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Wing Island [Wii]

Wing Island (2007)

Action, Flight Simulation

Wii

Developer	Hudson
Publisher	Konami Digital Entertainment

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Description

As the first flying game for the dynamic Wii Console, Wing Island is like no other flying game out there. Using the Wii's ground-breaking motion sensitive controls, players can feel as if they really are flying their plane. The use of the Wii Remote allows players to achieve maximum precision whilst flying, combined with a more realistic feel. By simply tilting the controller left or right, you can turn the plane in the desired direction by angling the remote up or down gamers can easily change height. Quick turns can be easily achieved by waving the remote's tip to the left or the right. Acceleration and breaking is equally simple to control with quick bursts of speed controlled by quickly thrusting the remote forward or backward, whilst more steady speed is achieved by pressing up or down on the D-pad. Not only is this a simple and intuitive way to control the game but it also brings an all-new level of fun and excitement to the game, regardless of your previous gaming experience, as your movements control the plane.

In the main Story mode, gamers progress by completing each mission and unlocking new locations. The game's single player missions set the player a number of fun tasks to test their flying skills ranging from food drops to extinguishing forest fires and taking photos of assigned objects. Players earn different ratings for each mission based on time, accuracy and damage to the planes. This in turn influences points, bonus points, and money awarded for each of the 27 missions. Earning money in turn allows players the opportunity to tune and repair their plane and even buy one of seven completely new planes. During each mission the player has the opportunity to fly solo or in a formation of five dependent upon which mission they are involved in, therefore enabling the player to experience the best of both flight methods.

'Wing Island' is centred around three different, exotic cartoon islands inhabited by wacky cartoon animals who will help players complete the tasks they are set. The first island is the smallest and houses 'Wing Inc', where the first few missions take place. The second location becomes available after completion of the initial missions and presents more challenging terrain across which to navigate. The third and final island has a large city built on it and is by far the most challenging to navigate across.

If the idea of completing missions doesn't appeal to you then select Free Mode where you can fly freely around the islands in the game without constraints of time. At any point in the mission players can also try and break their own records to show off to their friends in the Single Player Competitive Mode. There are three options in this mode: score attack, where players must pop balloons by ramming them with a spike on the plane, time attack where they must race through numbered gates and also Plane Tail which allows you to pop balloons tied to your opponent,

If a bit of extra competition is what you're looking for why not go head to head against a friend to prove yourself a flying ace, or perfect your skills by taking on Wii in Two Player Mode. As in Single Player Competitive Mode, this mode also contains score attack and time, as well as Plane Tail.

Reviews on Wing Island [Wii]

AJMouse on Wing Island [Wii], 17-04-2007

"Another one bites the dust. I thought Wing Island was going to be pretty cool, and I was wrong. Not at first though. I played through the training/tutorial, and it all looked like it was going to be cool! You control the plane with the Wii-remote, and you can boost and break by pushing or pulling it. You're also taught how to fly in formation and how to change formation. It's all pretty easy, and there's no problem with stalling or all that pro-stuff. You can crash alright, and your formation can too. And there's bombs in this game as well, so it's not too easy or kiddie.

You then start the story-mode. The birds are the main characters here (to all you other reviewers out there, these birds do need planes because they need to haul heavy stuff and what-not) and they talk like this: beep-bebe-be-be-beep. You understand them through subtitles, fair enough but the beeping is annoying at the least. Missions include stuff like dropping boxes, picking up wood and dropping it, putting out fires, entering competitions in stunt-flying, searching for stuff around islands and bombing rocks or other things. Teh wiierd. When you ace a mission you get 1000z (money) and 3 stars and 100 points. If you do one thing wrong, like I did with the searching for cows-mission, you get less points (I got 50 out of 100) immediately. It doesn't stop there, you also get less stars, and way less money (like 70 or 109z). A bit unfair if you ask me, but okay.

With the money you can buy parts for your planes, or even new planes. The missions are based around islands, and you can choose which island you want to do missions on (unlock them as you go). I got bored with the missions after 2 islands (which is fast) as they seemed repetitive. I then tried the multiplayer, which was fun for about 10 minutes (trying to pop as many balloons as possible, or popping balloons hanging from eachothers plane’s tail). I then got bored with that too.

I wanted this one to be fun and lasting. And again instead I have another Wii title that isn’t. Come on people! I love the Mario, Zelda etc. games, but please get me something on the Wii that is more fun than these quickly pooped out games. Hey it’s better than those silly Monster 4x4 and GT Pro racing games. Even better than Far Cry. I mean, the flying is done great, it’s easy and fun. But there is no exciting story, just dull missions with zero appreciation if you don’t execute them perfectly.

This one is mediocre at best because it won’t last. You want to try this if you have a Wii, I know you do because I did as well when seeing the images and videos. But I assure you that you will get it out of your Wii within… about an hour, maybe less. Too bad, Hudson, I wanted this to be good."