Metroid: Best FPS Controls Ever?

[Kamalot]

IGN has spent a considerable amount of time with Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (http://wii.ign.com/articles/803/803978p1.html) at this year's E3 event and come away with some powerful statements concerning the visuals and the revolutionary control scheme. With more than 2 hours of playtime with the title, they are notably impressed with the 16:9, progressive-scan visuals; boasting a richly-atmospheric presentation, crisper textures, geometry, speedy frame rate, and other effects.

More than the visuals, the IGN team seems to have been bowled-over by the fluid first-person controls utilizing the Wii remote.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa55/goodavatar/MPH3WiiRemote.jpg (http://wii.ign.com/articles/803/803978p1.html)

It plays better than any first-person console game ever... really. And it's one of Wii's best lookers, too.

In fact, the heroine's tight maneuverability and speed nurture a level of accuracy never before possible in a console-based first-person experience. Retro has included three different sensitivity levels for fans, so if you're the type who prefers a big bounding box and slower turns, you can do that. However, we highly recommend that all gamers play Prime 3 with advanced controls, which shrink the bounding box so that Samus turns quickly when your on-screen reticule begins to stray in any direction. Previously, Call of Duty 3 was the benchmark for accurate controls in a first-person game on Wii, but Prime 3 blows that title out of the water. If you've played any FPS-style game on Nintendo's system before, you will probably be running and gunning in Corruption and absolutely loving the freedom and speed of the controls in a matter of seconds, not minutes. It really is the new benchmark and simultaneously proof that smart studios can really utilize the Wii remote and nunchuk for some dazzling results.

Okay Nintendo. Time to include a Metroid Prime Pinball minigame with online leaderboards.

[Lima Beans]

mmmmmmmmmm metroidy

[Freak705]

Id love to give it a try. I tried playing Red Steel at a friends house with next to disasterous results...

[Podfork]

Best FPS controls ever?

Why, does it come with a mouse and keyboard?

Sorry, just yanking your motion-sensitive chain there boys. Carry on :)

[Kamalot]

Id love to give it a try. I tried playing Red Steel at a friends house with next to disasterous results...
I've found the best way to approach Red Steel is to think of it like a light-gun game, except off-rails. It really feels more like a shooting gallery than an FPS. You kind of move, stand still, aim, shoot, move. Not at all like a traditional FPS with circle-strafing.

[UnderHero5]

This, Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros, and Mario Kart, are the only Wii games I need this year.

[Scull]

Damnit! Why do developers insist on using the reticule bounding box for turning? How hard is it to push a button (I'm thinking the C button on the nunchuck would be great here) and switch the thumbstick from strafe to turn and back again upon release? The problem inherent in this system is that the same device used for aiming is now used for movement as well.

[Gorvi]

Not much in the way of actual gameplay in the preview. They'd better not turn this into more FPS than adventure.

[violentp]

Hot motherfucking damn. I hope it's true.

[mos]

Damnit! Why do developers insist on using the reticule bounding box for turning? How hard is it to push a button (I'm thinking the C button on the nunchuck would be great here) and switch the thumbstick from strafe to turn and back again upon release? The problem inherent in this system is that the same device used for aiming is now used for movement as well.
Because then it's impossible to circle-strafe?

[bean19]

Great news. . . after Red Steel, I won't believe without trying it myself, but this will get me willing to try it.

[Chameleo]

IGN usually strokes the nintendo cock, so i'll take this with a grain of salt.

but secretly i have high hopes.

[Roc Ingersol]

Best FPS controls ever?

Why, does it come with a mouse and keyboard?

Sorry, just yanking your motion-sensitive chain there boys. Carry on :)
On a serious note, that's exactly why I initially got excited about the wiimote. I didn't 'get' the rest of it, but the 'chuk and wiimote is basically equivalent to WASD and mouse.

turns out the rest of it is pretty fun too, but i'm stoked to see a shooter-done-right.

[Roc Ingersol]

Damnit! Why do developers insist on using the reticule bounding box for turning? How hard is it to push a button (I'm thinking the C button on the nunchuck would be great here) and switch the thumbstick from strafe to turn and back again upon release? The problem inherent in this system is that the same device used for aiming is now used for movement as well.
You're one of those freaks that uses q and e for turning, aren't you?
that drives me nuts. +mlook ftMFw.

