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Heatseeker

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6.2 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 25 critic reviews
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Based on 30 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Codemasters

Developer: IR Gurus

Genre(s): Flight Action, Jet Sim

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: March 30, 2007

Summary

(Coming to the US market on May 1) Designed to be an incredible lock-on/shake-off experience, Heatseeker reinvents missile combat to give gamers a massive rush of destruction. Featuring collection of current and near-future military fighter jets, Heatseeker's arsenal includes the stealthy F-22 Raptor, the classic F-15 Eagle, the cutting-edge F35 Lightening II, and the aerodynamically advanced Russian SU-47 Berkut. Heatseeker straps players into the pilot's seat and deliver a white-knuckle ride that'll have them clutching the joypad as they engage in face-melting 6G turns and fight against a seemingly-impossible amount of airborne enemies. And when gamers launch a strike, they follow their missiles as they ruthlessly hone in on their targets via the Impact Cam. Delivering cinematic 3rd-person camera cutaway scenes, the Impact Cam reveals the results of attacks in all their devastating glory from all kinds of dynamic angles, complete with jaw-dropping explosions and smoke trails. With missions across the U.S., down to the Caribbean, across Antarctica and into the Far East, it's high-velocity combat all the way that'll see players constantly switching from predator to prey as an enemy missiles lock on. [Codemasters]

Cheat Codes & Hints: GameFAQs

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Official Nintendo Magazine UK

Exactly the sort of game that should ensure the Wii continues to thrive. It's easy to get used to, has a perfect difficulty curve and is pure fun throughout. An explosive success. [Apr 2007, p.64]

NGamer UK

Fast as you like, fun to control and a mindless diversion for military fetishists. Difficult, even on the easiest setting, but if you're up to the challenge you'll get loads of value from it. [May 2007, p.46]

Boomtown

It's not perfect, but there’s a lot of fun to be had here and it’s something a bit different from the usual Wii titles.

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Game Informer

Gripes aside, this game can be balls-out fun when it wants to. Tearing through the sky at Mach 3 to sink a battleship and a couple of subs, then doing a 180 to shoot down a sky full of bogeys gets the heart going every time.

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Nintendo Power

The presentation is capped off with detailed graphics and special effects, and live-action FMV sequences that would've been right at home in the jet sims of the genre's heyday. [May 2007, p.89]

Worth Playing

Heatseeker takes only eight to 12 hours to complete but does something most Wii games do not — it offers a story.

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GameDaily

Straightforward intensity and manic action keep Heatseeker from burning out.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

More typical of the PS2 (so knock a point off), but more suited to the Wii – if only for the short-lived novelty value – Heatseeker is definitely a game for the already initiated into the genre.

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games(TM)

Heatseeker is one of the more substantial playing experiences currently available on the Wii, and perhaps the first multi-platform release that feels superior rather than compromised. [May 2007, p.120]

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Like a ramshackle kiddie ride at the state fair, Heatseeker doesn't deliver what you deserve, but it gives you what you want.

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Gaming Age

The game’s presentation is very 5 years ago complete with cheesy CGI footage of newscasts and over acting characters that take this serious in tone style of game, to the brink of a comedy.

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GameTrailers

Heatseeker is a decent choice for fans of aerial combat who don’t want to have to monitor 20 different gauges at once. There are plenty of fighter jets to unlock, and it’s nice that it’s accessible, but it also has its share of issues, and fails to doesn’t bring anything new to the genre.

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NTSC-uk

Combining last-generation visuals with next-generation control is never going to result in a satisfactory outcome.

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GameZone

Heatseeker is a mediocre, action-filled romp in the sky that is over quickly and is enjoyable only in short bursts.

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G4 TV

Heatseeker is a very fun game to play; it’s just not one that you’ll want to play for long. The simple gameplay and tight controls feel spot on but everything else built around them fails to live up.

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PALGN

An average affair with only minor high points. There’s a big emphasis on explosions which gets old too quickly.

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IGN

The majority of the game is a low-res, basic flight experience with very little to justify its "next generation" title. You’ll have just as much fun playing "Afterburner" for SEGA Genesis when it releases on VC, or reliving the “all range mode” battles in "Star Fox 64."

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GameSpot

It's not a very deep game; it's kind of ugly, and the voice acting is atrocious. But Heatseeker can be fun in small doses--especially if you don't mind taking down wave after wave of enemies, level after level.

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GameShark

Heatseeker claims to be an arcade fighting game -- which it is, so in that regard...mission accomplished; however it is also very easy with a low presentation value and limited gameplay options. There’s just not a lot here to get excited about.

