Virtual Skipper, a series that focuses on sailing races, took a detour this year with a name change. It has now been titled 32^nd America’s Cup: The Game – a much smaller pill to swallow for newcomers to the genre. In the past, I would have never even attempted to play a Virtual Skipper title due to the ridiculous name. I could just imagine the look on my friends’ faces – who are deep into shooters of course– when I told them that I was playing Virtual Skipper.

What is a skipper? A skipper is a person who has command of a boat or a ship; ultimately a synonym for captain. So what exactly does 32^nd America’s Cup: The Game offer? It offers a quality introduction to the sailing world while also pleasing fans of the niche sport with excellent gameplay.

The campaign is, of course, based around this year’s America’s Cup. The first step to reaching this goal is to win the Louis Vuitton Cup. Add to the fact that there are 10 other challengers competing for the same prize, players will have to endure a lot to reach America’s Cup. After claiming the Louis Vuitton Cup, players will then be commissioned to face Alinghi, the Swiss team that won the America’s Cup previously. The trip to the top is a worthy one, though, at times, it becomes tedious.

As for the boats, players can skipper four types of boats that all have different attributes. Adding to the accuracy of the game, there are 10 famous competitive sailing locations. AC:TG authentically replicates all of it - the boats and the locations - to showcase realism at its highest.

Warning flags should be raised due to the fact AC:TG is a monotonous game. There isn’t a ton of differential gameplay options to mix it up. The main goal is to sail to the finish line. Well, by the end of the game, players will get their full share of sailing in. I have to admit that I never had fun watching the screen as I awaited the finish line. What’s even worse is that the longevity is minimal; when a game primarily focuses on sailing, it became taxing on my patience.

For the novice players, there is a tutorial added in to get players accustomed to the gameplay. I came into the game having no knowledge how to sail and I’d have to say now that I have a good idea of how to sail. But understand this - the tutorial is essential to be successful at the game. If the players don’t use the tutorial as an introduction to the game, they’ll end up drowning their shipmates in no time.

The graphics are a lot better than I first imagined. Though, when I decided to try out previous installments - for better comparison - it became apparent that they haven’t upgraded too much. But, I’ll forgive them because the cities are precisely recreated and the boats themselves are exquisitely modeled. This made the experience much more enjoyable than having to steer jagged sailboats on muggy water. Outside of the boats and cities, the animations are believable to make the ships feel fluid and natural on the water.

This isn’t in your face action – it’s cool, calm, and relaxing. It gave me thoughts of drinking wine and having a walk on the beach. The atmosphere isn’t recreated as I had imagined. I never got the feeling of a living and breathing world around me as I sailed the seas.

Gameplay: 6.9
Skill and patience is needed as it is a sailboat racing simulation. At the end of the day though, AC:TG becomes droning to the point I would never want to captain my own boat in real life.

Graphics: 8.0
The graphics hold up to standards to recent PC games with excellent physics. Comparing them to the last Virtual Skipper title – they haven’t improved much. But, know this - the sunset is beautiful out on the open sea.

Sound: 6.0
The sound isn’t anything important – I hardly heard even noticed it when I was fully concentrated on piloting my ship in the right direction.

Difficulty: Medium
There are a lot of things to do in the game – it’s a simulator all the way through. Understanding the weather conditions, proper turns, positions, and jib manipulation is important. The tiniest of mistakes could cost the player the race.

Concept: 8.5
I have always wanted more games to feature sailing as a method of transportation and there’s plenty offered in AC:TG.

Multiplayer: 7.2
An editor is included to create your own water courses and host them in multiplayer games. The editor is a nice addition aside from the single-player experience.

Overall: 7.5
This is aimed at people who already love the sport. If players are coming into the series fresh and have no idea what they are getting themselves into, then the AC:TG will end up being decent in the long run, but not containing a lot of replay value to draw them back.