Far Cry Vengeance

What didn't look so smooth were the graphics. There was very noticeable pop-in with trees and buildings on the horizon, especially when careening through the game's environment at top speed in one of the available vehicles. We also suspect that Far Cry Vengeance may be more linear than its predecessors. Although we were told that we could explore the island as we saw fit, every time we tried traipsing through the foliage, we were then told to stay on the path. OK. Finally, jumping with a wave of the Nunchuk was a pain. We would rather have left this unique Wii function simply mapped to an old-fashioned button.

Above: The shotgun is powerful, but melee combat is more fun now

These aren't minor issues, true, but the pure mechanics of the game are so enjoyable that we could be willing to forgive and possibly even to forget. If the rest of the game plays as well as the portion we tested - and if the novelty of cutting throats with the same piece of plastic we use to guide monkey balls and Mii athletes doesn't wear off - Far Cry Vengeance could be the first fun shooter on Wii.