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My wife even plays this game.....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

My title there says a lot. My wife does not like video games. She doesn't have anything against them, she just doesn't like to play them. Then came the Wii.

My story is similar regarding racing games. I don't like them very much. I'm not good at them and if you can't ever win the race, then they're not much fun.

After reading the reviews for Excite Truck though, I decided to rent it to give it a shot. I was bit annoyed that I was forced to do the tutorial to open up the main racing modes, but I'm glad I had to do it. It shortened the learning curve and I'm glad to have those extra minutes to play this game.

All I can say is WOW. Though the game overall lacks depth and could use more options, it is an absolute blast to play. My brother and I started playing it and neither of us was that excited. That changed during our first race.

The feeling of speed that it gives is incredible. You barrel around corners and turbo jump into the air for what seems like forever. This game is as far from a racing simulation as you can get. Which for me increases the fun factor immensely. Though there are not a whole lot of tracks, there are many variations of each one. New areas, jumps, & obstacles are in each one.

I finally talked my wife into trying it and now she has almost fallen out of her chair a couple times trying to turn the "wheel" so hard.

Anyway, this is in the top 3 games I've played for the Wii so far (and I've rented most of them) with Zelda and Wii Sports. As long as you're not expecting an offroad version of Need for Speed, then you'll have a lot of fun with this.

Pros:
Dizzying speeds and gravity-defying jumps
The controls feel strange for only about 5 minutes. They work flawlessly.
Don't have to win every race to unlock new trucks and tracks.
Fun for anyone of any age.
"Morphing" the track is a fantastic idea and really adds to the game.
A lot of races to run in single-player mode.
Lots of ways to earn points.
No matter how many times you crash, you're always in the race

Cons:
Need to be able to do more tricks in the air
Needs a two-player "Grand Prix" mode so 2 of us can race against other trucks. Currently 2-player mode is only the two of you on the track.
More tracks would be nice
No matter how many times you crash, you're always in the race (Yes, this is a pro & a con. For my wife this is good, because she crashes a lot. For my brother this is bad because he's an excellent driver and should have left everyone in the dust)

Bottom Line: Outstanding game with good graphics and unbelievably fun gameplay.

A really FUN game - my favorite so far!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I picked this up along with Zelda when buying the Wii. This game is not for those who like realistic driving games, the physics are nothing short of just silly/insane.
...but it is SO FUN! I love how you get stars for "nice crashes" and running other trucks off the road. The action is fast and the driving is very intuitive. (provided you use the tutorials - they teach you all the stunts). It's not too hard, anyone can play, and it's just fun. I love flying through the air and morphing the terrain of the track around me.

Highly Recommended, don't overlook this game!

Really fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

A lot of the online reviews say that this game is only half good, but it is my favorite game to play on the Wii. Doing tricks and stunts with a truck is just a lot of fun. And you get bonus points for ramming your opponents.

If it were only like that on real roads...

Funtastic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is just plain fun. Controls work very well and there is great intensity because of the speed the game creates. I've only played one player mode, since I can't find a second wiimote, but I likes what I've seen.

Nintendo Brings the Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

It took a while after launch to decide if I wanted to get Excite Truck or not, but I have heard nothing but good things about it so I bit my lip and picked up a copy. I do not regret it at all. I am not a big fan of racing games because I always find them so repetitive and unexciting (with the exception of the Mario Kart series). Those racing games with licensed cars, realistic graphics and physics just bore the hell out of me because they do not offer anything new with each offering they put out. This is not the case with Excite Truck.

To begin, Excite Truck is the successor to the NES classic - Excite Bike. The point of Excite Truck is to collect a designated amount of stars to advance to higher levels. You do this by doing certain tricks such as drifting, turbo jumps, catching air, and crashing into other trucks. You can even gain stars by having a nice crash or even dodging a succession of trees. It is not imperative to win first place, but when you are just short of enough stars to advance to the next level, that first place can make all the difference. There are a total of five locations you can race - China, Mexico, Scotland, Fiji, and Canada - each with their own unique look. Some of the locations have crazy jumps, dips, and chasms that'll leave you in air for a few good seconds. While in air, you can still maneuver your truck to do spins and other tricks. With each level, the tracks become increasingly complex and harder to maneuver. Luckily, the Wii controls work great. You hold the Wii remote on its side as if it were a steering wheel and you steer your trucks as if you were actually steering it. It is very responsive and it takes skill to master, but it is also incredibly fun and easy to pick up and play.

