection is surprisingly forgiving. There were times, however, when I’d end up shooting walls while my reticule was set directly over an enemy. There’s an option to stand/crouch, but it’s fairly useless, considering your character auto-crouches or takes cover whenever moving to a new location.

You’ve got two weapons in the game – a machine gun with infinite ammo and a rocket launcher (which has a set number of rounds at the beginning of each mission). You also have a health meter, which regenerates over time. WarMen Tactics is a breeze on the easiest setting, but it’s stupidly hard in its most difficult mode. On easy, you’ll occasionally die when enemies spawn behind you (which, by the way, you’re unable to turn the camera enough to see what’s behind you), but on the hardest setting, you’ll die in one shot from enemies who only appear once you’ve directed your character to move forward, effectively making completion of this mode impossible. There’s a section in the main menu to enter “Secret Codes,” but there’s absolutely no indication where these codes can be obtained.

WarMen Tactics screenshot

When all is said and done, you’ll be getting about 30 minutes, tops, of gameplay for 800 Wii Points, and it’s not a pretty ride, either. WarMen Tactics goes above (below) and beyond the call of duty when it comes to fugly visuals on Wii. The developers claim the game “pushes” the graphical capabilities of the system. To fully appreciate the hilarity of this notion, you have to see this game in action for yourself. The Nintendo DS has been home to prettier character models, and the animations here are a total joke. When your character moves, it’s a clunky display of archaic technology. The lighting is almost impressive, but it’s irrelevant alongside the game’s remarkably poor technical and artistic design. When helicopters get shot, they simply freeze in midair, and blood spurts are about on par with the original Doom for pre-Windows PC.

The audio fares a bit better, but that’s not to say it’s good. There’s almost no music, and the gunfire and sound effects have no business being included as part of a Wii game. We’re all well aware of the limitations of the system, but WarMen Tactics would be insulting on last-gen consoles.

To be perfectly honest, I was kind of looking forward to this game. I enjoy light-gun shooters, and I think the WiiWare platform is a good place for them to flourish. WarMen Tactics, however, should have never been green-lighted by Nintendo. Not only is the price outrageous for the amount of game you’re getting, but the game you’re getting is absolutely terrible. I’m going to refrain, however, from telling people to avoid it altogether because, well, the morbidly curious might actually get a good laugh out of it when playing through it with friends. I won’t go so far as to say WarMen Tactics hits a new level of “bad” in gaming, but damn, if it doesn’t make a valiant effort to do so. It’s a poorly cobbled-together mess of design and presentation that everyone should have an opportunity to poke fun at.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 1.5 Graphics
So bad… so, so bad. Jittery animation, blocky, low-res textures reminiscent of N64-era technology. Downright ugly in almost every conceivable way. 2.1 Control
You can almost muster some very minor satisfaction from the shooting, but it’s buried underneath a mess of poor design. The programming is botched beyond repair, the aiming is terribly sluggish for a shooter, and commands are often misread. 1.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The game is mostly devoid of music, and the sound effects are embarrassingly out of place on Wii. 1.5

Play Value
In case you didn’t get my attempt at levity, yes, you should avoid this game at all costs. Thirty minutes of terrible gameplay is no way to blow 800 Wii Points.

1.9 Overall Rating – Avoid
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Join Marco as he is deployed on a mission to destroy scrambler devices placed around the city.
  • Created to reflect the realities of urban warfare, the game requires players to take cover behind walls and other obstacles as they strive to defeat enemies and advance to the next post.

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    Razer Blackshark V2
    • Compatible across virtually all gaming platforms and devices
    • An unmatched, immersive gameplay experience (THX 7.1 surround sound capable, detachable mic, and more)
    • Gel padding is incredibly comfortable across a wide range of head sizes


    We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
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