Monster 4x4: World Circuit (Wii)

...of speed you get a Monster Truck. So run over cars, and make stuff go smash? Nope, very little running over of stuff but you do get “insane” (with a lot of plings) jumps.

Presentation
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Cheep. Really really cheep. I enjoyed the opening sequence (which tempts you in with the idea of running over flash sports cars, something I can not find in-game) but once past this you are in the land of the Ugly Cheep ...
...with a confusing message for which none of the options really make sense. For example the continue button asks “are you sure you want to exit”. Finally it also does not auto-load or auto-save your game, something that no game should do. The save system is silly, rather than simply select a save slot then drop you back to the main menu, you select a save slot, get asked for a name (something you have already given), then it drops you back ... more

Overview
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Apparently this is a port of a budget Xbox title, but I have not played it so I can not compare. This is a simple racer where instead of speed you get a Monster Truck. So run over cars, and make stuff go smash? Nope, very little running over of stuff but you do get “insane” (with a lot of plings) jumps.

Presentation
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Cheep. Really really cheep. I enjoyed the opening sequence (which tempts you in with the idea of running over flash sports cars, something I can not find in-game) but once past this you are in the land of the Ugly Cheep Cartoon Text.
You have to confirm everything, normally with a confusing message for which none of the options really make sense. For example the continue button asks “are you sure you want to exit”. Finally it also does not auto-load or auto-save your game, something that no game should do. The save system is silly, rather than simply select a save slot then drop you back to the main menu, you select a save slot, get asked for a name (something you have already given), then it drops you back to the select a get slot screen. Did someone fall asleep in a User Interface lecture?

Game Play
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The game play really is Stock Arcade Racer. Do “tricks” to earn boost, never touch the break button and boost along the straights. Nothing what so ever wrong with Stock Arcade Racer, but nothing new or exiting about it either.

Controls
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Steering: it is a fairly obvious step; make tilting the Wiimote into steering. Every racing game on the Wii will do it. Acceleration and breaking is done by the 1 & 2 buttons, or at least I think the breaking is done by the 1 button, it is not the sort of game that you break in.
To do said “insane” jumps you wiggle the controller as you jump in the way you want the truck to go. So a large O shape will backflip. I’m sure this worked well in the head of who ever designed it, but alas the transition from idea to implementation did not go smoothly, and so just feels clumsy and awkward.
You can also “Boost” (game play wises this appears to do almost nothing) by pushing the Wiimote towards the screen, this also is awkward to use.

The Wheel
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It should not make a difference but it does. If I saw one advertised on its own I would not even consider it, but using it does make the controls feel better.

Graphics
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It would not be fair on the Wii to compare it to the latest 360 or PS3 wonderness, but we can compare it against the PSP. Burnout on the PSP has well crafted models flying round great looking tacks. They show what a talented designer with a low poly budget can do.
M 4x4 WC has simple and uninspiring trucks roll round a circuit that takes a passing nod to its supposed host location - Athens has some grey half-built buildings, a blue sky and a cardboard cut-out of an ancient Greek building in the skyline while Egypt has some sand and oversized tourist tat.
The few model animations are dull and limited but this is not surprising for a car racing game. The two-state destructible scenery consists of a few models badly and overly zealously placed around the track.
It is not all bad however; some of the effects are rather pretty. Boosting while offers little to the game play looks great. A motion blur effect is applied to the screen, given a nice impression of extra speed.
Now for the kicker, reading reviews on this game suggests it has worse graphics than its XBox counter part. One very much hopes this is down to budget constraints or pushed developers rather limitations on the platform. The Wii is in a bad position if graphically it can not keep up with budget XBox (original) game.

Audio
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I was proof reading this review when I noticed I had left out audio, which is not surprising as it has nothing worth mentioning. It has no in-game music tracks, a single stock engine sound and some rubbish techno type stuff for boosts.

Longevity
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The game ships with ten tracks, none offering much in the way of variety, just different backdrops to familiar feeling tracks as all the tracks are built up using a very limited supply of base elements, the Flamethrower, The Bouncy Bit, The Bonuses and the Flaming Barrels with some turns mixed in for good measure.
The career mode has you go over each of the tracks in weekly races, other no variation in goals such as high jumps or even timed laps. It gives no sense of accomplishment with each win, but rather feels like a set of Quick Races added on as a “career mode” is needed for this type of game. Given that the intro sequence had you splatter sports cars and do a cool looking smash-the-lights chicanes I find the lack rather disappointing.
As you compete you unlock additional trucks (14 in total) and get points to spend on upgrades to your trucks statistics such as speed and handling. Not that well thought out, as if you spend it all on speed for one truck you end up making the game easier not harder, the first time I finished the World Circuit I was 20 seconds ahead of my nearest rival.

Value for money
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A pound is maybe a little too far £5 would be a fine price for this fun but simple budget game, plus an extra £5 for the steering wheel. I paid £15 for it, but Game as it for £20, and Amazon has it for 35!

Conclusion
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This game feels like someone said they needed a presence on the wii, what would be quick and cheep to port, and it done badly would not damage the IP. This has lead to Poundland gaming trash, it is enjoyable but still trash.
If you see it for less than £5 on eBay (including shipping) and nothing is on at the cinema, do think about it, it will give that five pounds worth of entertainment.

Closing Notes
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The game supports “decals” to customize your trucks, but no hint in the manual on how to do so.
The manual suggests you experiment to find out all of the insane jumps, but to be completely honest I have had no desire to do so. 

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