Well, there's good news and bad news, as it pertains to Turbo for the Wii U.
The bad news is...this is another port that doesn't actually do anything interesting with
the GamePad.
And being a movie game, it's not even all that good in the first place.
The good news is...I mean, it's not as bad as the DS version.
Then again, colonoscopy...isn't as bad as the DS version.
So if you saw our review of the DS game, you're probably expecting the worst from Turbo: Super
Stunt Squad for the Wii U.
You're also a good person, for watching our reviews.
Thank you very much, I appreciate it.
Especially when the games are as godawful as Turbo was on the DS.
Fortunately, it's a whole different game on the Wii U.
So once again, you get to play as five snails from the movie.
Only this time, there's actually a functional video game to play them in.
Now, it doesn't take the obvious path and just go for a kart-style racing game.
The console version borrows less from Mario Kart than Tony Hawk.
Turbo is basically a skateboarding game on the Wii U.
Only...with, like...trade the skateboards for snails.
Wait, that's actually kind of a brilliant idea.
So it works like this.
Each level is basically set up like a skate park.
There are ramps, jumps, rails, all the stuff you'd expect from the old Tony Hawk games.
They also have a bunch of different objectives.
Pulling off point combos, collecting power-ups, making a certain jump, things like that.
So you actually have to play them several times to accomplish all the objectives, which
unlocks more courses.
And you know, I really do like the concept.
I mean, the racing game would've been obvious, so at the very least...doing this kind of
game shows some creativity.
But the thing is...the gameplay seems to be at odds with the genre.
Which is to say...it plays more like a racing game trying to be a Tony Hawk game.
And not quite pulling it off.
So what does that mean?
Well, the snails control like they're in a racing game.
It's like they only want to move forward, so turning is a bit tough.
And in a game predicated on turning and freedom of movement...that's kind of an issue.
It doesn't ruin the game or anything.
But it does make navigating the courses really difficult at times.
That also means it can be tough to pull off tricks.
You're going to miss jumps, slam yourself into walls...the controls just aren't ideal.
And another problem is that...your snails don't seem to know many tricks.
You just keep doing the same ones, which obviously gets boring pretty quickly.
The game doesn't offer much in terms of variety or content, either.
The objectives are generally the same kind of thing, and with only six courses, it doesn't
feel like there's a lot to do.
I mean, there is two-player co-op, which is always nice.
And you can design your own co-op courses, but...it's really just a matter of picking
a few obstacles.
Still, this version of Turbo is at least functional, and coherent.
It's not great, but it's an okay movie tie-in.
Or at least, as okay as an okay movie tie-in gets.
And really, that's a huge step up from the DS version.
For younger gamers who really dig Turbo, you can buy them this game without feeling completely
awful about it.
And for a game like this, that's all you can really ask for.