The original Modern Warfare is coming to the Wii, and as we found out in Cologne, it’s an impressively faithful reproduction.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was a huge hit for Infinity Ward in 2007, and even though it’s been nearly two years since its release, the game continues to dominate the online gameplay charts. Its appeal is so enduring, in fact, that developer Treyarch is bringing the game to the Wii this November. As we found out in Cologne, there have been relatively few compromises necessary to bring the game to Nintendo’s console and there are even a few new features exclusive to the platform.

First up, it’s worth mentioning that the single-player game is exactly the same on the Wii as it was on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Sadly, it’s so faithful to the original that there’s not even a new Wii-specific level in the game–it’s exactly the same as it was before. Thankfully, though, this faithful reproduction also extends to the multiplayer side of the game, with all the same game modes, such as Search & Destroy, Domination, and Freefall all included. They’re also all playable online. The only difference is that the player count has been reduced to 10 players, although this is still up from the eight players that Treyarch managed in Call of Duty: World at War on the Wii.

Thankfully, there are also some features specific to the Wii version. Obviously, the control system is quite different, but like another recent Wii first-person shooter The Conduit, the controls are completely customisable. There are plenty of preset control schemes that are set up for different levels of skill, but you can also tweak these as much as you want and save them as your own. Then there’s the squadmate mode, which allows a second player to drop into the game for co-op play. The second player uses the Wii Zapper peripheral or the Wii Remote and plays the game like an on-rails shooter, taking out enemies that the main player may have missed.

Finally, the game also uses an upgraded version of the engine that has powered previous Call of Duty games on the Wii. Most notably, the textures are of a higher resolution than ever before, while the particle effects, such as explosions, have also been improved. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will arrive on the Wii in November 2009, and we hope to bring you a first hands-on soon.

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We blast some sinister robots with suction-cup darts in EA’s upcoming Nerf rail shooter for the Wii.

Nerf blasters are an important part of every boy’s childhood, and with the Nerf N-Strike series of family-friendly shooters, you can get your foam dart on without the hassle of having to clean up after yourself. We recently got to try out the latest game in this lineup at the EA Studio Showcase event just outside of Comic-Con, where we junked robots and solved puzzles using the handy new red-reveal feature.

Who’s Making This Game:

Following the success of last year’s Nerf N-Strike on the Wii and DS, EA Hasbro has developed a direct sequel that picks up right where the first one left off. Five of the original characters will return, as will B.O.B., the evil robot seemingly defeated.

What the Game Looks Like:

Nerf 2 has a vibrant color palette not unlike the Nerf weapons themselves. Levels range from wide-open outdoor environments to restricted indoor spaces, and there’s an army of enemies to take on, including shield-toting robots and android flies. With the red reveal (a transparent red panel that you look through attached to the Nerf gun controller) flipped up, certain colors popped out at us, making boss weak points and hidden item caches visible. In one of the cooler visual effects, enemy darts actually stuck to the screen for a moment and temporarily obscured our view before falling off during battle.

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This archaic first-person shooter is lousy to its core.

Score: 3.5 / bad

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The psychedelic sequel to Bit.Trip Beat improves upon its predecessor and has an entirely different sort of rhythm shooter action.

Score: 7.5 / good

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Outstanding controls aren’t enough to save this generic and often frustrating shooter.

Score: 6.5 / fair

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