Excite Truck
SCORE: 79
Family Friendly Gaming welcomes you to the first ever review of a Nintendo Wii video game. (also known as Wiiview) Excite Truck uses the innovative Wii Remote controller in a most unusual way - the controller is held sideways. Lifting the left side of the controller up is like turning a steering wheel in that direction. Twisting the controller towards the player lifts the front of the truck during a jump to go farther. The opposite directions follow the same concepts, but the other way. Nintendo grades the player, and awards gold stars for different tricks (i.e. big air, going through trees, crashing). A first place finish awards so many gold stars, and beating a race requires a certain number of stars.
Graphically Excite Truck is a pleasant surprise. There has been a lot of talk about how the specs of the Nintendo Wii are not at the level of the Playstation 3), so the graphics were better than I had expected. The blur effects, and the landscape morphing are impressive. The colors are bright and colorful. There are enough different tracks to keep the colors fresh. There are also some impressive details in the reflections on the trucks, and the water effect all over the game. The crashes of the different truck models perform very well. The morphing of the landscape when certain switches are hit is nice.
The sounds in Excite Truck are a mixed bag. The sound effects of the trucks perform really well. The music is some electric guitar that I found a little unnerving. The intent is to give the player a frantic pace that goes along with the game. Thankfully the music can be turned down, which was an option I exercised. The sounds, and sound effects are crisp, and clear in this game. The sound effects of the turbo jumps brought some measure of joy to my life, especially when it meant a win.
The replay value of Excite Truck is also a mixed bag. There are plenty of unlockable vehicles, paint jobs, and tracks. Problem is most tracks can be beaten pretty quickly, and the trucks seem to have little to no difference when racing them (at least not to me). More than one person can play this game, so Excite Truck is good in that regard. The question of whether or not this game is worth your hard earned dollars is a tough one. At fifty bucks, I feel it is overpriced. It is such a different, and new experience that it is worth something; like thirty dollars.
Excite Truck’s controls are what most of us are raving about. The way the Wii Remote handles is pure genius. This is the most natural I have ever controlled a racing game before (aside from a steering wheel). These controls work perfectly, and brilliantly. The open layout of the racing levels really appealed to me, and multiple paths to explore works great. I had such a blast playing this game that I have a blister on my thumb from it.
I really wish more video game
developers would take note from a game like Excite Truck. This is a good
racing game that does not use women as sexual objects. It has some mild
violence with the crashes, that thankfully never goes over the top. The
racing action on the courses, and flying high in the air is what
Nintendo concentrated on. It was my joy to play, and review this game. I
also believe a game like this one can promote family time. A sequel is
needed to Excite Truck.
- Paul
Graphics: 82%
Sound: 78%
Replay/Extras: 72%
Gameplay: 90%
Family Friendly Factor: 74%
System:
Wii
Publisher: Nintendo
Rating: 'E' for Everyone
{Mild Violence}
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