Light-gun-styled shooters are enjoying a resurgence on Wii, the catalyst of which has been Nintendo’s pointer-enabled Wii Remote. The device is naturally well-suited for shooters, and the best games attest to that. Extraction is no different’simply point the remote to aim, and press B to shoot. As with most Wii shooters, the controls offer pixel-perfect precision and are very comfortable to use.
Comfort is important. Stalked by monsters of unspeakable terror through the frigid vacuum of space, it’s sort of hard to come by.
Complementing the precision and comfort they afford, the controls are also surprisingly immersive. Swinging the nunchuck attachment initiates a quick melee strike, useful when you’ve forgotten to reload or have a pathway to clear. It doesn’t implement it as well as games like Zelda and Metroid have, but it’s still fun to use in Extraction.
Motion control isn’t relegated to the nunchuck, however. Twisting the remote allows you to activate a weapon’s alternate firing mode, which uses multiple ammunition rounds to unleash a powerful blast. Each of the game’s ten weapons can be held sideways for alternate shots, but be wary of their use. You probably wouldn’t want to be walking through the halls of the USG Ishimura without bullets.
The coolest example of motion control in Extraction, however, is also the most derivative and clichéd’the oft-maligned remote waggle.
Walking through the game’s blood-soaked corridors, you’ll often reach areas engulfed in complete darkness. Barely able to see even what stands within your reach, you can use a glow stick by waggling the remote. The harder you shake, the faster your faint light source activates, casting a disturbing green glow on your surroundings.
Even the rotting, porous flesh of your blood-thirsty enemies.
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