Title: Excite Truck

Date: 12.04.2006

Genre: Racing

Platform: Wii

Developer: Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo

With the hot, new Nintendo Wii finally out, many are wondering what launch titles are worth buying aside from the given Zelda: TP. Which games provide a unique way of playing with the Wii while not being gimmicky? Which games give the player a satisfying experience with the Wii while having enough depth to warrant a full-fledged 49.99 purchase? Of course, many people just check the popular game reviewing sites like Gamespot. But you can't trust just one person's take of Excite Truck. The Wii is such a new experience that one must look at the majority's opinion rather than a single reviewer's. After all, such a change in video games could mean that some will hate the controls, some will love it.

CONTROL/EXPERIENCE

My first ten minutes: At first, the game is slightly confusing. Unlike Wii Sports, Excite Truck doesn't give you a clear explanation of how to hold the controller. I had only known of the sideways configuration from the previews and videos I watched. Being forced into a tutorial wasn't a bad thing, because this game has a learning curve even for the most experienced of racing game players. Tilting the controller to turn may seem a natural thing, but I had developed the habit of steering with my left thumb. The control pad where the left thumb is placed (normally where you steer in traditional racers) is replaced with the turbo function. No matter who you are, you WILL feel the controls being awkward, because of the Wii's unique design, not because the game was not well made. Don't be turned off by this initial difficulty: I needed to play at least 5 races to get the "hang" of it. The tutorial merely teaches you the moves and items in the game; the 15 second trials are not long enough for you to get your handle with the truck.

After your learning curve, which can be from half and hour to a few hours, its smooth truckin'. After beating a few races and challenges, I was naturally steering up ramps, weaving through trees (usually), boosting at the correct times, and having a blast. Although some people may be turned off by Excite Truck's initial challenge, a few practice races pay off.

GAMEPLAY

If people knew how fun racing monster trucks were, they would have made more games like Excite Truck. Making these beastly vehicles slam, fly (literally), and crash through the many tracks is one of the most satisfying experiences on the Wii. You can see Nintendo's work here: Using items, law-breaking physics, and crazy crashes may not provide the most realistic racing experience, but it sure is a fun ride. Excite Truck, however, has a few flaws. Too often does the player feel like he is losing control. And nothing ruins the race like merely bumping into a rock or something and having to "crash." These crashes destroy the momentum of the game, and add frustration.

GAME CONTENT

First of all, I'd like to the address the fact that single player is much, much more fun than two player mode. The single player gives a full screen and more effects for a fun experience, while the two player mode has no additional modes. Racing with 5 other computer-controlled trucks is a lot more fun than racing with one friend.

There are a few models of trucks, more than 10, with different appearances and stats. There's no mystery in what you unlock, though. The entire truck selection can be seen, with their names and stats, with locked trucks merely blacked out. You get new paint jobs and trophies for getting high ranks and records. It's also nice that the game keeps track of every time you have a Super move, but more work definitely could have been put into the record system to extend the game's replay value. The Super Excite mode and challenge modes are good too, but again could have been more fleshed out. All in all, Excite Truck doesn't last long at all, content-wise. Although fun, one could consider this a kind of "shallow" game.

PRESENTATION
Impressive. Great framerate that never slows down, no matter how fast you are going and how many natural disasters, water splashes, and other truckers appear in the screen. The energetic soundtrack and effective sound effects (from the TV and the remote) create a pretty immersive experience. I've been so absorbed into the game many times that I blocked out what my brother beside me was saying. Nintendo somehow found a balance between the game's realistic and non-realistic aspects of the graphics and physics. The result is great arcade action similar to Burnout and Mario Kart while being graphically sound enough to avoid a "cartoony" look and feel.

PROS
+pick up to play fun
+one of the best launch titles on the Wii
+satisfaction of going fast far outweigh frustration of crashing often

CONS
-controls can be shaky for beginners
-graphics are not that good for a next-gen console
-those damn trees!

OVERALL
Excite Truck manages to be both extremely unique and enjoyable, and considering it's a launch title, this is an impressive feat. I wouldn't go as far to say that it's the other must-have Wii game aside from Zelda, but the two games are so different that Excite Truck becomes a great side dish to a grand meal like Zelda. Nintendo shows that games don't need high-end graphics to be better. No more awkward, silly racing games that force you to control a tiny joystick with your thumb. In conclusion, even if you're someone that dislikes racing, or trucks, or even video games in general, you will most likely still find Excite Truck, well...exciting!

Game Score

B+

Reviewed By: Contributed