Nintendo 64 Longplay: Wheel of Fortune
49Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, premiering in 1975 with a syndicated version airing in 1983. Since 1986, the syndicated version has been adapted into various video games spanning numerous hardware generations. Most versions released in the 20th century were published by GameTek, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1998.
In mid-1997, Take-Two Interactive acquired GameTek's assets, including the rights to develop Wheel of Fortune games for the Nintendo 64. On December 2, 1997, Take-Two Interactive released its first Wheel game for the Nintendo 64; this was Take-Two's last collaboration with GameTek. The Sega CD and N64 versions of Wheel both feature full-motion video footage of White as host. Reviews generally stated that the N64 version did not hold up well to other N64 games but did a decent job of recreating the show, particularly the camera movements and the 3D studio. However, they derided the unnatural-sounding voices of the contestants and the animations of Vanna White walking in front of the puzzles (without touching the panels when they light up). The game received a score of 6.4 out of 10 from IGN and 5.125 out of 10 from Electronic Gaming Monthly.