How often do you really need to turn left or right in-plane? In actual gameplay you're almost always moving along all three axes, tracking a target area that's also moving along three axes. (both player and target circle-strafing while jumping/falling/ducking/standing, etc)

[Venkman]

Retro has some of the best art direction in the biz. Color me interested.

[TheFlyingOrc]

I've played the game. It controls well, and the Ridley fight is awesome. (Nintendo Fusion Tour FTW! Kid dressed as link WITH HIS MOM NEXT TO HIM is FTL!)

[CapnBob]

Controls could be so much better than this. I'm afraid that since I am not employed by a Wii developer, I'm going to have to make a video to detail the RIGHT way to make shooter controls for Wii if we're ever going to see something that uses the controller to its full potential.

[jpublic]

What they need to do is release MPrime 1 and 2 with the Wii controls.

[Freak705]

I've found the best way to approach Red Steel is to think of it like a light-gun game, except off-rails. It really feels more like a shooting gallery than an FPS. You kind of move, stand still, aim, shoot, move. Not at all like a traditional FPS with circle-strafing.Thats what threw me off and what I was reduced to doing.. I'd try circle strafing and somehow end up aiming at the ceiling or being stuck in a never-ending spinning type deal.. Disappointing

[agentgray]

Wow. I wish this was hardcore, because apparently Nintendo is walking away from that.

UPDATE: and Oh, man, I cannot wait for this title.

[KSmitty]

Not much in the way of actual gameplay in the preview. They'd better not turn this into more FPS than adventure.
The description of the first couple of events sounded very 'adventure' and the IGN guys made comparisons to Prime 1.

Sounds like a good implementation of the wiimote. I am very much looking forward to this one.

[RUSKULL]

Best FPS controls ever?

Why, does it come with a mouse and keyboard?

Sorry, just yanking your motion-sensitive chain there boys. Carry on :)

They said "first-person console game". Even still, I find that hard to believe, but I hope it's true.

[theCurse]

Controls could be so much better than this. I'm afraid that since I am not employed by a Wii developer, I'm going to have to make a video to detail the RIGHT way to make shooter controls for Wii if we're ever going to see something that uses the controller to its full potential.
Because Nintendo is so likely to pay attention?

Oh, you were just being full of yourself.

[Kamalot]

Thats what threw me off and what I was reduced to doing.. I'd try circle strafing and somehow end up aiming at the ceiling or being stuck in a never-ending spinning type deal.. DisappointingYup. Red Steel was a good, but not great, game as long as you weren't expecting it to be a FPS title. I had to throw my expectations out the window and learn how to play the game the way the game was built, not the way I assumed it should play. Once I did that, I got a fair bit of enjoyment from the title.

Truth be told, Red Steel would have been better if it was set on Rails.

[TheFlyingOrc]

Yup. Red Steel was a good, but not great, game as long as you weren't expecting it to be a FPS title. I had to throw my expectations out the window and learn how to play the game the way the game was built, not the way I assumed it should play. Once I did that, I got a fair bit of enjoyment from the title.

Truth be told, Red Steel would have been better if it was set on Rails.
Except if you get the bad ending you have to play it over again!

(also, the game should have had 0 swordfights)

[Wyrm]

I think everyone was having the same misgivings about an FPS on the Gamecube, and we all know how that turned out. Prime has always had pretty good controls considering it was built originally for a controller that didn't really lend itself well to FPS gameplay. They made it work, and it worked well, but the Wii controller is so much more versatile, I think they might actually have gotten it as close to perfect as we'll see it.

Until you hold it in your hands, you won't know for certain exactly how it feels, but that doesn't mean that I'm not in from day one.

[TheFlyingOrc]

Until you hold it in your hands, you won't know for certain exactly how it feels, but that doesn't mean that I'm not in from day one.
What a surprise! I HAVE held it in my hands, and it controls well!

[TheKeck]

Damnit! Why do developers insist on using the reticule bounding box for turning? How hard is it to push a button (I'm thinking the C button on the nunchuck would be great here) and switch the thumbstick from strafe to turn and back again upon release? The problem inherent in this system is that the same device used for aiming is now used for movement as well.
I still want them to make a game where the remote works EXACTLY like a mouse. None of this pointing towards the edge of the screen to turn crap. If playtesting shows it to be needed, there could be some sort of button to recenter or something (akin to picking up and moving a mouse when necessary).