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VideoGamer

Heatseeker's final insult to players comes when it requires that you land. Though not a prerequisite of many missions, when you do need to touch down it is an infuriating and clumsy battle, mostly resulting in your plane exploding just above the surface beneath you.

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Eurogamer

Combine this ruthless beating with the ugly stick with the essential lack of variety inherent in these arcade air combat games and you have a title only really worth considering once it's in the bargain bins.

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GameSpy

The Wii might be hurting for air combat games, but even the mediocre Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII is slightly better than Heatseeker (and by this point, there's a decent chance that you can find it used).

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Cheat Code Central

The tacked-on motion-sensing controls that are supposed to give you precise control of your plane only result in making playing through the game an exercise in frustration.

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Gamestyle

If only there were additional modes outside of the main story, but Heatseeker only offers the option to go back to a selected mission. That means a frustratingly limited experience that offers no multi-player aspect or freeform or mini-game modes to unleash some potential.

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1UP

Heatseeker manages to nail the whole "pointing the Wii Remote at the screen" thing, rather than introducing flight-combat gameplay, and as such fails to grasp the idea that you're in a damn fighter jet.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 6.2 (out of 10) based on 30 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Simon G. gave it a6:
I usually don't mind the quality of the graphics. Otherwise I would've bought the PS3 instead of the Wii. But in Heatseeker's case, it's hard to forgive. It's a PS2 port, but even for the PS2 it's poor. The sense of speed is great however and you get a lot of satisfactions from blowing away other fighters. Some of the missions are a little boring, others are a little too hard, but most of them are fun. The controls take a bit to get use too, but once you got the basics, you're good to go. Some of the controls are somehow not intuitive; it's almost impossible to give orders to other pilots (press A + left on the d-pad). It's not a bad game. I was building a lot of expectation from it and I'm not quite disappointed, neither I'm overwhelmed with it.

Keith N. gave it an8:
With the extra weapons pack, and plane packs that you get when you register the planes, Heatseeker becomes a fairly entertaining game that offers a very intuitive (albeit unrealistic)control over the aircraft. The only negative is not being able to fly enemy aircraft in campaign mode, but hey, when you're in a Raptor...who's complaining ?

Herbert G. gave it an8:
This game is fun. very nice action. grafics are good (in air). controls are great. perhaps to less missions.

T A gave it a4:
Bad graphics, problematic controls, idiot AI. Impact cam is a complete gimmick, thought that it would play a part in gameplay, but it's more of a replay feature. could have implemented better play mechanics with the wiimote. Graphics couldn't even compare to the 2 year old ace combat 5 on PS2. just pathetic.

Dustin P. gave it an8:
It's a pretty decent game. The only thing that I didn't like was the fact that I couldn't use the nunchuck to steer and adjust pitch (like on Blazing Angels). It was just the wiimote. And that doesn't feel like you're actually flying, it feels like something out of WarioWare. Even so, I still like the game and will keep playing it.

Rupert A. gave it an8:
Although a bit rough around the edges, Heatseeker delivers a rock-solid air combat arcade (read: fun and addictive) experience. Multi-objective missions are designed well and test the full range of your flying skills. The variety of aircraft adds extra flavour, with different planes handling radically differently, requiring unique fighting tactics. Numerous weapons kits add replay value. The controls are for the most part well implemented: the "Alternate-2" control scheme allows you to use the nunchuk as a flight stick, adding a great deal of fun to the game. Unfortunately, not all controls were worked out this well, and other reviews citing the problems with the D-pad are true -- but practise makes perfect. The out-of-game menus don't accept input from the nunchuk control stick, which is a huge fumble for the designers but doesn't really affect gameplay. The graphics are beautiful where it matters: clouds, planes, and land masses are very realistic and lively. The impact cam never fails to provide glorious eye candy. Ground targets and buildings are not modelled very well at all, but what's the big deal?! You're only going to blow them up anyway. The game runs in 16:9 and seems to do 480p -- kind of. In practise, some objects (fonts, ground targets, but not planes or clouds) simply weren't created at high enough resolutions to look nice at 480p. In the final analysis, it's the action that counts - and this delivers it in spades. This is a big first step for flight sims on the Wii. Recommended.

Mat G. gave it an8:
The gameplay and controls on this game are great and easy to get used to. Graphics on the ground are poor, in the air detailed with good explosions. The missions are quite long, and there are a large variety of planes, weapons and bonuses.

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