"The Wii version, as it turns out, is content-identical to the 360 and PS3 versions, for the most part. It's reasonable to expect that the relatively weaker system will have fewer enemies and simplified geometry in some parts, but in terms of storyline, basic level design, and so on, you're getting the same game across all three platforms. The Wii version naturally doesn't feature the extreme detail of the other versions, but it does play much like we're coming to expect first-person shooters to play on this unique new platform. Like Metroid Prime 3 and Red Steel, COD3 has you using the remote for fine aiming, and moving the cursor to the edges of the screen will make you turn. The analog stick on the nunchuk makes you move, and the various other buttons of the Wii's controllers let you perform other actions like ducking, jumping, and going to iron sights.
The Wii version will have scaled-down visuals but more realistic, motion-based controls to make up for it.
There are a few more motion controls available on the Wii. Thrusting the remote outward will perform your melee attack, while twisting it to the sides will make you lean. Finally, you can switch weapons by flicking the nunchuk to the side or throw a grenade by moving it in a tossing motion. The Wii level we played was Crossroads, which featured more-typical house-to-house fighting through a ruined, bombed-out village. When we entered one doorway, we engaged in one of Call of Duty 3's scripted hand-to-hand combat sequences, which have you struggling with an enemy soldier in a cinematic fashion. When we last saw one of these minigames on the Xbox 360, we had to merely hit the right buttons at the right time to succeed, but on the Wii, you'll actually have to hold the controllers out in front of you in a facsimile of the onscreen action and struggle as instructed by the game to save your skin and take down the bad guy.
Aside from this difference, the game played like you'd expect. All the core mechanics are the same here as in the PS3 and 360 versions--the difference is merely in how you interface with the game. Luckily, horizontal and vertical sensitivity adjustments were available in the build we played, so we could fine-tune the aiming to our liking, and afterward, we found the actual shooting gameplay to be more satisfying and skill-based than when played with a standard analog thumb stick. With the more flexible aiming, it became more realistic to switch to iron sights and squeeze off a quick headshot to take out that soldier just barely peeking over the barrier. We're looking forward to getting more time with this and other Wii games to get a better feel for this sort of unique FPS gameplay, which seems to approximate the feel of mouse aiming on the PC."
