You would think that game to simulate the ultimate family vacation would be a great idea, especially for a family-friendly console like the Wii. But poor execution really mars the final product for Go Vacation and makes is less fun than it should have been. Which in a way, makes it kind of like a real family getaway.
The only thing I truly did find interesting about this game is the 50 different types of activities and sports you could partake in.
But, first let’s take a look at the graphics of this game. Immediately I had a problem in this area. Before you begin activities, you have to meet a guide who tells you about the island. The character in my opinion looked absolutely terrible. The tour guide reminded me of something that came from the Nintendo GameCube.
Another problem I had was how hard at times it was to recognize objects that you needed to find in order to compete in more games. The one positive I did find with the graphics was when you played multiplayer in tennis, other than looking like you had no hands the ball was very easy to see. As I stated earlier, it was hard to see objects so it was definitely a positive to be able to see the ball while playing tennis.
The second thing we will take a look at is the audio. Most of the time the sound was non existent, but when it was present I wasn’t impressed at all. Basically, the only audio you could hear is the music and even it wasn’t that clear. When the guides spoke to me, it was just subtitles! You never heard a person’s voice at all.
The only other audio I heard throughout the game was on an ATV, or any other vehicle. Again, I was disappointed there was no realistic sound to the vehicles.
I really dug and dug into this game trying to find one positive thing to talk about in the way of audio, and simply I found absolutely nothing at all. My honest opinion is this game should have given the tour guide a voice instead of using the subtitles.
Gameplay was also very tough. The map was confusing to follow. One minute you would be going the right way and the next you would be going the complete opposite way. At one point the map absolutely just frustrated me and I had to take a break from the game and regain my composure. After that, I started to play and took a completely alternative route that led me in the right direction.
At that point I began a water gun fight activity which was completely disappointing. You would have to swing around and around hitting opponents which was okay until your head began to spin.
To elaborate on that I mean you would be face to face with your opponent and your gun would continually lose power, and your opponent would begin to decimate you while you had to shake your controller to get power back to your gun. Most of the time this flaw would cost you points that you needed in order to earn stamps from each location.
Next, I ventured down to the island to play a little beach volleyball where I had a little fun but not enough to get excited about the game.
The best part of Go Vacation was skydiving. You have to make different types of patterns to complete the chain or group. The first thing you do after jumping out of the plane was freefall for a few minutes while you wait for the other group members to join you. After freefalling, the four members chain together and that’s where you come in as a player and have to complete the chain. There are many different formations to complete. The other events lacked the same fun as the skydiving and tennis.
Overall, I gave this game 2 GiN Gems out of five. The one positive was the skydiving experience and the tennis experience. Other than that I feel the graphics and the game play really hampered things. The concept is a good one: a family vacation simulator sounds like a homerun, especially for a more family-oriented console like the Wii. The execution is just too poor in this case.