Having been out on current consoles since the summer, this Wii
update is in perfect sync with its title. It truly is Total Destruction on the
gameplay, massively crushing any hope of a decent playing edition of this flawed retro
update. Rampage is worth playing for some, just not here.A complete roster of flaws follows this title onto the new console. Depth is nearly impossible to judge as your giant monster tears apart various cities, and the addition of being able to move in front of the buildings does more harm than good. Fighting off the military is nearly impossible because of the depth issue. Helicopters are especially tricky.
Of course, the game is brutally repetitive and goes on far too long to sustain the bland gameplay. The upgraded 3-D graphics shine a little brighter on the Wii thanks to some enhanced lighting and textures, yet do nothing to make this any less monotonous. You're better off playing one of the two available original games unlocked from the start, the original Rampage and the successful 1998 update Rampage World Tour.
The latter two games are playable because they in no way require using motion. The remote use here is simply abysmal. The moves required to pull off a critical and generally easy task like kicking are ridiculous. Total Destruction isn't going to pull you in or make you feel like you're one of the 30 included monsters.
Midway's Wii launch title uses every imaginable motion you can think of. While the nunchuck handles basic movement, and the buttons perform some standard punches, everything else uses the consoles standout feature. To perform something as easy as a punt kick (to send cars careening across the screen), you need to flick the remote down and press A.
Then again, maybe it will register the move slightly early, and perform a ground pound instead which uses the same move without the A button. When clinched onto a building, these same motions perform two different attacks, both just as unresponsive as those on the ground. Better yet, maybe you'll move the remote slightly and punch since this is mapped twice, once to a motion and then to a button.
Stranger still, the developers allow full motion with the Remote if the nunchuck isn't attached. Turning it left or right moves your character. This is simply an impossible task given how many things are mapped to a side-to-side motion. In a complete waste, if the nunchuck is connected, the two buttons it offers go completely unused.
While the Wii is already breaking new ground, it takes a game like this to bring a new owner back to reality and realize that failures like this are sadly going to happen. While hardly a classic, this mildly fun romp could have grasped retro gaming fans with familiar mechanics. If it has any chance of doing that, Total Destruction isn't going to pull it off on the Wii.
