Wheel of Fortune
Reviewed by Scott McCall
Gametek has been developing Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! titles
on different gaming platforms for over a decade now. Now both
of the titles are available on the "high-risk" cartridge platform
known as Nintendo 64. And you know what? Despite some other
critics lambasting the game, I found that I thoroughly enjoyed
Wheel of Fortune for what it is -- Wheel of Fortune.
Wheel of Fortune is far more impressive on the Nintendo 64
than it ever was on the 8- and 16-bit systems. Vanna White
is featured in all her glory, but Pat Sajak is missing. Oh well.
The most impressive thing is that Gametek recreated multiple
sets by using polygons. This means there can be camera pans
and zooms, and the effect definitely makes the game seem
more true to life.
On the other hand, there is an ugly side to the graphics. For
whatever reason, Gametek opted to use digitized pictures of
the contestants that look like cardboard cut-outs. Furthermore,
when Vanna is walking along, she doesn't look all that hot,
and she doesn't have animation to turn the letters. But on the
plus side, there are multiple full-motion video clips of Vanna
that pop-up in a little box. It's pretty impressive, especially
for a 32 megabit cartridge game.
Sound in the game is very true to the show, but it can get
repetitive and it is in mono. You'll hear the theme song at the
title screen, you'll hear the crowd clapping while the wheel
is spinning, and you'll hear the contestants squawk out
comments at various times, which can get slightly annoying.
The most intuitive part of the N64 version of Wheel of Fortune
is the control. You spin the wheel by moving the analog Control
Stick from left to right. Move it just a little bit and the wheel
won't spin that fast. But if you snap that baby, you can really
get the wheel moving. However, that's not all. Wheel of Fortune
supports the Rumble Pak and supports it pretty well. It rumbles
when the wheel is spinning or when you guess a wrong letter.
It's actually pretty cool.
The N64 version of Wheel of Fortune contains three levels
of difficulty, six different contestants to choose from, and the
ability to play abbreviated games. The computer is quite good
on the upper levels of difficulty, so don't play it on them
unless you're a true "Wheel Watcher." When it comes to the actual
game, you probably know how Wheel of Fortune works. But how
does it work in a video game? After you spin the wheel, which
looks pretty cool, you'll have an opportunity to choose a letter.
All 26 letters are written at the bottom of the screen. If a letter
was already picked, it will be darkened. So you just move the
Control Stick over the letter you want and press A. It's pretty simple.
Wheel of Fortune on the Nintendo 64 is one of the most faithful
versions around. Of course, a few questions must be raised. First,
there are over 4,000 puzzles in the game, but will that be enough?
With game shows, it seems like there are never enough questions.
Also, the puzzles can repeat if the power is turned off. Second,
does the high price tag (up to $69.99 in some places) warrant a purchase?
Wheel of Fortune is just plain ol' fun. If you like the real game
show, you should love this video game rendition. It's not graphically
or aurally impressive, but it is challenging and is a great time for up
to three players. If you don't mind the price, or if you can get it cheap
some day, then Wheel of Fortune is a great way to break the monotony
of lots of similar video games.
Graphics: 3.4 out of 5
Sound: 3.2 out of 5
Control: 3.9 out of 5
Gameplay: 3.9 out of 5
Lastability: 3.8 out of 5
Overall: 3.8 out of 5