Nintendo Wii
has become the DS of home gaming. New gameplay possibilities are popping up
all over the place. Even those that you don’t expect much from have
demonstrated the potential for what the console can do, and what it will do
more of in the future.
But not all
games follow the Nintendo playbook. Console launches are, unavoidably, doomed
by the release of at least one bandwagon game – a title that isn’t next-gen
and doesn’t belong on a next-gen console, but wound up on one anyway.
GT Pro Series
is one such game. It appears to be cool and cel-shaded, pack motion steering,
split-screen multiplayer, and multiple race types. Times like these remind me
of that old saying, "You can’t judge a book by its cover." The ugly duckling
can (and has) grown up to be the most beautiful of creatures. Likewise, there
are times when a swan’s beauty is only feather deep.
On my first
race I couldn’t help but notice that the graphics weren’t that exciting. The
backgrounds are flat, the cel-shaded cars aren’t very attractive, and the
course layout is too tiresome to be worth mentioning. Nonetheless, I pushed
forward and hoped for victory. Not victory on the track – I’m good at racing
games, I knew I’d win. The victory I was searching for was that of another
great Wii release.
Honda,
Mazda, Nissan, Toyota, and Mitsubishi are some of the game’s well-known
automobile brands. Vehicles may be tweaked, but no physical damage is allowed.
This falls in line with other simulation racers, who often can’t show vehicle
damage because of the auto licenses attached. It also makes it easier on the
developers, who don’t have to calculate and program realistic body damage.
Put the
pedal to the metal for the pro series, time attack, drift, and multiplayer.
Pro Series includes the inviting "Enjoy Cup" and other interesting (seemingly,
though not at all unfamiliar) circuits. The other modes – you know ’em, and
when done right, you can’t help but love ’em.
The main
quest sets you on course to unlock more courses. Win three races (first,
second, or third place on each – no lower) and the cup is completed. The
number of points earned at the end determine whether your trophy comes in
gold, silver, or bronze. Nab several trophies to unlock the next series of cup
races.
Time Atack
and multiplayer come as expected, the latter containing split-screen gameplay
for
you and three friends. Drift mode is a disaster with terribly inaccurate
mechanics, poor racing controls, and a generic selection of courses.
Test out any
of the other modes and you’ll discover a dark and disturbing secret: the
control troubles are not limited to drifting. The turning radius is next to
nothing. Light, harsh, fast, or slow – the amount and speed at which you move
the remote do not seem to matter. All that matters is that you hold it
sideways. The car starts to turn, slowly picks up speed, and – if you’re not
careful – will spin into the nearest wall.
This is more
than a little troubling. The once-intuitive mechanics of analog stick racers
are nonexistent. While other Wii racers (like Monster 4X4 and Excite Truck, as
well as next year’s MotorStorm for PlayStation 3) have replaced one great
control style with another – moving from analog stick to Wii remote handling –
GT Pro Series is stuck in what can only be described as work-in-progress. It’s
unfortunate that this is the final version, because there is room for
improvement. The game is not a lost cause, but it is on the wrong path.
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Gameplay: 4.0
Barely playable.
GT Pro Series has the steering mechanics of a turtle, and the speed sensation
of a motivated snail (which is slightly faster than a snail who’s feeling kind
of blah). The track designs are not the least bit original. You could almost
take note of the decent car selection, but any game can acquire a license.
Furthermore, a racer is only as good as it plays, and this one plays awful.
Graphics: 3.0
A lot of Wii
games were designed using GameCube development kits (converted for Wii using
the motion-control capabilities). Taking that into consideration, we’re not
expecting too much from developers when we ask for top-notch GameCube visuals
at the Wii launch. Unfortunately, with the exception of Zelda, that is not
what we’ve been getting. GT Pro Series is another Wii game with bad graphics.
Go back to the PS2 launch and compare these visuals to Smuggler’s Run, then
ask yourselves: how can a first-gen PS2 game look better than a first-gen game
for a console that came six years later, which was built using hardware (GameCube)
that recently peaked?
Sound: 3.0
Someone call the
inventor of the TV remote and tell them thank you. Because someone, somewhere,
invented a little thing called the mute button to prevent us from having to
torture ourselves, year after year, with the same racing-game material.
Difficulty: Easy
Bad controls make
GT Pro Series’s difficulty seem cheap.
Concept: 3.0
A generic,
slapped-together racer with half-baked motion controls. The modes are expected
and poorly executed.
Multiplayer: 3.0
Horrible. There
is no way that anyone will be able to stand the controls long enough to say,
“I played the multiplayer mode.”
Overall: 3.9
Snooze alert. New
consoles are exciting, especially when you sit down to play a next-gen title
with friends. GT Pro Series is not at all worthy of being called “next-gen” –
its boring gameplay and bad steering mechanics should be left behind and
forgotten quickly.