[Salamande]

I still want them to make a game where the remote works EXACTLY like a mouse. None of this pointing towards the edge of the screen to turn crap. If playtesting shows it to be needed, there could be some sort of button to recenter or something (akin to picking up and moving a mouse when necessary).
That might make things too sensitive. The screen would be shaking with every little movement. Might be interesting as an option, though.

[Tinderbox]

Considering the controls for the original Metroid Prime frustrated me enough to stop playing half way through, I'll take the wait and see approach.

/doesn't have a wii yet.

[Scull]

You're one of those freaks that uses q and e for turning, aren't you?
that drives me nuts. +mlook ftMFw.

How often do you really need to turn left or right in-plane? In actual gameplay you're almost always moving along all three axes, tracking a target area that's also moving along three axes. (both player and target circle-strafing while jumping/falling/ducking/standing, etc)

No, the problem is that the fixed reticule model in PC FPS works so very well because of the accuracy of the mouse. In MP3 it sounds very much like the reticule will be free moving and used much the same as mouselook and the thumbstick will end up controlling forward, backward and strafe. If the reticule were fixed and it operated much the same as any PC FPS then this would be a non-issue. Of course I could be entirely off in this statement and the reticule is fixed and the bounding box is just to compensate for the sensitivity of the remote. Either way I'm still going to buy the game, and probably enjoy it to no end.

[Karmakin]

If you look at the level design in Red Steel, it was never meant for circle strafing. In what I played of the game, I never really ran into a wide open area. What I more hit was pop into a door way, shoot a guy or two, pop back, pop out and so on, and it worked pretty well for that. Not the greatest (I actually preferred the movement/aiming system in Far Cry) but whatever.

[51|RandoM]

They said "first-person console game". Even still, I find that hard to believe, but I hope it's true.

Yeah, but typical for Evil Avatar the story has a misleading title that doesn't match the story.

That is the "attitude" part of "gaming news with attitude".

[Devilturnip]

Prediction: The Wii haters will amend their argument to, "Other than Metroid, all it has are a bunch of minigames."

[TheKeck]

Of course I could be entirely off in this statement and the reticule is fixed and the bounding box is just to compensate for the sensitivity of the remote. Either way I'm still going to buy the game, and probably enjoy it to no end.
That's a good point. If the bounding box is small enough, it would essentially be the same thing.

[Lothair]

What a surprise! I HAVE held it in my hands, and it controls well!

Well, yes. But that opinion contradicts what he'd like it to be, so therefore it doesn't count, and you are fanboy scum.

[F3nyx]

That's a good point. If the bounding box is small enough, it would essentially be the same thing.Or they could use a proportional system, where moving the remote-off center both aims your gun and turns you at a rate proportional to distance from the center.

I really want to try this game.

[TheFlyingOrc]

Or they could use a proportional system, where moving the remote-off center both aims your gun and turns you at a rate proportional to distance from the center.

I really want to try this game.
Let me put it this way: When I played it, I had never held a Wii Remote before, and I was in perfect control of Samus. AND I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING.

[DaXIthR]

This new control scheme seems really effin' clever. I am excited.

Metroid Prime did everything right, and MP2 deflated me like a Zeppelin. I was really hesitant about MP3 after frustrating the hell out of myself with MP2. This free look lock-on is brilliant in theory. I can't wait to see how it works in practice.

I wonder if we can use the Zapper attachment to play Corruption.

[dr_wily]

dear god, the fact that metroid and COD3 are even in the same sentence scares the hell out of me.

COD3's controls were so awful, jerky and jittery i couldn't do shit and basically made me forget the wii (at least till kart comes out.. oh my sweet baby)

This of course is in direct comparision to playing the COD games on the 360 with no autoaim and winning it all on that super hard mode.

blarg, lets hope they still have the GC control scheme.

[TheFlyingOrc]

dear god, the fact that metroid and COD3 are even in the same sentence scares the hell out of me.

COD3's controls were so awful, jerky and jittery i couldn't do shit and basically made me forget the wii (at least till kart comes out.. oh my sweet baby)

This of course is in direct comparision to playing the COD games on the 360 with no autoaim and winning it all on that super hard mode.

blarg, lets hope they still have the GC control scheme.

NO, as the new one is very good.

[Kadoo]

No one has mentioned the Lock-on feature. Apparently you can lock-on to an enemy circle strafe based on that lock-on but aim anywhere else also. That's what I got out of it at any rate.

