GT Pro Series

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.

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.