It should come as no surprise, then, that the developers found their inspiration in Excitebike, a top-selling Nintendo title back in 1985. There was a good sequel in 2000, but, in truth, Excite Truck differs from both games in many ways.
First, unfortunately, there are no bikes to choose from – a pity, considering that the 19 different circuits available lend themselves well to racing on two wheels, whether they’re located in Finland, China, Scotland, Canada, Mexico or (our favourite) the Fiji Islands. We’re left with 3 different cars, but 17 more can be unlocked throughout the game. There are vans, buggies, monster trucks and other models here. One of the major disappointments is that all cars handle mostly in exactly the same way. Only the response times seem to vary somewhat, but players who are used to vehicles that all have their distinctive quirks and features will find much to lament here.
Naturally, this is a Wii game we’re talking about, and Excite Truck does make use of this console’s unique controls. The controller is held sideways and needs to be tilted slightly to the left or the right in order to steer. When in the air, tilting it towards you or away from you allows the vehicle to climb higher or plunge faster. Pressing any button on the D pad (accessible by the left thumb) activates the turbo boost, while the 1 and 2 buttons serve as gas and brake. The turbo boost has no maximum number of times it can be activated, but using it does overheat the engine eventually. However, hitting water or being in the air cools down the engine pretty fast, so it’s not necessary to keep watching the heat meter all the time in order to finish the game. While the idea of overheating engines is great, it isn’t really taken advantage of. In (Classic) BattleTech and spin-off games like MechWarrior, taking care of heat expulsion is often a tactical necessity, but here, it certainly isn’t, thus making Excite Truck more accessible but, ultimately, less satisfying to hardcore gamers or strategists.
The object of the game is not to come in first or even second, but to accumulate stars. Sure, finishing first does earn more stars, but there are many other ways to do this, like smashing other trucks, drifting around corners, flying through rings (yes, rings), slaloming through trees, catching air, performing stunts and much more. It is entirely possible to steer while in mid-air and there are icons to be found along the tracks which allow the player to cause changes in the environment, like conjuring obstacles that are dropped from the air or making huge jumps rise up in front of the car. Obviously, Excite Truck looks and feels more like an arcade game than a true racing game. The graphics look good, but they’re not state of the art by any means and when viewed in higher resolution, some of the shortcomings are actually more obvious. Forget about real world physics while playing Excite Truck, people: this is one for the kids and for gamers who like a bit of arcade craziness from time to time.
The problem is that game play can get a little repetitive after a while. Hitting the star limit gives players a B rating, but most will want to aim for an S rating in order to unlock all of the different vehicles and options available. Often, it will be necessary to complete one track many times, just in order to earn the desired rating. Luckily, there are several different modes of play. Apart from the main mode, there’s a challenge mode which has extra tasks to perform (such as flying through the previously-mentioned rings or driving through narrowing gates), as well as a fun Crush event. The latter mode plays somewhat like Burnout, even though Excite Truck doesn’t quite reach the standard set by that series of games.
Also, it’s possible to set the difficulty of the game, which prolongs the rather short 8-hour playing time somewhat. Multiplayer mode, however, is limited to two players, who will have to race each other using split-screen. No possibility to go online is offered, which is a pity.
A nice feature is the way music works in this game. Often, the soundtrack will fade a little bit as there is more wind and it’s even possible to insert an SD card in order to have your own MP3’s blasted through the speakers. This may be too much trouble for many players, but it’s a fun option to have nonetheless.
All in all, Excite Truck is a fun game which has several shortcomings. Arcade gamers will love it, while hardcore gamers may expect a little more from a racing game in order to fully appreciate this one. Thus, Excite Truck will probably appeal more to the Sonic and Super Mario Brothers, Burnout or Need for Speed audience than to players who like more realistic racing games.
