Paintball 2 Hits the Mark

Greg Hastings Paintball 2
Gameplay
graphics
audio
value
fun
Genre
Reviewed On
Wii
Available For
Difficulty
Hard
Publisher(s)
Developer(s)

Normally I don’t care for a game much when you can go do whatever is being done in the game in the real world (No this doesn’t include war games), which is part of the reason that this game caught me so off guard. Despite being a game about paintball (which let’s all be honest, virtual paintball doesn’t sound fun) I really found myself drawn into the game.

The game starts you off in the most basic of manners, building a team. You’ll be taken to a roster of player to choose from. All of the players in the game are actual competitors in real life paintball tournaments. This is a refreshing difference from most modern games where you have to create your own character. Instead you can just slap together a team of rookies and run straight into the game.

The game consists of three different game types; Speedball, Woodsball, and Recball. All of which contain numerous different match types such as Elimination (eliminate the opposing team), Two Capture the Flag (capture the opponents flag), and One Capture the Flag (there is only one flag that must be ran to the opposing side of the field). These are just a few of the match types to name.

The gameplay is complex. Sure it’s easy to just run around the field and shoot, but honestly this game is hard and while you may survive your first few matches, this won’t last long. The main way to win in this game is to utilize cover. Never venture out from your cover for too long. While running to other sources of cover…notice I’m saying cover a lot, there’s a reason for that…you have multiple options of how to get there.

My personal favorite is the knee slide. While running you tap the Z button and you’ll slide forward on your knees and come up in a kneeling position. Another option is lunging forward which has a longer distance and makes you harder to hit, but when you finish the lunge you’ll be in the prone position, leaving you vulnerable to enemy attack.

As if it isn’t complex enough yet there is still more. While hiding behind cover you can also order your teammates around. Maybe a guy has pinned you down. Quickly mark him and your teammates will start laying down cover fire so you can get moving again. Other commands include having your team charge forward and telling them to defend one spot. This can all be really hectic to pull off in the middle of a firefight, but is vital to winning matches.

Strangely enough the game also allows you to cheat, if hit by a paintball you have a couple of seconds to try and wipe it off before the referee notices. If you are caught cheating though it could hurt you, such as the judge pulling you and another player out of the game either for a set time or permanently.

The game also features many name brand paintball companies such as Tippman and Spyder. You’ll be able to find all of your favorite guns like the Tippman 98 Custom or the Spyder Electra. You’ll also be able to load up on some more of the unique items in the paintball world, like paintball grenades or rocket launchers (filled with paint of course).

Also included in the game is a level editor. It isn’t anything amazing, but it’s a nice little edition that can add a couple more hours to the game. All the normal items are here such as inflatable bunkers, old cars, trees and wooden walls.

The game also supports multiplayer (online and offline). This is great if only because of how fast paced the game is. Normal matches only last at a maximum of two minutes (and that’s a really long match). So if you’re eliminated early in the game you won’t have to wait long to play again.

Sadly though, the game isn’t perfect and does have a few bad features.

The AI in this game isn’t exactly the star of the class. Many times your teammates will yell out for you to tell them what to do. I understand that they may need some guidance sometimes, but I want to play the game as well, not just tell the AI what to do every five seconds because it can’t think for itself. And honestly, the goal of an elimination match is pretty obvious, shoot the enemy.

Also the graphics in this game are really low quality. I understand that Wii titles suffer compared to other consoles but this was just bad. These graphics would’ve been bad even on a last generation console so I don’t know why the developer thought it would be okay to put them on a modern day system.

The music of this game could really use some changing. All of the tracks are generic and mellow rock rhythms that don’t get me hyped at all for paintball.

While we are on the subject of sound, the voice acting is the game is generic and all too often different teammates will start saying the same thing within seconds of each other, causing their voices to overlap. The AI will also just plainly talk over one another leaving you wondering what was just said. How can I know Alia is trying to tell me about the enemy trying to flank us when Bill won’t shut up about his tag he just got?

Even with these problems the game is still great and I found myself being unable to put it down. It’s a definite buy for a paintball enthusiast and a good buy for anyone else with a Wii that wants a solid shooter title.

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