[Stormwatcher]

I really wish that all the people who didn't play the goddamned fucking game stopped talking bullshit about it. Stupid people.

BTW, IGN has all the scoops, isn't it? Gamespot never gets the hot news.

Pity that the IGN site has the worst design in all the internets. That site is fucking un-browsable. I only go there following links to specific pages.

[CapnBob]

Because Nintendo is so likely to pay attention?

Oh, you were just being full of yourself.

Nintendo? Probably not. Third parties? Possibly. I have a pretty good track record at getting noticed.

[grammatoncleric]

Not much in the way of actual gameplay in the preview. They'd better not turn this into more FPS than adventure.

Best comment I read. Metroid is first and foremost an adventure game, it just happens to be told through a first person perspective. Metroid was never about needing Unreal reflexes and a hair trigger. I hope that doesn't change.

At the same token, this is awesome news. Hopefully other developers can get on board with the Wii first person games after this and we could see some strong titles instead of Red Steel.

[Roc Ingersol]

Of course I could be entirely off in this statement and the reticule is fixed and the bounding box is just to compensate for the sensitivity of the remote.
Ah, i misunderstood their use of bounding box. I'm really not a fan of that. Provided the box is small enough, it might not be a big deal, but still... it's a sub-optimal solution.

Particularly when apps can dial down the jiggity without sacrificing precision. See: the pointer in the wii menu system vs the reticle in the light gun boards in Rayman. If you lock +mlook to the reticle in Rayman, it'd be fine.

[xcalibur]

Methinks you will like the controls. It is as close to the feeling/precision of KB/Mouse as you can get on a console (without a KB/mouse). This is coming from an avid FPS fan, starting back in the DOOM days.

-X

[CapnBob]

Methinks you will like the controls. It is as close to the feeling/precision of KB/Mouse as you can get on a console (without a KB/mouse). This is coming from an avid FPS fan, starting back in the DOOM days.

-X

I'm sure it will be sufficient, I just think it can get BETTER.

[MrSatan]

best fps controls for a CONSOLE maybe. Sorry but the Wiimote still sucks compared to mouse and keyboard.

[Watership]

"By Matt Casamassina"

Right there is when I stopped taking this article seriously. Any game journalist who's experience seems to be a Nintendo fanboy for most of his career can't really say "Best playing FPS console ever".

[xcalibur]

IGN isn't the only preview lauding the controls:

http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/07/hands-on-metroi.html
http://www.destructoid.com/e3-2007-metroid-prime-corruption-coming-august-27-and-it-s-freaking-awesome-34960.phtml

-X

[Edited to fix 2nd link]

[Kamalot]

IGN isn't the only preview lauding the controls:

http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/07/hands-on-metroi.html
http://www.destructoid.com/e3-2007-metroid-prime-corruption-...

-X

Thanks a lot for finding these. The Wired one is great (http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/07/hands-on-metroi.html), but the link for Destructoid just takes me to their main page.

[alleycatsphinx]

Hmm... Maybe actually designing wiimote controls is much harder than coming up with good control schemes. Schemes that seem like they would work really well often aren't possible with the hardware (or there is a hidden truth that makes them suck.)

It most likely doesn't quite work like you think it does.

That said, as far as fps controls go:

Keyboard + Mouse > Wiimote (though wiimote is most intuitive) > Joysticks (...and anyone who doesn't think joysticks suck ass was never good on a keyboard and mouse)

[CapnBob]

Hmm... Maybe actually designing wiimote controls is much harder than coming up with good control schemes. Schemes that seem like they would work really well often aren't possible with the hardware (or there is a hidden truth that makes them suck.)

It most likely doesn't quite work like you think it does.

That said, as far as fps controls go:

Keyboard + Mouse > Wiimote (though wiimote is most intuitive) > Joysticks (...and anyone who doesn't think joysticks suck ass was never good on a keyboard and mouse)

Nobody has actually tried to rethink controls from scratch with the Wii controls yet. Everyone is still thinking of ways to adapt either dual analog or keyboard and mouse controls, and neither is the answer because both do one thing that the IR pointer is not suited to. It is actually physically painful to me to see how unimaginative people in this industry are.

[Chameleo]

Nintendo? Probably not. Third parties? Possibly. I have a pretty good track record at getting noticed.

i'm really curious, and i'm sure the rest of the community would be too - why don't you post what you'd want to do, in theory, or actually do make a video and put it in 'in house content'. i think it would be really cool what you could come up with.

i remember this old poster before the wii launched named pantsmonkey - he would make all kinds of videos etc about how nintendo should do the wii-remote. he's not around anymore, but his input was mighty interesting.

