GT Pro Series - hands-on

If there's one thing Wii's launch games have covered, it's gotta be variance. Pretty much any genre you can think of is represented in some way, even the gear-headed, customize-your-ride racer. GT Pro Series throws more than 80 licensed cars your way, each with tweakable options that you've seen in plenty of games up to this point. So what's the angle with this one? Well, a free steering wheel is a pretty cool bonus.

GT ships with a tiny plastic wheel that comfortably nestles the Wii remote inside, providing you with better riding experience than just holding a white wand. The wheel rests horizontally, so the d-pad is near your thumb (good for shifting gears) while gas and break lie on buttons 1 and 2. There's no real difference in performance with the wheel, but as a free toy that at least conveys the idea of driving, it's a welcome piece of "what's this thing for?"

As for the game, well, you've probably played it already. Increasingly difficult circuits give you opportunities to unlock new cars from the top Japanese manufacturers. Night and day courses change into rain-and-sunshine soaked laps through cityscapes. Tunable cars enable you to personalize multiple points of your favorite rides. In other words: nothing new, but nothing broken. As with many Wii launch games, GT seems designed to get the job done rather than exceed any pre-made expectations or rules. And given the casual success with the DS, it's a formula that easily has its place on any new Nintendo platform.