Game Review: James Cameron's Avatar (Wii)

Before I started playing 'James Cameron's Avatar' on the Wii, I was hesistant.  I loved the movie.  And had high hopes that the game would deliver a pretty cool experience too.  I haven't played the game on the 360 or PS3, but the Wii version has left quite a bit to be desired.

The gameplay is diverse, with stealth sequences of sneaking through the high grass to avoid being detected by the humans.  Using your surrounds (like summoning control over Hellfire Wasps and buzzing around stinging humans); which was all pretty cool.  For me the game started to pick up after I acquired my bow.

Sneaking up behind or above a human and slapping them down didn't really sell me on the hand to hand combat.  There is almost a platformer trying to get out of the heart of this game.

The sound was pretty good, you could hear humans calling for help or mentioning that they think they have 'Made Contact'.  The controls are pretty standard Wii-adventure stuff.  Move with the nunchuck's joystick, aim with Wii remote, etc.  The story tries to branch off on it's own (apart from the movie) by linking to a disease that humans have brought to Pandora that is infecting and killing native life.  But don't fret, the struggle for unobtanium is there too.



The graphics and camera are my two complaints.  The graphics at times are pretty poor.  The colors are vivid, but the detail just isn't there.  The camera can be your worst enemy.  I had numerous times of trying to stealth through the grass to sneak up on an enemy when the camera shifts behind a rock.  Then next thing you know, I've alerted a whole squad of soldiers.  Eventually ending up with my death.  The good things, the game supports Wii-Motion Plus (but doesn't require it) and it supports the Wii Balance Board (also doesn't require it).

I would recommend this game as a rental or picking up used (and for cheap).  I don't forsee wanting to spend more days on Pandora through this means of controlling an Avatar.  However, for a few dollars to rent.  This game will offer several evenings worth of alien-adventure.