Graphically, Excite Truck is one of the best looking Wii games out right now. I am not going to compare its graphics to that of the Xbox 360 and PS3 because I feel it is becoming convoluted to keep comparing Wii to them. The Wii is not in the same category graphically. But Excite Truck does very well on its respected platform. The enviroments are lush and alive. The trucks are realisticly rendered. The game never has slowdown or framerate problems even though at times I felt like it should have given the insane speeds at which the trucks are moving through the environments. The feeling of insane speeds is terrificly rendered on screen. The blurred effects on the outer edges of the screen as you are rocketing past gave me a sense that I am going out of control, but the responsiveness of the controls kept it in balance. Another great feature in the game is the ability to change and manipulate the surrounding environment. Hitting an exclamation mark while driving will dynamically change the terrain in real time. You could use this to your advantage by knocking other players off course or creating a hill where you could execute a major turbo jump. There is also a "POW" marker that will put your car into hyper-speed as well as make you invincible to trees. There are a lot of surprises that keep the game fresh and exciting not to mention it gives you great replay value.

Another great aspect of Excite Truck is the ability to add your own custom soundtrack through an SD card. Just upload your own music on the card and bring it up before or during the races. It makes it that much more personal and enjoyable. Otherwise, you would be subjected to the horrible, generic rock music they put in the game.

If there is one downfall of the game, it would have to be its multiplayer feature. There is no online play and only two players can play on screen at a time. Also, there are no other AI trucks when playing multiplayer. I find it more fun just to take turns beating the main game. Excite Truck is a first generation launch title and I wouldn't fault it for not having online play. Nintendo is still trying to work out the online kinks.

Overall, it is definitely a must-buy for Wii owners. The Wii controls bring in a new level of immersion. I would recommend it to those who are bored with traditional racing games and want to try something new. However, those who love traditional racing games probably won't get into it. And, of course, I would recommend it for anyone who just enjoys fun games.

FUN! FUN! FUN!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is fun. I am 7 years old and I enjoy the stunts. If you like racing you should try Excite Truck its fun.

Good ole arcade fun...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 16, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I got Excite Truck for Christmas, and I contemplated returning it because it just didn't look appealing to me. I'm not a racing video game type of guy; Mario Kart is pretty much the extent of it for me. However, after reading all these wonderful reviews for this game here on Amazon, I decided to go ahead and keep it...and I'm glad I did!

Excite Truck, as others have pointed out, is more of fun arcade racer than a realistic, physics-bound bore. You use the turbo button just as you fly off of a ramp or hill to go soaring in the air in a VERY unrealistic manner. But it's so much fun! And you get stars for it!

You see, the whole point of a race in this game isn't necessarily to win, though winning certainly helps; instead, it's to gather a set amount of stars. For some courses it'll be 90, others it will be 220. You accumulate these stars by sliding your truck for an extended period of time, staying in the air for as long as you can, slamming into other trucks, crashing into trees, and flying through rings in the air, among other things. Therein lies the secret punch of Excite Truck that makes it so darn fun and addicting; that along with the Wii's excellent controls for this game. You simply hold the Wii remote in your two hands with the D-pad under your left thumb, and the 1 and 2 buttons under your right thumb. You steer by veering the remote to the left or right, like you would a real steering wheel (and although it takes a while to get the hang of, once you do, it's like second-nature. I can't imagine this game using a regular analog stick). The 1 button is the gas, and you press the D-pad for turbo. And that's it. No complicated, messy controls. Just plain, easy-to-do fun.

The graphics are nothing to write home about, but they're certainly adequate. The courses are all fun, except some of them seem to be recycled throughout the different cup challenges. There a few unlockables, including lots of new trucks and the optional Super Excite difficulty level. The music gets kind of annoying, but luckily you can plug in an SD that has your personal music on it into the Wii and use that music for the game, which I think is a nice touch.

