Although it may not seem it at first, Excite Truck really isn’t your average racing game. The first thing you’ll notice that backs this statement up is the controls. Instead of using an analogue stick or a D-pad to steer your truck, you in fact have to hold the Wii remote horizontally and move it a little like a steering wheel. We say "a little like a steering wheel" as you actually have to tilt it and not turn it, but the action is largely the same thing. This does not only apply to steering, but also to manouevring your truck in the air, something which is vital if you want to get anywhere in the game. Equally as important is the use of boosts, as by tapping the D-pad you can give your truck a brief acceleration boost. As in the previous Excitebike games, there is a heat meter which heavily restricts your boost usage but doesn’t mean it’s useless, especially given that water cools your engine instantly, so planning your route to include sections of shallow water is never a bad idea.
Unlike most other racing games, the aim in Excite Truck isn’t to necessarily come in first place. In fact, your goal here is to obtain a certain amount of star points to win races. Coming first will net you more stars than, say, coming in third place, so there’s still a reason to try and win, but it’s worth bearing in mind that stars are awarded for practically everything that you do. Big jumps, for example, earn you stars in relation to how high you jump. The same principle applies to drifting too with more stars being awarded the longer you slide your truck around a corner. Careful manouevring of your truck also reaps rewards, whether it’s closely speeding safely past a row of trees or subtly tilting the remote to match the angle of the ground for a perfect landing. Taking out other trucks Burnout-style will also help rack up the points too.
Here's Excite Truck's customary volcano appearance.
As you'd expect, each of the trucks possess different characteristics that prove useful in different situations. There are 21 trucks in total, each rated in four categories - Speed, Turbo, Air and Grip - as well as a quick to slow handling rating. Generally, they get better as you go along but it’s not always your newest truck which is best. For example, if you’re struggling to meet your star quota on the snowy Finland track, you may be better off choosing something with a better grip rating and higher Air stats to maximise your trick potential.
As well as its unique scoring system, the tracks of Excite Truck are a little different from tradition also. Not by their design, the off-road racing takes place on all the usual sandy beaches, snowy hills and muddy forest-type environments you would expect. It is in fact the interaction they offer that sets them apart from other games. Using various power-ups that lay around on the track, you can trigger spectacular sequences that will morph the shape of the track in front of you. Whether it’s revealing an optional route or creating a hill for a super jump, hitting these consistently are often key for getting the big scores.
In addition, there are two other power-ups that’ll soon enhance your score. The first is a simple invincibility pick-up that renders you invulnerable to hitting trees or other trucks, and additionally gives you full boosting power for a brief period. The second power-up is usually located at the foot of a hill, where hitting it opens a set of 5 rings that you must attempt to guide your truck through as you take to the air. With a star up for grabs with each ring passed, getting these are a big help in trying to achieve the high ranks.
On the subject of ranks, progression in Excite Truck is heavily down to nailing those S ranks. The game is split into two main difficulty settings - Excite and Super Excite (and Mirror after that if you want to be picky), each with a selection of Bronze, Gold, etc. cups to compete in. Unlocking a great deal of the tracks can be done in Excite mode simply by beating the standard target scores, so people of all abilities will be able to experience a good chunk of the game. But for those wanting to take things a little more seriously, there is Super Excite mode. To unlock this, you'll need an S rank in every race, and it's here where the game begins to shine. Going for S-ranks greatly changes the way you play Excite Truck. What was an adrenaline filled racing game is now a hunt for stars, as you examine every centimetre of the track for lines of trees or some hidden jumps that contain extra star-getting potential.
Linking all the things you’ve been doing separately into one continuous flow is how this game is meant to be played. Every jump requests a minimum 360-degree spin, every landing requires the perfectly measured angle of your truck as its wheels touch the ground. Drifts must be held for as long as possible, opponent trucks require smashing into at the highest speed possible, and any trees up ahead have just got to be driven in between at full speed whilst holding your breath.
Use water for infinite boost opportunities.
In terms of extra modes, Excite Truck doesn’t offer a great deal. The mission mode proves a mild distraction from the racing as it throws up a selection of testing checkpoint gates, ring jumps and demolition derby-like challenges at you, but the multiplayer is an almost pointless addition. It’s a bare-bones two player split screen affair without any CPU entrants taking part, meaning the game loses a lot of what it’s about - just two people struggle to fill these huge tracks. Being an early game, the lack of online support is somewhat understandable, but that only further highlights the lack of the ability for at least four people to play at once.
Graphically, the game is certainly one of the better-looking titles on the Wii so far. The framerate is consistent, despite the constant high speed the game runs at, while the amount that’s happening on screen at once in some sections is impressive. As the tracks shift shape, rocks tumble from above and dust flies up from the ground, it can be quite an impressive sight. The environments themselves read like a racing game checklist with snow, lava, mud, sand and water all covered, but they all look good and offer some degree of variety to proceedings. The music however is pretty dreadful, and not the sort of quality you would expect from Nintendo. If you’re going to go down the ‘cheesy rawk’ route then at least look to F-Zero X for some inspiration. On the plus side, Excite Truck is the first Wii game to support custom soundtracks via the SD card slot so you need not punish your ears with the stock soundtrack. Obviously, even they knew how bad the music was.
Excite Truck is fast, it’s frantic and it controls well, so there’s plenty of fun here to be had, but it's also one of those games that - despite having few actual flaws - isn’t quite worthy of a high score. There’s little to complain about, but it’s not something that screams ‘must own’. The use of the flexible star rating system means anyone can play it and enjoy it too, while more dedicated gamers will appreciate its hidden depths when playing through Super Excite mode and onwards. It’s perhaps a strange comparison to make, but Excite Truck is a lot like Yoshi’s Island in that respect. Nintendo’s platformer wasn’t exactly the hardest game in the world, but it was the depth of its score system that provided the challenge. If you're looking for some mindless fun, then Excite Truck is well worth a look.
I'm not very interested in racers myself, but I've kept my eye on the game. It seems to have turned out quite well, should help to get a few Wiis dusted off.
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