While Activision’s Call of Duty 3 wasn’t a bad first-person shooter for the Nintendo Wii, it wasn’t exactly the game that would highlight the revolutionary Wii Remote as a capable controller fit for the genre. After having taking a breather for quite awhile, Electronic Arts’ Medal of Honor series makes a return with Medal of Honor Vanguard. Unlike past games in this series, Vanguard has been released on the PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo Wii (with the PS2 version costing $40!) but it’s the Wii that gets the better version. Grab the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk … it’s time to head for the frontlines once again.

Vanguard introduces the 82^nd Airborne Division as seen through the eyes of Corporal Frank Keegan. Still considered an experimental military division (even Eisenhower didn’t approve of them), the 82^nd took part in a number of key operations that took them through most of Europe. As a paratrooper, you will be jumping into enemy territory but if you’re expecting a deep and involving story you won’t find it here. What you will find is four major campaign operations such as Operation Husky, Neptune, Market Garden and even Operation Varsity. You’ll find yourself fighting off waves of German officers or taking out artillery guns … you know, the usual WWII first-person shooter objectives.

While all of this sounds like familiar territory, this is the Nintendo Wii we’re talking about and it’s the unique controls that set this game apart from other games in the WWII genre. From the very start of the game where you will make your first jump into Sicily during the Operation Husky, you’ll encounter tutorials that will show you how to control your parachute to make an accurate landing (you get a medal for landing on the designated landing area) as well as how to aim, switch weapons as well as throw grenades. Holding the Nunchuk attachment closely to move your character with the analog stick and the Wii Remote to aim, moving and shooting takes some practice but thankfully the controls handle well here.

What doesn’t handle well is the hit detection. Oftentimes I’ll be spending an entire clip on one enemy, especially if you’re shooting enemies from a distance. During a segment in Operation Husky where my squad is holed up in an abandoned building, you are tasked with shooting Italian soldiers from the window. This task was harder despite the high ground advantage because the game didn’t often register my shots. This flaw doesn’t get as badly as it does in Red Steel but it’s evidence that first-person shooters on the Wii still needs plenty of work to make the genre work on the Wii.

Not all is bad, though, and there are some interesting concepts that work well in this game. You can now “cook” a grenade by holding it just a little longer after pulling the pin. This will give you a chance to detonate the grenade a little sooner but hold it too long and you’re in for a nasty surprise. It’s a nice touch, indeed, and adds more fun to the swing control when you swing your arm to toss a grenade. You can also perform a melee attack with your rifle stock by whipping the Remote as if you were really performing a melee attack. Tilt the Remote and Nunchuk to the side and your character tilts to the side for a quick peek-and-shoot. There’s even split-screen multiplayer for up to four players and, while the modes are all standard stuff, the multiplayer mode runs smoothly. It’s too bad there’s no online play, though.

As far as the missions are concerned, Vanguard has some intense battles mixed in with some calm moments that will feel out of place, especially for those already use to the Call of Duty series that often doesn’t give you time to rest. Still, since you play a member of the Airborne Division you will be making jumps at the beginning of each of the four campaigns and you’ll be visiting a number of locales including Germany. The best moments are the ones where you are often overwhelmed by the number of enemies. Yes, it’s challenging to go up against enemies that will actually pull back and regroup when they’re being pushed back but that’s the makings of a good shooter. It’s just too bad that Vanguard isn’t able to maintain this pace throughout the game.

Graphically, the Wii version of Vanguard looks better than the PlayStation 2 version but not by very much. This is upsetting since the Wii is more than capable of displaying plenty of graphical detail. Still, there’s some decent graphics to be found here and the environments look pretty sharp. The character models aren’t bad either but nowhere near as great as the backgrounds but it‘s still cool to see bodies being flung by a grenade blast. The visual effects are also pretty to look at and explosions and smoke look pretty good as well.

Like most Medal of Honor games, Vanguard displays great sound and a gorgeous soundtrack. The level of detail concerning the sound effects is done right but when it comes to a dramatic score, you will fall in love with the game’s soundtrack. The voice acting is good as well and this time characters will actually comment on events you trigger. Toss a grenade badly and your squad mates will yell to any unsuspecting comrade to take cover.

Medal of Honor Vanguard makes good use of the Wii technology but as far as the genre is concerned this is a good attempt at delivering a quality first-person shooter. Sadly, it’s not a perfect attempt since there are some problems that crop up often throughout the game. Still, if you’re looking for a decent, occasionally action-packed World War II FPS, Vanguard is not a bad choice as a weekend rental. While $10 pricier than the PlayStation 2 version, dedicated Medal of Honor fans might want to consider a purchase as well. Everyone else can wait for EA to release a game that will make first-person shooter fans and Wii owners proud.

Gameplay: 7.5
Poor hit detection holds this game back from being a great first-person shooter but this is still a decent FPS with some intense moments that feel far more exciting with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in your hands rather than a regular controller. Tossing grenades has never this much fun.

Graphics: 7.5
The game’s visuals are slightly better than the PS2 version and that’s bad considering the fact that the Wii can do so much better. Still, it’s hard to fault a game when the effects and environments look pretty good. There’s far less clipping than the PS2 version as well.

Sound: 8.5
When it comes to cinematic soundtracks, the Medal of Honor series does things right. It’s not surprising to find out that Vanguard has a magnificent score that plays throughout and picks up in all the right moments. The sound effects are also stellar and the voice acting is actually pretty good.

Difficulty: Medium
There will be times where you’ll be pinned by more than two German soldiers and you’ll wonder what happened to those dumb Nazis who never ducked for cover or retreated when things looked bad. The Wii controls get some getting use to as well.

Concept: 7.5
The Nintendo Wii has been lacking quality first-person shooters since Day One but at least Vanguard fixes some of the issues that have made the genre a disappointment for Wii owners. There are some really intense moments in the game and, while the story isn’t particularly deep, it does a great job of giving us a glimpse of what the 82^nd Airborne did during the war.

Multiplayer: 7.0
Split-screen multiplayer is fun for short bursts of time but this game could have used online support. Still, the four game mode types and ability to run smoothly is enough to keep up to four gamers busy for awhile.

Overall: 7.5
The Nintendo Wii has yet to see a competent first-person shooter worthy of the technology but at least Medal of Honor Vanguard is a single step in the right direction. Compared to Call of Duty 3, Electronic Arts’ game manages to pull off some things right to give us a game that’s fun enough to look past its flaws.