[Draft]

Haha, wow, the axed Metroid to make a FPS starring Samus Aran. Nintendo, Nintendo, Nintendo... what are we gonna do with these guys?

[Kamalot]

Haha, wow, the axed Metroid to make a FPS starring Samus Aran. Nintendo, Nintendo, Nintendo... what are we gonna do with these guys?
I feel like you are SOOO CLOSE to being comprehensible.

What on Earth are you trying to say?

[Chameleo]

I feel like you are SOOO CLOSE to being comprehensible.

What on Earth are you trying to say?

i think he's trying to say they got rid of traditional metroid and made a traditional FPS.

i.e. nintendo has once again abandoned their fans and changed what they do and disappointed everyone.

[51|RandoM]

I fully expect Metroid Prime 3 to have the best controls of any Wii FPS out at or before its release.

As far as Draft's point of view, Nintendo is screwed either way. If they keep making the Metroid that Draft wants they get flack for just rehashing the same tired franchises every generation.

If they try to expand/change those franchises, as they have with metroid, they catch flack from the Drafts of the world.

[Chameleo]

well maybe they'll put the traditional metroid on the DS - and put the new-fangled FPS metroid on the wii. would make sense and keep everyone happy.


hahaha who'm I kidding? someone would still whine about not getting a 'next gen' metroid.

[Draft]

What we dislike: We're definitely not sold on Corruption's new approach to level design. Sure, it could be good, but a large part of what makes Metroid Metroid is the ability to backtrack, re-explore, find alternate paths and break sequence. Corruption really does feel like Halo in a lot of ways -- not just the intro section, but even Skytown. Not in the good way, but rather in the "linear stage designs and frequent repetition of level elements" way. Did you hate Halo's Library? Well, pilgrim, you may have to grit your teeth a little when you play through Skytown.

Now granted, the first two Metroid Prime games did have their problems, but that mostly centered around the fact that players were forced to retrace their steps through the entire game in mindless fetch quests. Streamlining the game could work, but many Metroid fans may balk at the radical change that Corruption seems to represent.Terrible. If Nintendo is that desperate to create a FPS IP, resurrect Kid Icarus or fucking Duck Hunt. Don't ruin Metroid because you have Halo envy.As far as Draft's point of view, Nintendo is screwed either way. If they keep making the Metroid that Draft wants they get flack for just rehashing the same tired franchises every generation.Do they get flack for rehashing Ocarina of Time 3 times? Or Mario 64 3 times? Well, yes they do, but only because of all their innovation talk. But it doesn't matter because the games are good.

Anyway keeping exploration in Metroid isn't rehashing, it's a basic goddamn concept of the game.

What a botch.

[dr_wily]

Terrible. If Nintendo is that desperate to create a FPS IP, resurrect Kid Icarus or fucking Duck Hunt. Don't ruin Metroid because you have Halo envy.Do they get flack for rehashing Ocarina of Time 3 times? Or Mario 64 3 times? Well, yes they do, but only because of all their innovation talk. But it doesn't matter because the games are good.

Anyway keeping exploration in Metroid isn't rehashing, it's a basic goddamn concept of the game.

What a botch.


blech, i concur. metroid prime 1's discovery and backtracking was just magic.

[court12b]

alll is well.

now, just let me control my movement with the pad from Wii Fit( or am i getting too greedy).

[xcalibur]

MP3 is not an FPS... you can unbunch your panties now. :)

[shnastybiznastic]

Wow. I wish this was hardcore, because apparently Nintendo is walking away from that.
You sir, get a high five!

[Pantsmonkey]

Best FPS Controls Ever?

Not bloody likely :(

(console or otherwise)

[xcalibur]

Best FPS Controls Ever?

Not bloody likely :(

(console or otherwise)

By all means, feel free to ignore all the E3 hands-on previews talking about the controls. :p


-X

[shnastybiznastic]

no no no, don't scare him away, he might say something crazy!

[Ravenlock]

This is a little off-topic (Metroid 3 looks awesome, yay, etc etc), but for those who had a horrible experience with Red Steel...

