Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Nintendo Power, not quite the horribly biased mess it once was, has a few interesting bits of information for its readers this month. There's quite a bit of into after the jump, but here are some of the highlights:

• Call of Duty 3 is confirmed for launch. An interesting point discussed was how one will arm and detonate an explosive; instead of simply pressing a button, you'll go through the motions and perform the action yourself. The AI has been vastly improved, and the game is now less linear than the previous iterations.
• Rampage: Total Destruction will allow players the option of playing with the GCN controller or the Wiimote. (Take a hint, Zelda team!) There'll be 40 playable monsters and at least one new environment: Dallas. Time to get Cowboy-stompin'.
• Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam will have a Create-a-Skater mode that...wait...that isn't really news. Never mind.
• An interview with the team developing Trauma Center: Second Opinion states that the Wii version is less a "remake" than a "perfect vision" of the original game. Chapter 6 (the seven Sin missions, in the original DS version) will be entirely new, with a different ending. A second playable character will be introduced, and at least one new tool that sounds suspiciously like a defibrillator.

Happy Friday!

If the mention of World War II still compels you to go about shooting things (typically Nazis) from a first-person perspective, you'd best check out 1Up's weeklong feature that promises to detail every pixel, polygon and private that constitutes the upcoming Call of Duty 3. Taking over from Infinity Ward, developer Treyarch is keen on capitalizing on next-gen technology and the creative freedoms it provides -- with any luck, that means we'll actually be able to open doors in this one. Oh well, we suppose loads of on-screen enemies and trampled blades of grass are just as useful.

The screenshots and video provided are enough to convince us of the game's technical gravitas, but we're obviously much more interested in the Wii version and how it looks to take advantage of the unique control system. A small blurb in the first part of the preview suggests how, while at the same time suggesting that the other two versions of the game are the main focus here. "The Wii version, in development outside Treyarch, shows some potential to bring the player into the game during the Battle Actions in a way the PS3 and 360 won't be able to. Actually wrestling with a German for his gun or actually disarming that explosive are things only the Wii will let you do this gen."

Battle actions are Call of Duty's answer to Shenmue's Quick Timer Events. At certain points during the game, you're required to press certain buttons in order to escape a cinematic struggle or situation. Failure is likely to result in far more unpleasantness than getting smacked in the head by some Japanese kid's soccerball. These sound particularly intriguing if done correctly for the Wii and should make up for some of its inevitable graphical shortcomings. Even then, we have to wonder how long it'll take before we grow tired of crawling through trenches and taking out tanks. Is World War II the new Hoth?

[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]