There is a story going on in the background as the two arthropods wreak a swath of vermin-death across the desert floor, although we won’t spoil it for you here. We’ll just say that two interconnected threads weave in and out of your quest – one deals with two humans and their crime-thriller intrigue, while the other has a reptilian nemesis constantly stalking you with almost psychotic tenacity.

Unfortunately, the encounters with your nemesis are a bit underwhelming. They essentially boil down to quick-time boss battles, with your reaction times being the only real skill required. The patterns this boss follows also just get repeated with a shorter reaction window as you progress, so it’s one of the few frustrating elements in the game. The other problem comes from the camera, although we want to stress that for the most part the camera works surprisingly well. There were just a few moments when we got cornered in a small space while fighting multiple enemies and the camera went haywire, resulting in confusion – but this only happened a few times.

Deadly Creatures isn’t quite spectacular, but it is a solid experience that never runs out of ideas and will keep throwing in surprises, satisfying combat, and a decent challenge. The incorporation of motion controls is well balanced, with some fun, creative elements and not too much wrist-wrangling. Some action-oriented gamers may get frustrated with the combat since it punishes you for playing mindlessly, but with a bit of thought and practice invested, it becomes a lot of fun. For Wii owners starved of serious action and for those intrigued by the premise, not to worry - Deadly Creatures will prove to be a venomous cocktail that goes down easy while leaving a nice, toxic burn in the back of the throat.

Feb 9, 2009