Monster 4x4 World Circuit review

Not much has changed since Monster 4x4 World Circuit appeared on last generation consoles. It's still saddled with weak track design, dopey opponents, and flaming oil barrels that inexplicably follow targets around like lost puppies. Still, Ubisoft wisely scrapped the original, horribly unresponsive control system, and replaced it with surprisingly well done motion sensitivity for the Wii release.

Included is a plastic steering wheel that snaps together easily enough and holds your Wii Remote in a snug little pocket without blocking access to buttons. Twist this light chunk of plastic, and your ride's wheels turn in near-sync. If you're more comfortable positioning the Remote parallel to the floor, you'll find that it still works perfectly without changing any settings. The developers even managed to avoid the critical mistake Wii racers like Need for Speed Carbon have made, where turning too far made your wheels go straight again. As a result, upgrading stats on your fleet of trucks is more fun, though it still takes far too long to feel the impact of your choices.

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While control is greatly improved, nitrous injection and stunt execution are still badly flawed. When you hit a purple jump, you're supposed to jerk the controller skyward to launch your rig into nonsensical barrel rolls, flat spins, and flips, but about 20% of the time your spastic movements are simply ignored. Each stunt helps fill your nitro meter, which can be expended by pushing the Remote quickly toward the television. Unfortunately, this too is ignored more often than one would like.