Genre: Racing
Players: Two Players (One Wiimote per player)
Release Date: November 19, 2006
Publisher: Nintendo
ESRB Rating: E(veryone) for Mild Violence
*Information from the Nintendo.com Excite Truck page*

Opening-

Let’s just go ahead and get it out of the way right now- there is no story in Excite Truck. None. Fortunately, racing games don’t rely on their stories to save them, but rather their gameplay, and Excite Truck provides some of the best racing gameplay of any console. Within no time, you will be twisting the Wiimote, steering frantically away from trees. Excite Truck also shows what graphics on the Wii are capable of. For one of the first games released, it looks really great. The inclusion of a custom soundtrack is a great idea, one that should be used in more Wii games in the future.


Audio- B-

The music in this game is not really spectacular. It’s good, but it doesn’t really make me get into the game any more than it does keep me out of it. The really awesome part of the Audio of Excite Truck is the ability to add your own music in. To do this, you need an SD card, which aren’t cheap. It would have been nice to be able to hook up an iPod and upload music into the game, since there are two USB ports on the back of the Wii. Nevertheless, I’ve been able to listen to the music without truly needing to have my own music in the game, but none of the tracks have been so memorable that I would like to listen to them again.



In Excite Truck, when you go off of a ramp and are able to get some air, the music will go quiet and you can hear the wind rushing past your truck as you plummet back to earth. A note to any game developers clinging to my every word- that effect is awesome. It’s done perfectly in Excite Truck, and I love it more than the music.

The rest of the Audio- sound effects, crashes, and other miscellaneous sounds are really well done. They make up for the average music. The sounds of the engines can really get you into the game, especially when you boost off of a ramp and get a Turbo Boost.

In short: Despite average music, the audio in this game was done really well.


Gameplay- A

The gameplay is where this game shows what the Wii is capable of- simple, fast, fun gameplay that is incredibly solid. The only button that is really required to race is the “2” button. Other buttons do other things, but the “2” button and steering the Wiimote make the car go and turn, respectively. The D-Pad makes the truck boost, the “1” button is the brake, the “2” button is the accelerator, and the Wiimote is the steering wheel. The steering does take a little (read: lot) of getting used to, for some people. The first time I played it, I crashed about 7-10 times in a race. My brother crashed at least 25-30. In some races I won’t crash at all. The next race I’ll crash into anything that does or doesn’t move- it really just depends on how much you feel like getting into the game, really.



In Excite Truck, you race through several series of races- Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, unlocking new cars and tracks as you go along. If you get over a certain number of stars, you pass the race, but if you don’t get enough, you don’t pass. The best rank on each race is S, which adds some incentive to race each course again, since more trophies are unlocked the more S rankings you get.

Also, trophies can be unlocked by doing certain things within races. If you drift for a long time, you get a Super Drift, and if you get a cumulative total of a certain amount, you’ll get a trophy. If you get a lot of Hang-Time, you get a Super Air, unlocking a trophy. If you crash into other trucks and destroy them a certain number of times, a trophy, and so on with other types of trophies. I’ll admit: I’m a sucker for things like this. Whenever I see this type of thing in a game, I’ll want to get everything possible. Sometimes I’ll drift into a large patch of trees (near-certain death) to get a Super Drift, bringing me one closer to the next trophy.



The racing in this game is superb. Whether you’re shooting off a ramp at top speeds, or splashing through a puddle, it’s amazingly fun. At first glance, it seems rather basic- twist the Wiimote to steer the truck. After a while of playing or reading the tutorials, you’ll come to find out that the engine temperature (raised by boosting) is cooled off faster in the air, and even faster still in water. After a while, you’ll realize how to get more stars while still getting first place. I really was surprised at what there was. When I first saw this game, I thought all it was a game where you steered with the Wiimote and hit the accelerator, but there is much more than that.

I do have a complaint, though. It’s really easy to crash. I’m not talking about steering away from trees and overcompensating right into another tree. I’m talking about my right hubcap tapping a tree and my engine exploding. What’s that about? In all seriousness, that happens, although, fortunately, not too often. It is just frustrating when my car explodes when the tire taps the tree.

In short: The Gameplay in Excite Truck is the best part, and while it still seems so simple, you’ll have trouble not having fun while playing it.


Graphics- A-

I don’t know why, but at times, I’ll find myself loving the graphics in this game, and the next I’ll not be. I guess it’s that some aspects of the graphics are good, and others aren’t as good. The effects are great- whether it’s the turbo boosts shooting fire behind the truck, the wind rushing past as the truck falls from the sky, or a volcano erupting in the distance.

I thoroughly enjoyed the terrain altering aspects of the gameplay, but the way it is done is awesome- no lag, just hit the icon and watch the ground drop a hundred feet in a second- very nice. It was especially nice when I drove over one icon and flew off of a ramp, the ground dropping in unison with my truck.

A few problems aren’t enough to kill the graphics, because they are good. The areas, while sometimes a little unvaried within themselves, do look nice. The water looks good, but the cut-off between deep and shallow is not there, really. One minute nice blue shallow, and the next minute deep, dark water, which swallows your truck whole! (Note: Water may or may not swallow your truck whole) It’s a small complaint, but it still bothered me. Perhaps I’m just too picky for my own good, because the water looks good, either way. Really, though, if this is what a launch title for the Wii looks like, I can’t wait for the later releases.

In short: While the graphics are good, there are a few things I didn’t like about them.


Final Score- A-

I feel like I complained too much in this review. This game is fantastic, likely one of the best of the launch titles. If you have a friend or sibling who likes games, or perhaps one who doesn’t, you both would have a good time playing this game, because of how the controls are set up. Non-gamers can easily understand the steering wheel concept, and they should enjoy it. Even if you don’t have another person to play this with, the single player provides enough depth to keep you entertained, and enough stats and trophies to keep you racing for a long time to come.

Happy Gaming!