[Update: We originally said that you couldn't swap Ally/Friend Codes as in Black Ops. Turns out you can, so that line has been corrected.]

Since Internet winner Jim Sterling has already published Destructoid's official review of Modern Warfare 3, this article is strictly looking at how successfully the game has been ported to the Wii. Assessment of the game's content is therefore off the menu, except when differences to the 360/PS3/PC versions alter the gameplay in some noticeable fashion. There are a few such cases, making the Wii iteration slightly distinct from its HD counterpart not only in how it looks but also in how it plays.

You will also notice that every image contained in this review is a generic screenshot from the HD version. Activision has had some success in quietly releasing Wii versions of their previous Call of Duty games, with each comfortably selling over a million copies despite being downports with zero marketing presence. "Quietly," in this case, might be exaggeration of the decade. Screenshots of the game are virtually impossible to find, and I lack the equipment to grab my own from my console.

Nevertheless, after Treyarch did respectable work porting Black Ops to the Wii last year, can they pull the same trick with Infinity Ward's game this time around?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Wii)
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Released: November 8, 2011
MSRP: $49.99

The good news is that Treyarch has once again produced a solid port of what must have been a difficult game to fit onto Nintendo's underpowered console. The campaign is here in full (albeit with a fairly significant chunk of backstory missing, due to Modern Warfare 2's never getting a Wii port), even if you can hear the poor Wii straining at the bit to keep up, chugging away as though a miniature Montgomery Scott were hard at work behind that glowing disc drive, screaming, "She cannae take it no more, cap'n!" In visual terms, anyone coming over from the HD versions will admittedly have good reason to raise a Shatnerian eyebrow. Keeping the scale of the spectacle intact on a console significantly weaker than those for which the game was designed is a notable achievement, but a significant amount of detail has had to be sacrificed in the process.

At its best, the game looks like a high-end PS2 game, putting it somewhere in the middle ground of the Wii's most visually appealing titles in the genre (Metroid Prime 3 and GoldenEye 007 representing the genre's graphical top tier, for points of reference). Some of the levels look terrific -- the New York set opener, despite not being recreated as fully as on the HD versions, captures the required size and spectacle to sell the scale of the conflict. The "Goalpost" mission is similarly effective, throwing enough action at the screen to distract from the visual cutbacks more apparent in slower-paced missions such as "Hunter Kill" and "Back on the Grid."

Although the visual inconsistency can be jarring (especially since the game seems to have been made noticeably darker to compensate, with no option to increase the brightness), it allows the framerate to be kept at a manageable level, dipping only occasionally and slightly below its 30 fps target. This is particularly important for the Wii, because the question of whether or not to pick up this version of the game over the HD ones boils down to your willingness to sacrifice graphical prowess in favor of a control system whose excellence depends on that stability.

Following the otherwise lackluster The Conduit, the Wii Call of Duty games took some of the biggest leaps in getting pointer aiming from its nascent teething problems in Red Steel to the dual analog-annihilating powerhouse it is now. That isn't empty hyperbole -- Modern Warfare 3 is compatible with the Classic Controller Pro, and despite Treyarch's adding copious quantities of auto-aim to compensate for its shortcomings, it is immediately apparent when taking the game online who the dual analog players are by their slower turning and inability to match the precision and dexterity of those using the Wii Remote.

That isn't to slight people who prefer analogs over the pointer nor that there isn't room for both, but to suggest that once a player is used to its idiosyncrasies, pointer aiming can be devastatingly effective. Modern Warfare 3 once again isn't at the top of the pile in terms of Wii FPS controls -- Red Steel 2 and Conduit 2 both used Motion Plus to gain a little extra smoothness that made all the difference, while Metroid Prime 3 was locked at 60 fps. Regardless, anyone who has played a Wii COD before will immediately feel at home, where everything is as customizable as it needs to be for newcomers to make the transition as comfortable as possible, even if it means adapting to a new control vocabulary.

There are a few niggles that need to be pointed out (pun intended), however. Controlling turrets can be frustrating, as each seems to have its own sensitivity, despite the existence of a dedicated slider in the control options. Mounted guns tend to be stiff, meaning the slider needs to be pushed right up, yet a mortar in one mission is ridiculously over-reactive and near impossible to control unless the slider is pulled right back down again. For the gunplay that forms the bulk of the campaign, though, the pointer works superbly.

The online modes are where most players will be spending the majority of their time, and it is unfortunately mixed news on that front. On the plus side, "Spec Ops" makes its debut on the console. On the downside, "Survival" is the only mode available, with anyone hoping for "Missions" set to be disappointed. The standard online deathmatches have everything included, with the exception of some of the most intensive kill... sorry, pointstreaks -- the AC-130, Predator missile, and Osprey are all kept in the hangar once again.

Before you roll your eyes, consider that their absence slightly changes the texture of the game, giving players less fear of the outdoors and making for a more run-and-gun experience than its HD counterpart (where combatants, in my experience, tend to move between indoor hiding places rather than roam constantly). The slightly lower player count also contributes to this, as it means even the best players take just a little longer to notch up the required number of kills to access the more powerful options. My personal view is that it also balances two of the pointstreak packages slightly better, with those choosing Support over Assault not having to endure three of the rewards that are most difficult to defend against.

