Brothers in Arms: Double Time
Let’s get nostalgic for 2005?
Tags: Brothers in Arms: Double Time Categories: Reviews, Wii Reviews
Posted by Mike "Two Tone" McConnell on Dec 5th, 2008
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Brothers in Arms: Double Time (title page) | 1 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | No | ||
Nintendo’s Wii may sell like hotcakes, but even Darth Sid-, I mean Reggie Fils-Aime admits that developers don’t get the Wii. While Ubisoft has been one of the few to enjoy almost as much success as Nintendo with their Wii—centric Raving Rabbids series seems to have missed a beat with their port of the first two Brothers in Arms games. Billed as Double Time, this is essentially a port of a PS2/Xbox release that comes several years too late to be relevant.
The first striking thing about this title is how dated it looks. The shadows are essentially little pools of black that rest at the feet of the characters. The character models are stiff and lifeless, and they do this creepy waddle when they move. I know that the Wii isn’t going to start giving us games like COD5 and Fallout 3, but I mean this is a three-year-old game. When the Wii first came out it was easily understandable that we didn’t know any better. Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Brothers, and Metroid Prime have all show that his hardware is capable of much more than this bland mess.
I do still have to give this series some credit for their narrative crafting. While most WWII games usually end up emulating John Wayne movies that make the war look like a foot tour through Europe. This spares a lot of the jingoistic chest beating and reminds you that the bulk of our forces were everyday men who were not professional soldiers. The characters are quite realistic, and although they look fake, the voice acting is well done.
I really don’t get the First Person Shooter on the Wii; it never works well. The controls still feel stiff when compared to the Dual Stick set up of traditional controllers. Then we have the arbitrary motion controls, which are pretty much just tacked on for the sake of inclusion. The games age also gives you a much slower experience than you are used to. What it comes down to is that this game is seriously dated, and it just isn’t timeless enough to warrant the nostalgia treatment.
Dated ports do not really warrant much attention, but this is the Holiday season, and I don’t doubt that quite a few kids may end up stuck with this from a well meaning relative. D-day and WW II shooter in general have already become such a cliché that it boggles the mind that anyone is realty still interested. Brothers in Arms: Double Time gets some credit for having a narrative that doesn’t resemble a recruiting commercial and leaving some reality in the war, but I would have liked to see something new rather than a half-hearted port.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
| + Good narrative | 1.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Dated gameplay and graphics - Wii controls are stiff and unessecary |
|
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| This game is heading for the bargain bin faster than the next generic Wii Sports imitation. It deserves that fate. | |
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Tags: Brothers in Arms: Double Time
Posted by Mike "Two Tone" McConnell on Dec 5th, 2008 and is filed under Reviews, Wii Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
