Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1320 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Nintendo
• Released on: 2007-02-16
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Platform: Nintendo Wii
• Dimensions: 3.00 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review:
In a nutshell:
Nintendo are readying a brand new race game for the Wii and it's not F-Zero, Mario Kart or anything you've ever seen before. Instead you'll believe a 4x4 can fly!

The lowdown:
Every console needs a goodly number of quality racing games if it wants to really succeed and that's not always been Nintendo's forte. Excite Truck though is an attempt to create a game that marries the all out fun of Mario Kart with something, not realistic but at least less obviously cartoonish. Yet again the Wii Remote is used in a completely different way, this time holding it horizontally and rotating it left and right as if it was a steering wheel. The only other controls are accelerate and brake on the '1' and '2' buttons, although you will land better if you tilt the controller up while you approach the ground. Despite this purposeful simplicity it's one of the better looking Wii games, with a huge draw distance and some impressive speed blur effects. It looks the part then, but more importantly it seems to play it too.

Most exciting moment:
A good lick of speed is always important in a racing game but this has got to be one of the fastest racers ever - and that's before you turn on the turbo boost. To make things even worse (better) picking up power-ups allows you to deform the terrain, creating enormous jumps out of thin air that send you flying for what seems like miles.

Since you ask:
The name Excite Truck is a reference to the NES game Excitebike and its N64 update Excitebike 64. Beyond the name and the fact that it is a racing game though the two titles do not appear to have anything else in common.

The bottom line:
Nintendo's first modern racer for years looks like a truck load of fun.-HARRISON DENT

Edge
Excite Truck is, at its core, a satisfying and individual racer.

Manufacturer's Description:
As Nintendo's first racing title for the innovative Wii console, Excite Truck sets the standard for motion-sensitive racing, a challenge that this game happily accepts. To control their trucks players hold the Wii Remote on its side and tilt it left and right like a steering wheel, allowing accurate and intuitive control. The skills required to be a champion don't just stop at being able to throw the truck round corners and perform elaborate power slides. As players perform huge jumps they must tilt the Wii Remote forwards or backwards to align their vehicle's wheels with the ground - a perfect landing will result in a vital speed boost.

In the game's main Race Mode finishing first is not the only way to win! Clearing one stage will unlock the next, but as well as scoring points to finish a level by finishing first, players can top up their scores with points for drifting, jumping, smashing into other cars and off-roading through trees. There are numerous tracks to be unlocked ranging from snowy mountains to sandy beaches and plush jungles. Players can earn over 20 types of truck, by unlocking new ones as they progress through the game. Players can also customise their trucks by painting them with their favourite colours and it is possible to unlock special paint jobs for the various trucks by accomplishing certain achievements with one truck. When the paint jobs for all the trucks have been unlocked a special monster truck will be unlocked and available for you to enjoy.

Becoming a true master of Excite Truck isn't an easy task as no two races are exactly the same. While racing, gamers will come across items, which change the course in real-time, causing mountains to grow and land to fall-away into the sea. The key to becoming a truly great racer is learning to respond to these dynamic changes without losing speed.

Fear not though! Perfecting your driving techniques in Excite Truck is not as mammoth a task as it seems, thanks to the game's Challenge Mode, where players can take part in different challenges such as jumping through a sequence of rings, slaloming through gates and even crashing into other trucks to practice and polish the different techniques required.

Excite Truck is the first Wii game to make use of the console's SD card slot, allowing users to customise the in-game sound. Players can select their favourite MP3s from a selection on their SD Card and replace the game's music with those tracks. Whatever your taste in music Excite Truck will be right up your street.

Want to show off your new-found skills? Well never fear, Excite Truck features a multiplayer versus mode where two players can challenge each other in a one on one race around any of the unlocked tracks, using vehicles which the player has earned during the single player game.

Customer Reviews

Good fun, comes to an abrupt ending
I seemed to enjoy this game more then my 7 year old! great game of deciding which truck is the best for which track etc but after its finished (which didn't take long) that's it-felt a bit cheated but a good game nevr the less.

Actually, really good.
Lots of fun. The tutorials get a bit tedious, but are worth doing.

Simple controls, good graphics, great playability. Still really enjoying it 6 months after purchase.

The best racing game on the Wii by far
The Wii is currently seeing a flood of rushed, poor quality, cheap racing games appearing. Do not be seduced by their price, you get what you pay for. Excite Truck is worth every penny and is great fun whether you're new to gaming with the Wii or a hardcore gamer who's been playing for years.