Nintendo Wii

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Wheelie Breakers Review

System: Wii
Dev: Konami
Pub: Konami
Release: May 19, 2009
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Review by Amanda L. Kondolojy

Review Rating Legend
1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
2.5 - 2.9 = Average
3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
3.5 - 3.9 = Good
4.0 - 4.4 = Great
4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
5.0 = The Best

One thing that really helps out the racing initially is the framerate. This game actually runs at a very smooth clip, so following the action is very easy. However, the controls are really what make this game fun. The game features two ways to control your vehicle: Nunchuk and Classic controls.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Wheelie Breakers screenshot

The Nunchuk controls are fairly simple and use the thumbstick to steer and the buttons to accelerate and brake. Cards are selected and used via the Wii-mote's D-Pad and A button. This system works fairly well but sometimes it is difficult to reach the D-Pad in time to select a card and it feels a little unnatural. However, the second control option (Classic controls), is a lot more intuitive and uses the face buttons for accelerating, braking, and activating cards. The shoulder buttons are used for navigating your drawn cards, which makes for much faster selection.

One boon for both of these controls is that they both work extremely well. Although this sounds a little sarcastic, there has been such a lack of responsive control with regards to racing games on the Wii that it bears mentioning. The control style goes for the arcade approach, so pounding the accelerator and taking sharp turns is par for the course. Both control schemes are very responsive, and I had little trouble zooming around each track and throwing down my cards.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Wheelie Breakers is definitely an odd title. Just looking at it in a video game store, I would not be inclined to pick it up. However, this kart racing game is packing a lot of features under the hood, and while it certainly isn't perfect, I was very impressed both with the implementation of the card system as well as the core racing mechanics. If you are a Yu-Gi-Oh! fan you should absolutely pick this title up. Even if you're not a fan of the franchise, if you enjoy arcade or kart-style racers, you can definitely have a lot of fun with this title. The learning curve may be a little steep (no tutorial is provided), but the experience may just be worth the ride!

By Amanda L. Kondolojy
CCC Staff Contributor

Rating out of 5	Rating Description
3.7	Graphics Cel-shaded graphics capture the look of the anime very nicely and animations are quite fast. Tracks are a little bit on the bland side, however.
4.0	Control Both Nunchuk and Classic controls work well.
3.0	Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting Music is inoffensive, but minimal voiceover is annoying.
3.7	Play Value Yu-Gi-Oh! fans will certainly lap this one up, but it's not too shabby as a Wii-centric kart racer. Fans and non-fans alike should enjoy the different modes and will return to unlock new cards.
3.7	Overall Rating - Good Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Based on the 'Turbo Duels' in the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's animated series, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Wheelie Breakers introduces players to a fast-paced twist on the racing genre.

Yusei and Jack duel in a new motorsport called 'Wheelie Breakers' that combines card dueling with duel wheel racing. As they race around the track in their Duel Runner motorcycles, players call upon monsters from their decks to battle their opponents and prevent them from finishing the race.

These cards can then be rearranged between races as strategies to unseat the rival players are developed. Using achievement points which players receive based on their race results, they can purchase new cards and add them to their decks providing upgrades.