There's an acknowledged bug with that game whereby if you have the volume on your Wiimote on at all (which makes the gunshots, reload sounds, etc come out of it instead of the TV), the aiming will lose sync and jump to center every 10 seconds or so. It makes the game completely unplayable, because it feels like the Wiimote is losing the sensor bar, so the player's natural reaction is to try to aim/move slower.

In fact, however, if you turn the Wiimote volume completely off, that bug goes away and the aiming is just as smooth as Call of Duty 3's. The turn speed is still a little slow, but honestly, it plays much closer to the way other console FPS's do than one might think if they were suffering from the volume bug.

So if you own it and hate it, give that a shot. With that fixed, I found the game very enjoyable (though there are other graphics bugs that can be annoying - it just wasn't a well tested game).

[CapnBob]

i'm really curious, and i'm sure the rest of the community would be too - why don't you post what you'd want to do, in theory, or actually do make a video and put it in 'in house content'. i think it would be really cool what you could come up with.

i remember this old poster before the wii launched named pantsmonkey - he would make all kinds of videos etc about how nintendo should do the wii-remote. he's not around anymore, but his input was mighty interesting.

I'm working on the vid currently. It's going to be slightly animated with a hand-drawn character explaining the setup with a simple 3D environment and clean diagrams.

...Followed by pitiful begging for a developer to hire me.

[Chameleo]

Best FPS Controls Ever?

Not bloody likely :(

(console or otherwise)

wow.. talk about speaking of the devil. shiiaat.

do you have some kind of radar or something?!

[Chameleo]

I'm working on the vid currently. It's going to be slightly animated with a hand-drawn character explaining the setup with a simple 3D environment and clean diagrams.

...Followed by pitiful begging for a developer to hire me.

heh i hope you post it here, and i hope you get hired! : )

[Karmakaze]

Damnit! Why do developers insist on using the reticule bounding box for turning? How hard is it to push a button (I'm thinking the C button on the nunchuck would be great here) and switch the thumbstick from strafe to turn and back again upon release? The problem inherent in this system is that the same device used for aiming is now used for movement as well.

I could not DISagree with you more. RE4:WiiEdition would have actually been playable if they had used this scheme. bounding is very much like mouse keyboard. Using your left hand to aim (and really, turning is just aiming at things currently off-screen) goes against almost 15 years of muscle memory.

[Pantsmonkey]

I could not DISagree with you more. RE4:WiiEdition would have actually been playable if they had used this scheme. bounding is very much like mouse keyboard. Using your left hand to aim (and really, turning is just aiming at things currently off-screen) goes against almost 15 years of muscle memory.

And its just plain stupid. Its tantamount to actually needing to aim up/down with pageup and pagedown in Duke Nukem 3D the last of the no mouse shooters. (you didn't need to do it but it was in there)

I remember a movie I saw a while ago, the main special forces esque character has to hand over a gun to his ditsy female non special forces sidekick because the odds are stacked so high against him, and dammit he needs any help he can get! He asks her if she knows how to use a gun and she says fuck I have no fricken idea. He then gives her a very important piece of gun user advice.

Always look where your gun is pointing! This should always be the case in FPS games.

crazy you say...

[51|RandoM]

Always look where your gun is pointing! This should always be the case in FPS games.

crazy you say...

When you actually intend to shoot something, sure. Impractical for the rest of the time you're carrying a gun. :p I mean come on, if I want to catch a hand signal from one of my teammates I'm not going to point my gun at him at the same time.

Oh yeah, do that when watching your darklings in The Darkness, they get pissed off at you.

[blair]

Always look where your gun is pointing! This should always be the case in FPS games.]
I kinda disagree, you look where your gun is pointing while you're aiming. It looks god damn ridiculous if you scan the horizon and do a 90 degree sweep.

That said, the aiming reminds me of Operation Flashpoint. In a good way.

[bitwise]

Why do you hate my wallet, Nintendo?

[MacD]

For those of you with better Wii fps controls in mind: use GlovePIE to prototype it up and use that on a pc fps to see if it works or not.
For cursor movement, I've found that rolling the wiimote over it's center axis works well for side to side movement in combination with pitch for up/down. Use that for "mouselook" or aiming and the nunckuck for movement (maybe using c/z as modifiers). With no prior knowledge of GlovePIE and a basic understading of programming (can you use an if then statement?) yoiu can program this in in a matter of hours, starting from learning GlovePIE. Or you can just download an existing script for your game and modify that (and you might not need to).