When I most recently picked up Go Vacation for the thousandth time, it was only partially to prepare for this review, and partially a desperate bid to get out of a depressive episode. It was a shot in the dark seeking something, anything, that still felt enjoyable even on such a rough day. It was a shot that didn't miss.
The fact that I'd pick up a fairly unknown Namco resort game over the third most successful title released on the Wii to date despite owning both might be a little confusing -- Go Vacation's most frequently-discussed competitor, Wii Sports Resort, is often cited as the better game between the two, receiving more unanimous, numerous, and favorable reviews than my favorite pick-me-up vacation game. Go Vacation received mixed reviews after its release five years ago, earning an aggregate score of 64 out of 100 on Metacritic, and critical reviews of the skiing games it acts as spiritual successor to -- We Ski and We Ski & Snowboard -- weren't overwhelmingly positive, either, even if they weren't particularly scathing. I've played both extensively, and despite Go Vacation being deemed the more mediocre of the duo, I've certainly given it the biggest chunk of my time for the same reason that I pick it up on days my mental health has me particularly miserable. The beloved Wii Sports sequel may be better when put under the microscope, but on the surface level, Go Vacation is just plainly more fun.
One of the biggest draws of Go Vacation, as far as I can tell, is that it's like a resort-themed Grand Theft Auto with themes that younger players' mothers are much, much more likely to approve of. Recklessness without consequences is by far my favorite element in this game. Players are given free run of four resorts and a variety of vehicles, and no restrictions, including the fragility of the human body, seem to really apply. Just this morning I had the privilege of watching my sister successfully drive an off-road car off a cliff onto a passing boat. In my own time in-game, I've driven directly into trains, NPCs, and large bodies of water, jumped out of kayaks as they've tumbled over waterfalls, crashed around in jungle ruins on ATVs, climbed up the side of a mountain on a horse, and pulled off any number of other dangerous stunts with no repercussions (I've even unlocked achievements for a few) with the exception of occasionally being put back safely onto solid ground after, say, taking a dip in some underground lava. For years it's been a running joke in my family that Go Vacation's location, Kawawii Island, is the afterlife: everything is beautiful, nothing can hurt you, and no one will stop you from living out your wildest resort-related dreams unless they involve leaving the resort. Hotel California jokes aside, this should also indicate that the game is liked and played frequently enough in my household to warrant regular discussion. Before we switched over to our Wii U and decided to get a fresh start on our save data, my family was the proud owner of dozens of the incredibly silly, touristy photos that can be taken in-game.
While a handful of the activities available around the map are as exciting as my in-game driving habits, most of them aren't going to get your blood pumping. The more structured activities Kawawii Resort offers players are, understandably, more realistic than the death-defying feats that can be discovered in free play. Even if you find some (or even most) of the minigames boring, or they aren't your cup of tea, they're not required (unless you're dead-set on getting your own island home), and can be quite easily ignored. If you're only interested in playing Wheel Slider and decide to ditch the rest after trying them once, the game lets you get away with it. If you'd rather just guide a snow tube down Tonga Blanca all day or wreak havoc on the marine resort with your ATV, you can. Kawawii Island is set up well enough that, though you have to at least look around to unlock more things, you don't have to rely on minigames to advance or entertain yourself.
In fact, Kawawii Island is a near-perfect setting for the adventures it's meant to house. Go Vacation is pretty graphically impressive for a Wii game and very visually appealing, and beyond that each resort adheres to its theme pretty well and creates a fun environment for players to lose themselves in. The bouncy cheer of the music that accompanies games and conversation, the enthusiasm of the resort staff, the presence of other vacationers, and the ability to roam about freely instead of picking from a menu (as is the case on Wii Sports Resort's Wuhu Island) all make the environment more engaging and interesting. There's plenty for a player to explore, including treasures, hints, and even several hidden caves, and Kawawii Island's design makes players want to explore it.
Near-perfection is not equivalent to perfection, however. Kawawii is disappointingly walled in. Not all of the terrain is actually traversible, and invisible walls prevent players from traveling out too far in the marine resort. The free-standing villa grounds feel out of place in a game made up of huge, fleshed-out resorts, and the processes involved in unlocking and creating new layouts and furniture for your villa once you've received it feel pointless and tedious. The villa grounds aren't the only place that players' choices are annoyingly limited, either; clothing choices are minimal and not very appealing, and the vehicles players can choose between are few. Plenty of people I've played with have struggled with the controls, and I've been told they're "laughably bad," a sentiment I can't exactly disagree with, especially since the condition of the Wii Nunchuk being used seems to really affect how well things play out. If you're going to play Go Vacation, I urge you to use your most responsive Nunchuk (and to avoid using the Wii Balance Board at all costs).
Go Vacation may not be the paragon of the resort game genre, and not even the best resort game of its time, but it certainly has its own merits. Once you get the controls down, it's mostly smooth sailing, and a lot of fun. If you want to mess around and have fun with friends, it's definitely one of my top recommendations. Those of you looking for a more polished game might have to look elsewhere (despite finding Go Vacation more fun, I still highly recommend Wii Sports Resort if this is the case), but in the meantime I'll be here, Wii remote in hand, living it up on Kawawii Island. I have a vacation to enjoy.
Note: Images used in this review were selected from promotional images on the Nintendo UK Go Vacation page.