Excite Truck Impressions – Get Excited!

The next quality Wii release since Wario Ware is just a few days away and many people are wondering what to expect from Excite Truck, while we cant review it till after it comes out, we have had the chance to play games at event likes the E3 and EGames as well as the Wii Parties held just before launch, today well give you our quick impressions of the title to help you in your decision to buy or not buy the game!

Pre-release Impressions inside!

Spirit: A few months ago I was fortunate enough to get my hands on Excite Truck at the Egames expo in Melbourne. While Zelda amazed me and Sonic surprised me, it was excite Truck that blew me away. On a visual stand point the game isnt going to win any awards and content wise it could be with an extra car or two. But gosh darn it if Excite Truck isnt the most fun on four wheels since Mario Kart DS.

Developer Monster Games havent just throw a bunch of trucks in some exotic outdoor locations. During the game youll be able to hit icons that alter the layout of the environment, making it an obstacle for some and if you hit the morphed environment at the right moment, making it a blessing in disguise. The game also has power-ups that act as a sort of Star power-up seen frequently in the Mario games where you are invincible for a short period of time. This aids in finding short cuts and cutting seconds of the clock. Excite Truck isnt about coming first the quickest though, even though it helps.

In Excite Truck the goal is to collect a certain amount of stars that are done by ramming opponents, flying through hoops, performing neat drifts and of course, finding short cuts and ultimately finishing first. So its no longer a matter of finishing first to progress in the game, you actually have to go that extra step further if you want to beat everything.

The main draw card of the game is the controls. Yes, they are a little sensitive and will take a few rounds to get used to. To play you hold the Wiimote (just the Wiimote) horizontally like a old NES controller. This acts as your steering wheel and flight controls by tilting the controller left, right, forward and back. 1 and 2 will functions as your acceleration and brake will the D-Pad gives you that extra boost. Simple and yet effective.

Excite Truck comes out in Australia this Thursday and will definitely keep you busy until the next big title comes out in March. While yes, the game is short and only features two players, it is a lot of fun and as accessible to friends and family as Wii Sports is.

Polg: Excite Truck was one of Nintendo’s secret weapons at E3, a big-air racing game that rewards players when they perform impossible jumps or crash into other vehicles.
Nintendo’s first racing game for the Wii lets you control the trucks by holding the Wiimote like a Steering wheel (with the buttons facing you). Buttons 1 and 2 are used for acceleration and braking respectively, while the d-pad activates the boost.
The game uses a star system, every tight corner, acrobatic jump or crash is earns stars. Accumulate enough stars to achieve the best rank possible and to unlock new levels, without forgetting you still need to win the race.
The demo back at E3 2006 had two levels: a desert like setting: “”Mexico”” and a tropical stage: “”Fiji””. They boasted branching paths and terrain that can be modified by hitting certain markers along the track.
ExciteTruck is a brilliant showcase of the Wii philosophy, trying to be different instead of showing more of the same with better graphics. In this case the game is lots of fun, looks good and the controls are surprisingly good, proving that Nintendo is a viable alternative to the gaming world and not a doomed gimmick.

VOOK: I’ve had the unfortunate pleasure of playing Excite Truck on two occasions. Why unfortunate? Because the first time was back at the E3 in 2006, and the second time at the eGames expo in Melbourne, so why is that unfortunate? Well its been far too long between drinks and having such relativity short bursts at the game is painful. The game is just so much fun and it follows the Wii philosophy to a tee. I just want to play this game so much!

You all know how it controls, how it plays, but if you havent played it you haven’t experienced it fully, going over the jumps, rocking along racing and bumping, the game lives up to its name excellently, it is very Exciting. I mentioned that the game follows the Wii philosophy well. Why? Because its easy to pick up and play, and you dont need to know how to play racing games.

Decent Graphics, Great Sense of Speed, Custom Soundtracks and Goals to shoot for to extend longevity, not to mention 2 player multiplayer, sure it has a few flaws such as being a bit simple or the fact that the default soundtrack sucks, but like Wii Sports it proves you can take a simple idea and its lots of Fun!