Another downside is that, at present, the game suffers from some noticeable lag and graphical issues. If your internet connection isn't too strong -- I tested the game at my provider's peak time (early evening) and then way off-peak (around 4am) -- you have to anticipate where players will move in order to hit them, leading to entire magazines' being emptied into thin air, even though your red dot sight was aimed squarely down an opponent's nose. This was never a problem with Black Ops, even with weak internet speeds.

There is also a fair bit of pop-up and rare instances where graphics and subsequently clipping fail to load altogether, giving you the strange -- though helpful -- advantage of being able to wander through walls until the game gets its act together. Although it has yet to happen to me in about eight hours of play, there have also been reports of freezing and even data corruption in the worst cases. Fortunately, the game is patchable (not always a given on the Wii), and Treyarch has confirmed that it is aware of these issues and is actively working on a fix. The first Black Ops patch came after two weeks, so you should perhaps wait on handing over your cash until the update has been applied. And for the record, voice chat is included only for the Headbanger Headset (no Wii Speak compatibility) and there is no COD Elite integration and the ability to instantaneously exchange Ally/Friend Codes with people you have just played against appears to have been inexplicably removed. [You can still swap Ally/Friend codes.]

When the online multiplayer works, though, it is fantastically compelling and has a strong claim to being among the best of its kind on the console. That sums up the Modern Warfare 3 Wii package perfectly -- rough around the edges and often trying to bite off more than it can chew, but with a solid enough core experience that few could have imagined on a console frequently written off as unable to provide the same spectacular experiences as its HD cousins.

Yes, you have to put up with missing Spec Ops missions, a lack of refinement in the online modes for now (add a point onto the final score should the lag issues be properly fixed), and some textures that look like they might have been drawn in Paint. On the other hand, you gain the thrilling speed and fluidity of pointer-based aiming (PlayStation owners ought to start petitioning Activision ASAP for Move integration in the next patch) and a slightly different, possibly better balanced, version of the acclaimed online multiplayer modes.

Activision may be treating the Wii port as the bastard child of the Modern Warfare 3 family, but I give the company credit for releasing the game at all, making it one of the few third-party publishers to show Wii gamers even that modicum of respect (sucks to be you, Capcom and Ubisoft). Even during this busy holiday software surge, Treyarch deserves some respect for doing a creditable job in bringing the series to an unlikely home.

[Xander Markham's MW3 'Ally Code' is 5167-4762-0921. Put yours in the comments if you own the game! When not playing with his Wii *cough*, he writes news and reviews for Flixist, the best goddamn film site in the universe, as well as television and game reviews on his personal blog.]

Legacy Comments (will be imported soon)

Gustavo5621

Wii sucks!

KtMack23

GO BLOPS LET'S GET HIGH AND PULL OVER BLACK GUYS

JorgeDobson

Jimmy has become Gustavo.

He never was the same after he came back from Tijuana.

free touch

The wii doesn't suck, porting games that have no business on the system sucks.

mix

Almost as good as Battlefield 3!

I find FPS games that are not on rails quite meh on the Wii, but that's just me.

Patrick Borrelli

My brother is thinking of cashing in his change jar to buy this game. I'm almost begging him not to and pick up the wii version of rayman origins instead

glowbug

I enjoyed BlOps on the Wii, it was kinda good fun. Don't see why you wouldn't just get the console version, mind.

GIGAR

Hey, do a review for the PC as well!
Console MW3 != PC MW3

Mister Mumbles

What's the point of a Wii review without actual screenshots from that version? =/

Theplayer131

santiagodelossantos

The game sucks on all platforms, a lazy port with broken controls and bad design doesn't make it better. 3rd party devs- "Why don't our games sell on nintendo platforms?" Well, maybe if you put as much effort into them as you do with ps360 games then you would probably make more money.

Chris Carter

No real kill streaks and no spec ops missions? Why bother? 360s are practically as cheap as Wiis these days.

Camel Toad

Niggles?

Silent Echo

The only problem with the wii CoDs are framerate, ai, and online. The online part I can see, but the ai seems like something the ps2 could pull off, and metroid prime 3 has better graphics and runs at a smooth 60 fps. They should put some effort into the wii versions, considering they actually sell decently.

MathewRD

This is how I fixed my internet problem.

And I'm not too sure about how it would appear in the comments, but for those too lazy to click...

Davedude

@Silent Echo
But that would make sense and not feed the giant pile of inferior/bad wii games. We have a quota to meet, dammit.

Bunny Raider

If they can iron out the lag and freezing, this would be a much better game. Still good, though.

Nobunaga Oda

@MathewRD
That Wii Looks sick.

pedrovay2003

Those screenshots actually look really impressive.

@Gustavo

Zelda says hi.

THEhambugl3r

This game is SACK

FatherChesz

@ThePlayer131

Wow! That is the best framerate I've ever seen on a GIF.

