Excite Truck

"A great start for the Wii"

Graphics: 8/10
They aren't perfect, but they have no noticeable flaws as well. I'm not comparing these graphics to the PS3 or the 360, but I'm rating them depending on how good/ realistic they look. The trucks look great, the tracks look great, and even the little things like the water and the "speed blurs" are detailed. But even if you think it's total crap, most of the time, you'll be going way too fast to notice.

Sound: 10/10
In my opinion, the soundtrack is great, and it fits the game really well. On the other hand, some of the music is horrible. But the true reason I gave this a 10/10 is because if you don't like the soundtrack, you can change it. There's a slot for inserting a SD card on the Wii, so you can just put the music you like in at any time. As for the sounds, they're very good. The trucks sound like they should, the crashes sound like they should, and all of the other little things sound good. One of the best parts though, (in my opinion) is how the music fades out when you get high enough, and how it fades back in when you get back to the ground. It may sound unimportant, but it's extremely notable, and it sounds cool as well.

Gameplay: 8/10
The most important part of a game. After you get over the steep learning curve of turning, everything feels pretty natural. The game also tries to keep thins simple with only 3 buttons: brake, turbo, and gas. The only thing that feels weird is the "truck spins" (spinning in the air). But the AI is balanced, and the game makes you do things other then come in first to win. To beat a track, you have to have a "B" on it. To do that, you have to get a set amount of stars. You actually benefit from staying in the pack in the beginning, then dashing ahead at the end since you get points for ramming trucks. Finally, the turbo system is different then normal. Instead of having a set amount of turbos or having to pick up an item, you can turbo as much as you want. This causes your temperature to go up though, and if you overheat you can't do turbos for a while.
One of the annoying parts is that touching a tree, no mater how lightly, will result in a crash. Oh well. Can't have everything.

Multiplayer: 7/10
The bad part about multiplayer is that all you can do is race. And not even with other trucks. 2-player only, one-on-one racing. The good news is that the racing is pretty robust. Running smoothly at 60 frames per second, and with no notable slowdowns, it's pretty fun.

Replay: 7/10
There are lots of things to unlock, but in the end, the trucks don't feel as different as they should. But this game will take you a while. And, it's possible to unlock an extra track (which rocks.)

Final Score: 8/10

Rent or buy: Buy. This game is easily the best racing game on the Wii, and frankly, it'd be a shame to miss it. Plus, on a rental, it's pretty probable that you won't get to hard mode, which means missing out on the best trucks and a few other extras.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/20/07