Winter Sports: The Ultimate Challenge Review





Disclosure: We may earn a commission from links on this page

Developer: 49Games Publisher: Conspiracy Entertainment
Release Date: December 18, 2007 Also On: None

The Wii phenomenon cash-ins continue with Conspiracy Entertainment’s Winter Sports: The Ultimate Challenge. I guess you could argue that this is a cash-in on two fronts: a cheaply made game for a popular system and an Olympic-type game (without the name Olympics in the title) in the year of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The “ultimate challenge” with this package is having the patience to learn and keep playing it.

Not all is bad, though, with Winter Sports for Wii. The motion controls are actually quite good and show just how much potential this system really has if fully realized. Unfortunately, there are more duds than not. The Bob Sleigh, Skeleton and Luge events are pretty much the same in execution (none are fun at all to play) while the Curling event is impossible to control. Figure Skating is decent enough, but is honestly not much more different than the dancing mini-game in Rayman Raving Rabbids.

What did they get right? The skiing events are by far the best in the game. Alpine skiing and Cross Country are included. Speeding down a hill, making quick turns to make it between flags is relatively fun. You use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, tilting left or right to turn. The controls are definitely very sensitive and responsive for these events.

Simulating two ski poles that you would use if you were actually skiing, the Wii Remote/Nunchuk combo works quite nicely. They could have made a game out of the ski events alone, and probably should have. I should note that on PS3 there is a ski game that retails for $3 on PSN. Go figure.

The other two events are Ski Jump and Speed Skating. Again, better than the first five events I mentioned in the previous paragraph, not much to write home about. The Speed Skating, like other events from games like Rayman and Mario and Sonic, involves lots of shaking of the wrists. The people best at this event likely either will suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome or are chronic masturbators.

Finally, I bet you are just dying to know what modes are available to play. Not many. First of all, there is online play. Such a shame too, as I always wanted to try Curling or Figure Skating with a friend online. That said, there is a Career mode where you can represent a country and compete in an Olympic-like series of events. This starts with a horribly rendered opening ceremony and ends with an equally appalling to the eye reward presentation. You can also try to do things such as break record times and challenges.

If you are naive enough to buy Winter Sports, you probably aren’t reading this review. Only the ill-informed will invest their hard earned cash on a $30 piece of tech demo. In all fairness, this is not a full-fledged game. If anything, this should have been a WiiWare download for $5. With no online play, a limited number of events (many of which play exactly alike), controls that do not feel right in some events and graphics that make Wii Sports look like a PS3 game, Winter Sports is easily one of the worst games I have played on Wii.

Graphics: 4
Sound: 3
Gameplay: 6
Creativity: 7
Replay Value/Game Length: 5
Final: 5.2
Written by Kyle Review Guide

Leave a Comment