Torino 2006

Review

by Scott Alan Marriott

At some point during the four years in between each Winter Olympics, the development team responsible for the inevitable video game version is expected to address the faults of previous entries. Unfortunately, the global competition's official license changes hands more frequently than the Olympic flame, resulting in no sense of consistency between video games other than their sub par quality. Not since Winter Games on the archaic Commodore 64 has a title managed to deliver the complete experience, that sense of pageantry and excitement surrounding the assortment of events. It's a sports series that has steadily gone downhill with each subsequent release.

In what has traditionally been a genre that measures how fast one's thumbs can batter buttons, Torino 2006 could have been the title to take a long, hard look at the events and how to best adapt them using a dual analog control scheme with more buttons than an average bridal gown. Instead players are treated to a ridiculously easy or a painfully awkward setup that makes each event a breeze or a chore, with none of the nuances to keep fans returning to the slopes or rink. The eight disciplines have all been done to death in previous winter compilations, and in many cases, much better. Ice skating, curling, and more challenging adaptations have been left out in the cold, with the majority of events focusing on skiing.

While the lack of diversity is disappointing, none of the existing events stand out as anything more than a simplistic mini-game. Both the bobsleigh and luge events offer little interaction other than nudging left or right, the biathlon is more an exercise in patience than skill, and speed skating doesn't even allow players the option to steer. Even more puzzling are the omissions of both opening and closing ceremonies, the inability to edit names, and missing online support. Torino 2006 is yet another slapdash entry in what has traditionally been a disappointing genre. Instead of going for the gold, the developers have served up some lead.