Wheel of Fortune (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
283A playthrough of GameTek's 1988 game show game for NES, Wheel of Fortune.
I played two different games in this video. The first is on difficulty level two, and the second, beginning at 12:24, is on difficulty level three.
Wheel of Fortune on the NES was an incredibly popular game, as you may have expected given the number sequels it received. It was the first of four games based on the franchise to be released on the NES between 1988 and 1992. It also happens to be GameTek's first published title, Rare's first (of eight!) gameshow adaptations for the system, and finally, it was the first license-based game show game on NES in the United States.
For any game that appears as frivolous as a glitzed up version of Hangman could possibly be, that's an impressive list of noteworthy trivia tidbits.
The gameplay is as faithful to the TV show as it possibly could be in video game form, and there are a ton of puzzles. The box claims over 1000, and since you'll only ever see four in any one game, the game will last a long time. It'll keep you in fresh rounds much longer than your interest in it is likely to hold. It'll certainly last you longer than Jeopardy! (https://youtu.be/TrZ-Gw5AcOA ).
The graphics aren't so hot. Well, the neon pink Miami Vice vibes of the wheel screen are, but why is Vanna's skin is the color of baby food? And why does her dress make her look like she should be playing castanets? Not even Molly Ringwald would've been caught dead in that radioactive potato sack.
The sound is pretty good, though. There's a crispy voice sample on the title screen (that's gotta be PCM!), and even though the in-game music is limited, Dave Wise still somehow manages to find a funky groove to tap into for the little ditties and fanfares.
I loved the Wheel of Fortune games as a kid, and they still hold a lot of their appeal now. Wheel of Fortune hasn't changed much since 1988, and the NES handled the concept just fine from the start. It does pretty much everything that the modern editions do, so if you like the 8-bit aesthetic (or if you like stable framerates and not staring at loading screens... *ahem* Ubisoft), you'll probably have fun with it!
(This video is a brand new recording to replace my original 240p video.)
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (http://www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!