While I was walking through the spiraling layout of Nintendo’s Wii booth, I noticed a lonely demo at the very end of it. There was no line, and while this fact alone caused me some concern, what caused me more concern was that the game was located next to Necro-Nesia. Was this as bad as its neighbor?

Actually, I found it to be quite adequate.

The game is simple. Come in first on your horse. This is accomplished through a unique use of the Wii controller. Basically, you treat them as horse reins. After you select your horse from the two choices of “Front Runner" or “Closer" (named Ridge Racer and Soul Calibur, respectively), the demo puts you right onto the track just before the starting bell. After you’re off, the buck the Wii controllers up and down like the reins of a horse. The point is to buck the controller to a rhythm set by the game as the optimum. So, I picked the closer Soul Calibur and tried. I found the controls to be strangely intuitive. Just when the race entered the uh… final furlong, the game prompted me to whip the horse using the B button in conjunction with the Wii controller. It was most invigorating, despite my losing. I am not really sure why I had fun with this game, to tell the truth.

The graphics definitely need work, and I didn’t hear much music aside from the run up to the demo, mainly because the hoofbeats drowned out most sound anyway. I would be amazed if this game somehow gets localized, but if it does I may have to check it out. Color me surprised at this game's adequacy.