For those of you waiting to get their hands on Codemasters' Heatseeker video game for the Nintendo Wii, you can now stop waiting as the game has been officially shipped to North American retailers on May 1.

With over 35 jet fighters and their variants going to complete missions, both over land and seas, there sure is no stopping you from setting fire on this game. Don't worry about running out of ammunition, as there are 60 different weapons and packs to arm you just right for the battle you will be facing.

Now, as for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) fans, don't fret, because Codemasters guarantees that the PSP version of Heatseeker will be coming your way shortly. But for the Wii owners, you're now ready for take off to retail stores for a copy of Heatseeker.

Did you know that Codemasters' Heatseeker is actually a legit military term? It refers to a missile guidance system known as Infrared Homing. What it does is detect the heat being generated by its intended target and then homes on to it.

Well, we just thought you'd like to know because the Wii version video game Heatseeker (Wii and PSP) is finally available now. Basically, the background story of this air combat simulation video game is that a terrorist act was captured live by a TV station. This attack was perpetrated by a would-be dangerous dictator that has enough military power, not to mention his advanced nuclear cache.

Players come in by taking on the role of a lead peace-keeper from the International Council. We know the enemy sounds a bit tough to beat but don't worry as you have been provided by plenty of resources as well.

There's a total of 35 unique jet fighters available for you and that's not including each class' variant. Players can also choose from 60 different weapon packs that include radar-guided missiles and rocket propelled torpedoes among others.

Furthermore, there are more than 18 land and sea based missions to complete and all battles will take place across the U.S., off the coast of South America, over Antarctica, and even into the Far East.

Again, this Heatseeker release is both for platforms Wii and PlayStation 2 (PS2) in UK. The PlayStation Portable (PSP) version will be release in May for UK and North America, alongside the two other mentioned platforms.

Imagine Publishing-owned magazine "games" has a treat for all Heatseeker enthusiasts in its latest issue which became available in UK and in some other markets as well the other day. Here's the goodie: a unique 3D cover to celebrate the arrival of Codemasters' upcoming air combat video game.

If you really want to know more, the inside front cover of the magazine also reveals a pop-up jet fighter once the magazine is opened up. This sort of thing is not entirely new in publication history but if we're not mistaken, this is actually the first for video game-dedicated magazines. Imagine Publishing's Advertising Director Scott Caisley is quite proud as he commented,

I am thrilled to be a part of this key initiative with one of the UK's most revered games publishers. It's this sort of ground-breaking innovation that creates genuine excitement both at retail and within the gaming community, and you’ll be seeing a lot more of this from Imagine in the months to come.

Heatseeker is one the more "updated" jet fighter video game today. Aside from featuring the classic F-15 Eagle, the title will also be sporting renowned real-life planes like F-35 Lightning II and SR-71 Blackbird, not to mention several other futuristic aircrafts. All in all, there are a total number of 30 playable jets, with each one having different handling capabilities.

The Wii and PlayStation 2 (PS2) version of Heatseeker will be released in Europe this coming March 30 and in North America on May 2007. On the other hand, the PlayStation Portable (PSP) version will be available on March 30 for Europe and May 1 for North America.

The game Heatseeker for the Wii, published by Codemasters and developed in conjunction with IR Gurus Interactive, is looking pretty hot. The game features 30 planes and will allow you to pilot favorites like the F-22 Raptor, F-15 Eagle, F35 Lightening II, and Russian SU-47 Berkut. In addition, 40 different weapons will be in the game hopefully giving you an edge over the waves of opponents you will be facing.

The video captures the tension that the game brings as you're forced to fight off 4 bandits (enemy planes) during a routine training mission. You and your wingman will have to do this quickly though, because the base where you're stationed is under heavy assault.

Heatseeker is set to be released in Europe on March 30 this year and in the US this May, this game is looking promising. Check out the video and see what's in store for you if you decide to pick up the game.

The work for the title being jointly developed by Codemasters and IR Gurus Heatseeker (PSP, Wii), is about to wrap up. With that said, IR Gurus is geared towards focusing on some new projects and executive producer Ben Palmer was happy to divulge what's cooking inside the IR Gurus lab.

He mentions that they're finishing up with their work on Heatseeker. He then continued by saying that "we're pleased to be getting something out of the Wii because there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of games out there, so hopefully that will do quite well - it's getting very good reviews, which we're very pleased with." 

They also have some PS2 games and three next-gen titles coming out. One of the next-gen titles is quite advanced in its development, but the other two are right at the start.

He also shares that the Wii is quite an easy platform to develop for. Why? Because of its single core nature. He said that if a developer has a firm grasp of single core systems (like the PS2), working on the Wii would be a breeze. The controller is quite interesting to work with and would require devs to really get creative and think out of the box.

When asked to talk more about their next-gen titles, this is what Palmer said:

One of them is scarily huge. It's going to be great, and it's an interesting project. I can't tell you about the others as there have been no formal releases...

No platform was mentioned, but there might be a possibility that it could be for the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Why is that? Well, this is what he said when asked about which consoles they'll focus on:

Potentially there might be the odd title, but we're moving away from the PS2 and will be more focused on 360 and PS3. We are working on some PSP at the moment, but in the future that might make more sense to outsource it as there may people better set up to work on the PSP than we are. It's better for us to focus on a smaller number of platforms.

