''GT Pro Series'' is a

racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...

developed by MTO and published by

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', ''Far Cry'', ...

as a launch title for Wii. It includes over 80 licensed Japanese cars, next-gen physics and many gameplay modes, including Championship, Quick Race, Time Attack, Versus (4 players), Drift, and Replay. Graphically, the game uses a cel-shaded style. Critics have noted that the graphics are generally underwhelming, according to

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

. This is because the visuals are largely ported from the older GameCube game '' GT Cube'' with minor updates. ''GT Cube'' was released in Japan in 2003 for the

Nintendo GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...

Gameplay

''GT Pro Series'' features eighty Japanese cars from various companies, including

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

, Subaru,

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

, and Nissan. The tracks are in the same vein as those found in the Gran Turismo series of games, but are of a less overall graphical quality. The game features

cel-shaded Cel shading or toon shading is a type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make 3-D computer graphics appear to be flat by using less shading color instead of a shade gradient or tints and shades. A cel shader is often used to mimic th ...

cars driving in more realistic settings.

Wii Steering Wheel

As with '' Monster 4x4: World Circuit'', a steering wheel shell for the Wii Remote is bundled with the game. The peripheral steering wheel is created by Thrustmaster. Other games, such as ''

Mario Kart Wii is a kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the sixth installment in the ''Mario Kart'' series, and was released in April 2008. Like its previous installments, ''Mario Kart Wii'' incorporates playable characters ...

'', which are controlled by turning (but not tilting) the Wii Remote can be used with this peripheral as well.

Development

''GT Pro Series'' was first purchased by Ubisoft on August 3, 2006. By September,

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

was able to get a glimpse of the game through a small video

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

, reporting that though the cars looked cartoonish, they still had a certain realistic flair to them. A few weeks later, ''GameSpot'' looked at the game again, and walked away "impressed with the controls."

also looked in-depth at the game, commenting on the high quality of the control schemes. Both sites later gave poor marks to the game in their reviews of the final product.

Reception

''GT Pro Series'' received "generally unfavorable reviews" according to video game

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

. In Japan, ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the f ...

'' gave it a score of one six, two sevens and one five, for a total of 25 out of 40. ''GameSpot'' criticized the game's graphics and audio, writing, "The visual presentation in ''GT Pro Series'' looks like something from the Nintendo 64 era, and the sound isn't any better." ''IGN'' denounced the gameplay, stating, "''GT Pro Series'' feels like a quick cash-out title, and Wii players deserve better."

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EG ...

pointed out how the game shows serious problems for any future serious racers on the Wii, while commenting that the game itself was "absolutely, unequivocally, shockingly awful."

References

External links