Genre: Racing
Publisher: Zoo Games
Developer: Alpine Studios
Release Date: December 5, 2008

There is a certain aspect about monster trucks that make it appealing to some people, whether it's the massive size of the vehicles or the fact that it can crush just about anything in its path. Of all of the monster trucks out there, one of the most famous is Bigfoot. At the height of the car's popularity, there was a cartoon series and an NES game by Acclaim, neither of which was very good. Over 20 years later, Bigfoot makes a return to gaming with Bigfoot: Collision Course. This time around, the game is much worse than the predecessor.

The premise of Collision Course game is rather simple. The player goes through various races and gains points in the given circuit in order to advance to the next circuit. Win enough races, and you unlock different trucks and 16 different tracks, and you eventually get the chance to race against Bigfoot. If you win, you get to join the Bigfoot racing team.

With a license like Bigfoot, one would think that there would be more to the game than racing. The original NES game, for example, had events such as hill climbs and car-crushing relays to help break up the monotony of racing. Sadly, Collision Course consists of nothing but racing against three other AI competitors. With the AI as unintelligent as it is, the single-player races become very boring very quickly. There is a multiplayer component, but it is limited to only two players, making it a poor choice for players who want a competitive racing experience on a system known for four-player racing games.

Although the AI is bad, the game physics really drag down the game. Since there is an invisible wall that surrounds each track, cars really can't go too far off the road. Once the trucks hit these walls, they tend to bounce around all over the place, making them extremely difficult to control. The same thing occurs whenever they hit each other. It gets worse if you happen to dip into the ground, thanks to the bad collision detection. This will not only cause your car to bounce but also spin around, especially if you happen to do so during a turbo boost. Don't be surprised to see yourself immediately facing the wrong way just because one tire gets caught in this bad collision. The hallmark of these physics comes when you hit turbo and hit a ramp as well. More often than not, you can catch yourself flying high enough to see the whole game world, which is a really bad bug if there ever was one.

The sound is serviceable. The sound effects aren't clear at all, so it's pretty hard to discern between an engine roar and the crunch of a log in the road since they both sound distorted. The music consists of the same generic rock music instrumentals one would expect from a game from the original PlayStation era. It's easily forgettable, but it doesn't annoy enough to make the player want to turn it off right away. As for voices, there are none, which is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, there's no chance of hearing either generic voices calling the race or, worse yet, stereotypical Southern voices calling it. On the other hand, not having someone verbally call the countdown before a race speaks of low production values.

The graphics are the epitome of what one expects from a low-budget title. The textures for the vehicles are very blurry and low-resolution. This is painfully apparent when you select your vehicle and can barely see the letters on the paint job. Things take a turn for the worse when you go out racing. The tires on the trucks barely move, making you wonder if you're actually driving a car or simply floating on one. The environments don't fare any better either. Just about every track looks generic and low-resolution, as if someone took an original PlayStation or N64 game and ported it over to the Wii. When the least graphically offensive thing in the game is a loading screen of the actual Bigfoot truck, you know things are bad.

The controls are the only thing that's been done well in Collision Course. Like countless other racing games on the system, the Wiimote is held in the NES controller style. Tilting the controller left or right steers the vehicle, while the 2 button accelerates and the 1 button decelerates. Aside from hitting up on the d-pad for a turbo boost, there's nothing else you'll need to worry about. The controls are responsive enough that you won't oversteer the vehicle, ensuring that there is one less element that could ruin your races.

There is no delicate way to say it: Bigfoot: Collision Course is atrocious. Outside of the controls, there is nothing redeemable about this title. The sound is bland, and the graphics look worse. Above all else, however, the game is simply a boring mess, and the Wii console definitely deserves a better class of racer. Do yourself a favor and forget that this title ever existed.

Score: 2.5/10