Heavy Fire: Afghanistan for Wii

Developer Teyon blasts out another title in the Heavy Fire series, this time featuring the battlegrounds of Afghanistan and wave after wave of hostile insurgents.

Pros:

In the shooter genre, there’s no question that the Call of Duty franchise reigns supreme.  Especially with the latest release of the spectacular Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, it’s easy to overlook other games made by the competitors. One of these is Heavy Fire: Afghanistan, a rail shooter that, while nothing spectacular, holds some pretty intense action and enjoyable moments for up to four players.

The objective in Heavy Fire: Afghanistan Wii game is pretty simple: grab the biggest gun you have in your possession and lay waste to all enemies. There’s no strategic planning or team play necessary here: all you do is make sure to aim properly and let loose.

The game takes place in war-torn Afghanistan. You’re a marine stationed there, and it’s up to you to take part in a variety of missions that involve securing towns, smoking out insurgents, rescuing hostages, and blowing up the occasional war chopper. The game automatically leads you on a predetermined path, so free exploration is not an option. That won’t bother some players one bit though, because action is aplenty in Heavy Fire: Afghanistan. The moment the mission starts, waves of enemy soldiers come into view, take their positions on various points in the map, and fire upon you like crazy. You use the Wii remote to target your way and return fire accordingly. After you’ve cleared out one set of baddies, you advance into the next area and take on another. Repeat the process and you’ve got the gist of the Wii Heavy Fire: Afghanistan game.

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Surprisingly, this mind-numbing repetition is quite enjoyable. You’re given an arsenal of firearms to choose from, including scenario specific heavy weapons such as shoulder-mounted missiles and gun turrets. Vehicles like helicopters, tanks, and trucks can also be ridden on some levels.

At the end of every mission, you earn points, rank, and awards according to your performance. Weapons and abilities can be unlocked and upgraded. Also online leaderboards are available for those who want a little extra competition.

The game plays like an old-school arcade shooter and doesn’t have any blood and guts flying around, nor is there any profanity. This makes it suitable for younger players who want a piece of the action. The four-player cooperative mode adds a much welcome touch to the game and allows you to enjoy the experience with friends or siblings.

Cons:

The game doesn’t really have a lot of depth involved. Although the action is extremely enjoyable, the entire campaign can be completed in a matter of hours, and there’s not enough core content to keep Heavy Fire: Afghanistan interesting other than playing it all over again with a new set of friends. Graphicswise and plotwise, the game is decent but far from spectacular. If it could be summarized in one word, “average” would fit it best.

Features:

Heavy Fire: Afghanistan can be played on the Wii using the standard Wii remote. Up to four people can play cooperatively and online leaderboards are available.

Conclusion:

Heavy Fire: Afghanistan is easy to overlook, but those who do may miss out on an intense arcade rail shooter. The experience is best played with three other friends in the four-player cooperative mode. The lack of blood and profanity also allows older gamers to play with their younger siblings in a rare moment of brotherly bonding as they team up to shoot at insurgents in virtual Afghanistan. Although Heavy Fire: Afghanistan can’t really be labeled as an instant classic, it’s decent and exciting, and those may be enough reasons to give it a try.