Avatar - The Last Airbender: Into the Inferno review

Blow us down with some air bent by a certified airbender if it isn’t actually quite good. The main reason for this reversal of fortunes from the original is the new Wii-optimized control system, which allows Aang to manipulate elements using the pointer. Blobs of water can be plucked as if with tweezers and sploshed around the environment in three dimensions, where they can be used to bash down doors, cut thin grass or to solve simple physics puzzles. Similarly, sudden gusts of air can be summoned by drawing a circle onto the screen, and mounds of earth can be raised or lowered by pointing at the desired spot and hoisting the remote up or down.

At times, the overly ambitious combat system can ask too much of you – trying to control Avatar in orthodox fashion while performing all your pointer-based trickery can feel like trying to rub your tummy while patting your head – but hey, at least it’s asking something of you this year, right? It’s not perfect, but as relaxing Saturday morning fodder, it’s just the ticket.

Nov 3, 2008

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