Narishma

@pedrovay: That's because they aren't from the Wii version.

Theplayer131

@FatherChesz

This little baby can go up to 60 frames per second (Except on Wii).

PEICanada7

"No real kill streaks and no spec ops missions? Why bother? 360s are practically as cheap as Wiis these days."

Every single COD on the Wii has sold over a million units, some of them sold over 2 million, so that's why they bother. Because Activision likes easy free money, that's why!

sky4

Having both a PS3 and a Wii I will never again buy a PS3 CoD. While I found Blops boring on my PS3 I spent hours and hours on the wii. That being said, I've heard that MW3 is a lot laggier than Blops so my money stays in my pocket.

Noir

@Karu

No Karu, garbage ports don't deserve grades that good.

Gamescook

Oh my goodness, there IS a Wii version? I seriously didn't believe the header at first.

Red TheHaze Veron

This looks to be another cash grab for Acti for people who aren't informed about how this is an "inferior" version.

The Fighting Falcon Ace

Wii gameplay commentary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9GtnyKCmnY

Hasney

COD4 on Wii was the only game in the entire series I liked. The multiplayer was so hacked that everyone in the match had machine guns that fired out rockets at the same rate as the machine gun. It was chaotically brilliant.

Xander Markham

@Karutomaru: I mentioned in my review that if Activision sort out the online lag and freezing problems, a point can be added to my score, taking it up to the 7.5 mark. It's a very enjoyable game (I've been playing it regularly despite the multiplayer problems) but needs that patch ASAP.

L0cky

Wii is a great system. although this kind of realism fps games arent a good fit for this white box.

BobPalindrome

"Activision may be treating the Wii port as the bastard child of the Modern Warfare 3 family, but I give the company credit for releasing the game at all, making it one of the few third-party publishers to show Wii gamers even that modicum of respect (sucks to be you, Capcom and Ubisoft)." - So, Rayman Origins doesn't exist, or...?

El Dango

Not surprised. I played the Wii version, and it felt like it was dumbed down even more than it needed to be.

D Chap

Its kinda weird they forgot to bring MW2 to Wii, but brought the first and third one...

I'm sure those 12 CoD Wii owners are bummed

Cla

Umm... Journalism fail? How does a website dedicated to game news and reviews not have screenshot/video capture equipment for a system that's been out for 5 years?

And it's not even like the Wii uses anything crazy for video. Just plain ol composite or component wires, which are easily captured via MANY cheap USB devices.

Xander Markham

@Katomaru: The score is solely a reflection of how successful a port the game is. Jim's is the review to read for assessment of the game's content. Assuming the game's lag/freezing issues are patched (thereby earning the extra point), the 7.5 reflects Treyarch having done a generally good job moving everything over from more powerful consoles, but the game's messy texturing and pop-up is still below what an optimised game on the console would be capable of.

@Cla: This review is freelance work, offered on the basis of my owning the game beforehand. I am not a professional gaming journalist, hence my lack of capture equipment. Flixist is my day to day writing gig.

SephirothX

Karu, stop talking.

Xander Markham

@Karutomaru: Just realised I spelt your username ridiculously wrong for whatever reason. (Katomaru?!) But that first reply is to you, in case it wasn't clear.

Evil Champ

Finaly! I can go buy this game now! Thanks for the review!

bubmario

@Gustavo

You're dead. Half your face is blown off. Go back to your grave, Mr. Fring.

If anyone gets my reference, you have my deepest appreciation.

Occams electric toothbrush

I used the money I made off of selling my Wii to buy a gamecube, some comic books and a case of beer. Good trade for me.

mellotron

Treyarch, really? >.<

"Activision may be treating the Wii port as the bastard child of the Modern Warfare 3 family, but I give the company credit for releasing the game at all, making it one of the few third-party publishers to show Wii gamers even that modicum of respect (sucks to be you, Capcom and Ubisoft). Even during this busy holiday software surge, <b>Treyarch</b> deserves some respect for doing a creditable job in bringing the series to an unlikely home."

akumasaint

I admit, the Wii version is meh but they gotta patch it up. I already lost one save file. Got to level 48 then the next day...poof.

Tom Welling

To the critic reviewer:

The patch just came out and fixed lag shooting and the corruption file wipe. Will you raise the score to 7.5?

i want damn sexy girls

TheGlue29

"I give (Activision) credit for releasing the game at all, making it one of the few third-party publishers to show Wii gamers even that modicum of respect (sucks to be you, Capcom and Ubisoft)."

Actually, no...it sucks to be a Wii "gamer." The Wii is basically a high end Gamecube with a control system that's basically a knockoff of the Playstation Eye. It's a sixth generation console.

WiiU is a seventh gen console, but unfortunately for Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft will be debuting the eighth generation of consoles at next year's trade shows.

So it basically sucks to be a Wii "gamer." Just look at this review. It can be summed up by saying "It's not as crappy a port as it probably should've been."

I can't wait until Nintendo goes belly up. I may hire Reggie Fils-Aime to wipe my ass for me.

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