The PKE meter will also act as a kind of “getting warmer/getting colder” guide to finding your way around missions. Rather than in something like Dead Space, where your path is clearly displayed on the ground with the press of a button, you will still need to figure out where to go, but the meter does allow you to get a hint as far as what is the right direction and what is not. This should keep things moving and allow you to stay where the action is.
That’s not all you have in your toolbox though, as you also have goggles that let you see things that are not of this world. For example, in the demo, there was a point where it looked as if there was nowhere else to go, but after slapping on your goggles and looking around, you could see a bridge. Of course, if you’re playing co-op and you don’t tell your partner what you are doing, they will just see you walking on thin air while you know you are crossing a bridge, which is a neat effect.
All of these things work, and they work well. I was told that the method of catching ghosts had been tweaked as well, so that it made more sense and took less time to do, which is good because I would imagine on later levels with more difficult enemies on the screen at once that the original system could be problematic. Sadly, since this new system was not in place on this build of the game, I can’t explain how it works, but no worries, more information will be released between now and the game’s release this summer. What I do know is that you throw a capture cage around the ghost, and then use the beam to weaken it and reel it in slowly. Toss a cage out with a bowling motion of the Nunchuk, and voila, captured phantoms.
One other thing that is fun and worth mentioning is your ability to destroy the environment around you. Use your beam to knock over objects, blow books off of shelves, and cause a general mess wherever you are. All of the damage tallies up into a bill for the mayor of New York, and you will be given a title based on how much damage you cause. In co-op this should be even better, as you fight over who can make more of a mess of the level and earn the better title while still accomplishing your intended goals.
The Wii version also features split-screen co-op gameplay, but even if you can’t get a buddy to join in on your ghost hunting, it’s okay, as the AI knows what it is doing. When you’re trying to capture a ghost, and an AI ‘buster is near you, they will toss out their traps and do their best to help you catch it, even tethering ghosts you’re ignoring in their own beams while you work on catching your targets. This helps keep things going, and adds to the feeling that you’re working in a group rather than just walking around doing everything on your own.
Based on my limited time with the game, I can say that my interest has been piqued, and that this game is now one I am watching. It’s shaping up to be a game that even those excited for the Xbox 360 and PS3 release should check out, as it’s different enough to make playing both worthwhile. Red Fly gets how to make a good Wii game, and with Atari giving the developer all of the time they need to put the final package together, we should all be pleased with the final result once it releases.
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