The game is challenging, but not throw-the-remote-against-the-wall challenging. It also features a lot of fun techniques like the turbo jumps and super crashes (not to mention the wonderful controls) that make it a lot of fun, and very few games these days are both challenging (in a good) way plus fun. Even if you aren't a fan of racing games (like me), I HIGHLY recommend this game to Wii owners. It's one of the best choices out there so far.

A Driving Game Story

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

A little background:

Ok. Let me start off by saying that I absolutely despise driving games.
In your "a typical" driving game there is no sense of warning for any real track changes, so the player is forced to memorize a course in order to do well. As a general rule, I have little respect for a game which relies on memory versus skill to make accomplishments. A monkey could do that, and let's face it kids, being a monkey's not much fun.
So, with the aforementioned in mind, it was with much apprehension that I tried "Excite Truck" ©. My fiancé had read staggeringly good review after review and insisted that we try it, so with tax refund in hand, (her refund, mind you, not mine) we went to the store and bought the thing.

She's hardly had the chance to play it since.

The review:

The controls- * * * * - The control scheme is simple with a capital "S." You tilt the controller on a plane left and right to steer. The "one" button is brake, the "two" is gas, and the "directional pad" activates a turbo jet. My only gripe is with 360 spin controls, in which you must press "one", the "dpad," and tilt left and right. The designers could have made use of "a" or even "b" and made this feature feel much more natural.

The music - * * * * * - This is subjective. I like it, but others may not. The game designers did seem to have some insight though, as you can insert an SD card with your own music and use it in game. When I get around to it, I plan on loading up a selection of slow melancholy classical pieces just to watch the irony unfold.

The tracks- * * * * * - No eye-popping extravagance was spent here, but at the same time you don't have much time to look, making the visuals easy to navigate and more than adequate.
I firmly believe that if they were any better, by the time you finished saying, "wow that's cool, I really like ..." you'd be T-boned in a tree, rock, or other hazard. As with other driving games, there is little sense of warning to track changes that happen, but with this game that doesn't matter much either, which brings us to ...

Game play and fun- * * * * *! - When you crash it's not all over and done with, in fact you get points for doing so, as well as a nifty "boost" feature which let's you get back into the race. It's an off-road game, and true to form, it's not always about getting there first. Getting there first does help in it's own way, but in the end the game revolves around how many stunts, eye blurring maneuvers, and crash-up bang-up, air-catching action you can drum up. The easiest way to describe the game would be a cross between a motocross outfit, a typical race and a demolition derby.
If you find yourself losing, you can smash the other trucks on the track to gain the lead and earn points doing it.

Realism - * * - While game physics are not dead on, this didn't play much in my overall rating.
Why?
It's a game!
There are hundreds of other titles for other consoles, and a few others for the Wii (tm), in which realism was in focus. Realism is almost impossible to attain in a driving game, unless the player is in a gravity simulation chamber, and frankly I've come to the conclusion that it is highly overrated.


Value - * * * * * - again subjective, but it's definitely a $50 game. Because this is subjective I won't elaborate as to why other than to say if you've read the entire review it's a no-brainer.

Summary:
If you buy or rent this game to get a real "off-road" or "race" experience then you'll possibly be disappointed. If you are looking for a fun game that will consume hours of useful time in your life, make you skip breakfast, sleep and/or other daily functions, then this may be the game for you.

A Very Good Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I decided to buy the product before I got my Wii, and I was immediately satisfied with Excite Truck. The game feels especially real because of the way you have to tilt the Wii remote to turn, and is very fun to play. However, no game is perfect, and this one was no exception. The remote has oversteer, and becomes frusturating to handle in the beginning. With practice, the oversteer soon seems like understeer, and is hard to handle overall.

FUN FUN FUN

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This was my second Wii game purchase after Zelda and I have probably spent more hours playing this than Zelda. Its easy pick up but hard to master, great for multiplayer, and it can play your own MP3s of the SD card while playing the game.

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