Wheel of Fortune

"Just as addictive as the game show, but without the flashy effects."

One of America's favorite game shows during primetime hours happens to be Wheel of Fortune. Wheel of Fortune is a word solving game, almost identical to Hang Man, but with a few twists and shenanigans here and there. Finally, Gametek had decided to release a version of their popular TV game show, and the N64 was one of the systems to get it. While bringing a game like Hangman to the N64 doesn't sound too innovating, Wheel of Fortune can be an addicting game for over hours and hours of fun.

Graphics [6/10]
Unfortunately, I have to admit that the graphics aren't too shabby if you know what I mean. Most of the in-game graphics are either 3D generated scenes, video-captured cut outs, or FMV sequences. While this sounds appealing from the crust of the pie, it has nothing to offer on the inside. The entire Wheel of Fortune setting is much like the game show, with the puzzle board, Vanna White, and your contestants standing by the big wheel. Everything is placed in perfect proportion to the actual game show, but nothing looks clean cut. The actual contestants aren't even describable in words, because their bitmap images are so blurred out. The video capturing was pretty shoddy, and not much detail was added. Even Vanna White looks sort of cartoonish standing up by the puzzle board from a distance. The actual spinning wheel is well-animated with 3D graphics, and looks like pristine condition.

There are plenty of FMV sequences of Vanna White, and she'll say things to go along with them. This is pretty impressive for a cartridge game since it's a rarity to actually see full motion videos. Players clap during the performance and even the video-captured actors show a clapping motion. Other than that, there's no zoom ins on the audience, or actual players seen spinning the wheel. The rest of the game involves a simple display of the puzzle board and your array of letters with options at the bottom of the screen. They'll do an occasional panout, to make you feel like you're in the Wheel of Fortune setting, but the ugly flat backgrounds don't match well. There's simply not enough dedication put in to make it appealing to the eye.

Sound/Music [8/10]
On a positive note, the sound is much better when compared to the graphics. At the beginning of a new game, they'll have the Wheel of Fortune theme song, and the zooming in of the Gametek studios. It's kind of neat at first, and especially when you hear the roaring claps of the crowd. You'll occasionally hear ambient tunes in the background whenever a new puzzle arrives, or when a player goes to the final puzzle. Even after the game show ends, they play that finale music, and the sound quality is decently good. It's pleasant to know that Gametek took the time out to use the real theme song, then some cheap mimic song.

Vanna White will occasionally say clips during the game. For example, she introduces that the 3rd round is the ''Jackpot Round'', and this is accompanied by her FMV sequence as well. Whenever you guess letters, the slots light up and make a ringing sound to let you know. Every sound from the game show is almost exactly recorded just like in the game. This was a good part on Gametek's part to get the player captivated into the game. Even the players say what they're going to do, but some of the sound clips sound a little giddy. Either way, this was a good job accomplished by Gametek on giving the show a more realistic approach.

Gameplay [9/10]
So you've probably all have seen the game show, right? Then, you'll understand how to play Wheel of Fortune. Basically, WOF is Hangman, but with some added twists. You get money each time you spin the wheel and correctly guess at least one letter in the puzzle. You keep going until you miss a letter, and then the next player gets to spin. I'm not going to describe the entire process, but most of the gameplay of Wheel of Fortune is exactly like the game show. You have all 4 options of being able to spin, buy a vowel, solve, and even use a free spin (if you got one during the game). Also, special features like the Jackpot round, speed up, and bonus round are all still here. The entire alphabet is listed at the bottom of the screen, and each time a letter is guessed, then one of the letters gets shaded out. This way, you can keep track of what letters have been guessed, and what hasn't. Of course, after each puzzle ends, the players' total scores are displayed, and then the next round continues.

As for depth, well, there's a decent balance in Wheel of Fortune. To start off, after pressing the Start Button at the title screen, you immediately start a round. You can select which type of person you want to be (although they all look blurry), and set up the rules of the game. After that, you're pretty much set, and you start the game. If you manage to come in first, you get to go to the bonus round where you can try to win $25,000. Unlike the TV show, there is no thing where you pick a letter, and then they reveal the prize after the puzzle ends. For some reason, they only limited the bonus prize to $25000, which kind of limits the ability to win a sports car or something. Rather than having 10 seconds to guess, you now have 20 seconds, but you must type each letter in, in order to guess the word correctly.

Despite the great gameplay techniques, the lack of Pat Sajak and a better atmosphere really bite out of the gameplay. I have no idea why there is no Sajak, and only Vanna White. After a game ends, all it displays is your total winnings, and that's it. There are no high scores, no additional modes. It's just one show of multiple puzzles and the ability to have 1-3 players at one time. At least they have over 4000 puzzles, which should keep you busy for some time.

Fun [8/10]
Just like the game show, it can be a blast to spin a $1000, and guess five R's in the puzzle. Wheel of Fortune really gives the gamer an edge when it comes to having fun. Guessing the puzzle, and racking through your brain for the word all give the player something to do. At times, it can be boring to watch the computer guess an entire puzzle after spinning about fifteen times. But it happens in real life, so the average gamer can deal with it. There's plenty of words to rack your brain with, and most gamers will get plenty of entertainment out of their cartridge, especially when competing against friends and family.

Replayability [8/10]
There are 31 different categories, and over 4,000 words which should be just enough to keep you coming back for more and more. Eventually, you will probably start reaching repeating puzzles, but overall, Wheel of Fortune does a great job of mixing up words. With the ability to extend gameplay by use of multiplayer, the game should certainly be a blast. Unfortunately, Gametek didn't bother to add any extra modes, a high score system, or anything of a sort to keep a lone gamer busy. This is where the game truly suffers.

Difficulty [7/10]
There are three different difficulties, which each increase the ability of the CPU to guess the word. That's plenty to keep any person busy for quite some time. Some words are extremely challenging, like 'San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf'. Who the heck would have thought of something like that? WOF uses a variety of words and different cultures to give the game a universal approach.

Final Factor [7/10]
While most TV game shows fail to capture the atmosphere that one would expect, Wheel of Fortune does a decent job in doing so. It may be a great Hangman guessing game, but it does have its flaws. Blurry scenery, the absence of Pat Sajak, no true rewarding prize or value; they all add up. Wheel of Fortune isn't going to be a superior game in your collection, but you may find yourself playing it more often than usual. If you ever see the game around, think about buying it. It will challenge your mind, and strategy on guessing words. It's also slightly rare and hard to find, so picking up a copy could never hurt.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/17/03, Updated 07/17/03