Official Score
Overall - 30%
30%
In a game that lives and dies by its physics, the engine powering Curling World Cup is positively broken. It’s nearly impossible to play a consistent game, and this fact takes away the one redeeming quality of this title.
The sport of curling never really caught on in the United States; something about watching rocks slide by seems positively lackadaisical. This fine sport is now in video game form with the release of Simulators Live’s Curling World Cup. Is the virtual version more exciting than the real deal? Not really.
Curling World Cup Review
To be fair, a game like curling is not going to be an extravagant affair that will push your graphics card and wow you with its splendor. However, Curling World Cup is dull. Divided into three tournaments (dubbed “Championship 1,” “Championship 2,” and “Championship 3”) that are divided into a quarterfinal, semifinal, and final, players will choose from one of 15 countries, choose their name, and hit the ice.
Each match follows the general rules of curling, with players playing two ends and shooting eight stones as close as possible to the “house” and getting the highest score. There is a lot of prep work that goes into the perfect shot, but there’s just one problem – the physics are shot.
In a game that lives and dies by its engine, the one here does not work as it should. Players can adjust the rock’s trajectory and rotation, but most shots end up feeling like a crapshoot. No amount of planning in the world will help you get your rock where it needs to go, and it often feels like a luck of the draw. Even the broom, which is not shown on the screen, will adversely adjust the trajectory.
AI in the game is fairly straightforward too. Even those that do not have a firm grasp of the sport will be able to come out ahead. It never provides a serious challenge, and though there are multiple rounds with funny opponents like the “High Turtles” and the “Mean Weasels,” the game gets to be a grind. Despite this, players can win the championship and finish the game in its entirety in around two hours.
It’s not like there is much here to keep players curling. There are no leaderboards, online or offline play, or variables. Everything takes place in the same arena, with the same music, and the same colors. It’s Groundhog Day in video game format, and it gets repetitive fairly quickly.
In a game that lives and dies by its physics, the engine powering Curling World Cup is positively broken. It’s nearly impossible to play a consistent game, and this fact takes away the one redeeming quality of this title.
