32nd America's Cup - The Game

7.0
Good

Gameplay	7.0	"Port? Starboard? Spinnakers? Huh?"
Graphics	8.0
Sound	6.0
Value	7.0

By Jess Nickelsen

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Sailing’s a funny old sport, especially if you’re the one standing on the sidelines watching. The America’s Cup in particular has always mystified me. Sure, I’d get caught up in the excitement, the glamour, and the rest of the whole build up, but something always felt a bit disappointing once you realised the actual racing consisted of watching two yachts in the middle of a relatively formless and featureless expanse of water, racing towards a superimposed digital line that always seemed to change position.

So no, I’m not a yachtie. Still, when Virtual Skipper 5: 32nd America’s Cup arrived at my door, I thought, why not, let’s give it a shot, see if I’ll gain a little insight.

I thought I should start with the tutorial, not having the faintest idea about anything remotely to do with sailing. It was a good idea. The tutorials are forgiving, and very gently bring you up to speed, teaching you such concepts as steering your craft, learning to tack, exploring camera and other interface options like zooming, penalties (I came to know these well), prestarts, and when and how to change your sail.

All very well and good, but the tutorials are a lonely place to be. I was dying to get my hands on a full crew of able bodied seamen, and wreak some havoc out on the open seas. I exited the tutorial menu and leapt straight into the America’s Cup campaign. Why not go for broke? Of course I had to choose New Zealand as my team. And there she was, just like on the telly. The crew was a slightly clonelike bunch of staunch looking blokes all wearing sunglasses, but they all seemed to know what they were doing, so I let them be.

I remembered the starts from the tutorial, but I was a bit nervous watching the other boat lining itself up. Would it get a better position than me? Unfortunately my first race got off to a bit of a bad start when I hit a buoy and was awarded a penalty for my troubles. I performed my penalty 360, as I watched my opponent slowly glide off towards the first mark. I finally got underway and very slowly crossed the start line. Somehow I figured out how to tack into the wind, round the mark, change my spinnaker and race back to the finish line – a full four minutes slower than my opponent.

My terrible skills aside, the game has quite a bit to offer, especially if you’ve come to look at boats. This game is a boatie’s delight – the yachts with their sleek lines cut through the waves, sending spray up into the air. They creak and groan as they’re put through their paces. Even if your crew looks like the Matrix on holiday, the rest of the game looks and feels great.

Once you’ve made it through the America’s Cup campaign itself (I hope you won at least one race), there is still a lot more gaming to be had out of this title. You can take to the internet for some multiplayer action, or, if you’d prefer, create some of your own courses, and race them with not just the twelve America’s Cup yachts, but also the Trimaran Open 60, the Offshore Racer and the Melges 24.

The game is interesting, and nicely complex and strategic, but it’s also bloody frustrating at times. Initially, if you’re not familiar with the concepts, it can feel as if there are an overwhelming array of choices: manual or auto mode? Which sail to use? What are all those arrows? And lines? It can be hard to get your boat actually moving sometimes, and you’ll find yourself cursing at the monitor far more than is healthy. But there’s something addictive about it all the same. I found myself thinking just one more race, which is always a sign that you’re on to a good thing.

Of course this game’s going to draw sailing fans; they’re going to love it, drool over the locations, the boats, the realistic portrayal of the teams, the elements, and the whole feel of the race. But for the rest of you out there, if you’re up for something a little different, a bit of a challenge, and a bit of a doorway into all this America’s Cup brouhaha, you could do a lot worse than to check out Virtual Skipper 5: 32nd America’s Cup.

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