“An exciting racer that will have you on your toes… Had there been just a bit more ideas, it would have been immersive.&
Excite Truck is a game that everyone was waiting for. It seemed as though it was on top, other than Twilight Princess and maybe Red Steel. Well with its launch, Excite Truck proved to be worthy of purchase, so I got it.
Get ready. I must say, when you first set your hands on this game, it is a blast! Racing fast and steering vigorously with teeth gritted is pure excitement. The Wiimote works well with this game, so this is a glory to behold. Holding the Wiimote sideways, you tilt it left and right to steer. The down key on the control pad is the only thing used other than this. These controls may sound too simple, but I must agree that the control scheme best suites a racer for the Wii. I only hope future racers will continue to be controlled this way.
At first you learn the basics. There are some stunts, items, and controls you must learn about. The tricks and items are cool, but there isn’t much overall. While I do live the tricks, they prove to be pretty tough to maneuver and are pretty useless unless you are working to collect stars which are the key objective in most aspects of the game.
Yes, not only do you race against your foes to rightfully claim first place… You also have to collect a selected amount of stars. You can come in third or fourth and still win if you get enough of these precious items. To earn stars, you can crash, perform stunts, dodge trees, take out foes, and more. It may sound simple, but it’s a hard challenge and it is very unique.
One of the cool things is Turbo, particularly the Turbo Jumps. By going off a jump, press the down key of the control pad to thrust your engines in mid air. This awesome performance is known as the famous Turbo Jump. You will blast ahead of the competition and speed up as you land. This trick alone had me on my toes as I tried to claim first.
The tournaments are simple so you’ll have no problems at first. As competition gets fierce, you are required to collect more and more stars. This challenge isn’t so simple, but racing can be mastered quickly. Unfortunately, multiplayer was a cool idea, yet it was a slight letdown to me. You will have fun racing foes at first, but the intensity dies down rather quickly. I for one, was not a fan of the multiplayer races.
Other downers include the fact that there aren’t many other options other than Tournament races. You will be letdown if you are seeking a variety. With the lack of modes, this game may almost seem like a demo, but it is still addicting for maybe 10 hours.
Graphics in Excite Truck aren’t too bad, on the plus side. They aren’t mediocre nor are they great. The trucks look pretty nice especially with the nice added touches of color changes. Crashes are okay, but Burnout still has better graphics, and better crashes. On the positive side, scenery is nice. There is a variety, particularly in weather.
The sound is awesome too. I love the rock music at the start of the game. The motor and hearing the crashes seem rather realistic, so you can’t say no to this sound. Music played during the courses is cool, like when you collect specific items. Other than this, there isn’t any other sound to mention. So although not a variety, the few sounds projected are great.
Lastly, this game is worth a try. Renting it is the best option, however. I must say that 50 dollars is a lot. Still, some of the 60 dollar games are worse than this, so I’m not complaining. In conclusion, Excite Truck is exciting and the control scheme works great. The sound is wonderful, and the graphics are decent. The only problems are the lack of game modes and the below average multiplayer. If there ever is a future Excite Truck, I hope the creators work on improving these two main problems. Thus my review comes to a close. Peace out for now.
-Oblivion