We've brought you the screenshots, the details, even some videos, so it's now time for Heatseeker packshots. These packshots are for the European releases of the game, and we think they'd be rather useful if you're hit by a sudden bout of dyslexia while you're looking for Heatseeker in your videogame retail store of choice.

 

With the actual content out of the way, it's time for the fluff. Heatseeker is Codemasters' latest entry into the whole air combat videogame genre. The game promises face-melting 6G turns and fight against a seemingly-impossible amount of airborne enemies, just like when you're camping out in the tropics and you have to fight off mosquitoes the size of saucers.

All of the game's arcade-fast action will be happening while players are strapped into the cockpit of one of 30 current and near-future military fighter jets featured in the game. Players get over 40 different weapons to shoot bogeys down with, and thanks to the new Impact cam (the devs say it's kinda like Burnout, but in the air), when gamers launch a strike, they will follow their missiles as they ruthlessly hone in on their targets.

Heatseeker will be homing in on Wiis and PSPs across the U.S. this month, and will hit Europe on March 30.

  

The game Heatseeker, being jointly developed by IR Gurus and Codemasters, is a jet fighter game for the Wii, PlayStation 2, and PSP. The game puts you into the shoes of a peace-keeper in the International Council. The game starts with a terrorist attack captured live on a rolling-news TV station. From there the situation just escalates as the International Council attempts to thwart a dangerous dictator with an advanced nuclear cache. You will be forced to engage different kind of opponents including a smuggling boss and a Rogue Federation Admiral.

Features:

• Over 30 jets to fly each with 35 different control parameters
• 40 different weapons
• Missions will take place over a variety of areas (The US, Caribbean, and the Antarctica are among the places you will get a chance to fly over)
• ImpactCam (Basically a missile camera that allows you to view the launched missile from different angles)
• Destructible environments
• The Wii version allows players to use physical movements to control the plane.
• The PSP version features network play and different play modes such as dog fights, ground assaults and race modes.

Heatseeker is slated to be released late this March.  Till we get more news check out these screenshots from the Wii version of the game.

  

For more screenshots, check the full article.

For a game that promises some ultra-Hollywood special effects with its so-called Impact Cam, Codemasters' Heatseeker looks as thrilling as a dog-fight should be. The problem is, while a game looks thrilling, does that necessarily mean that it makes you feel it too? That's where the importance of controls come in.

Andrew Wensley recently had an interview where he revealed how the controls would work for the game. It basically all boils down to the ability of how you want to play the game: whether you want to control it as if handling a real plane or if you're in it just for the fun. Regardless, you'll be satisfied.

Now, we actually get to see how the controls really work. Here's a vid which teaches you how to evade (whether by breaking right, doing an inside loop, or deploying some flares), target, shoot, and destroy. The Wii remote motions look quite basic, and at the back of my mind, even though I have no clue what it's like to fly a plane, I'm like, "Gee, that's pretty intuitive."

Revogamers caught up with Heatseeker Senior producer Andrew Wensley at the game's Spain presentation. From there, more details were divulged on this up and coming flight simulator for the Wii and PSP. Here's what Wensley shared during the interview.

Basically, the selling point of the game is "less realism, pure action." But this isn't the only thing that the game's got to offer. There are two different control modes, as well as two different ways the aerodyanamics works:

If you want, you can play the game as if handling a real plane, you can hold the Nunchuk just like it's a fly stick, you've go a real, real sense of flying a real plane. And then if you just really want to take the skies and blow up loads of bad guys, then I feel the Wiimote and the Arcade mode is just waiting everybody to feel it.

One of the more anticipated features of Heatseeker is the Impact Cam. Says Wensley, it was basically one of the original design ideas. And as the designers spent some time playing arcade games, with Burnout being one of them, it then becomes safe to say that the implementation of the Impact Cam will be like Burnout, but in the air.

'The Impact, yes, we could make the kills like Burnout in the air', it was like... yeah, that's a fantastic idea! It took quite a while to get it right. It took quite a while to get the individual one. I've got the camera choreography see have also the bullet-time effect some real-feel like Matrix. I mean, games like Max Payne were doing it a while ago. But this is the first airplane jet combat game where we have bullet time, full screen burns, you know, we've thrown every special effect possible.

And as for possible future downloadable content, "Not in Heatseeker 1, but in Heatseeker 2... maybe." Hmmm... slip of the tongue right there, eh?

Talking about the multiplayer mode that is exclusive to the PSP version, he says that as the handheld already comes with the Wi-Fi built-in feature, they decided to just concentrate on the multiplayer mode for it.

Heatseeker is set to paint North American skies red on March 2007.

JeuxFrance has new screens of Codemasters' Heatseeker in full throttle on the Wii. For the plane spotters out these, here are six screens of the F-15, the F22, the Su-27, and I am not sure what Jet #4 is, but it bears a resemblance to the Yak-41/141 jump jet (yes, brings back memories of Jane's USNF '97 combat flight sim, for those older virtual flyboys out there). Interesting, I wonder how vertical take-off/landing (VTOL) will work in this game...

The visual style of these screens reflect the Jerry Bruckheimer approach to game presentation: slick camera angles and fly-bys, things going boom... and some of us are half-expecting a Ben Affleck cameo. Okay, maybe not the cameo.

Combat flight control on the Wii will also be an interesting case study. To take the control stick, the throttle slider, and the rudder pedals and to integrate their functions into a Nunchuck? We're curious, to say the least.

There are a few more images after the Jump.