Excite Truck Review

By Tom Bramwell Published 16 February, 2007

By waving at it.

Version tested: Wii

All sports are rubbish. Football? That's crap. Once you've kicked the ball in the goal once, what's the point? Golf's even worse. You're allowed as many shots as you like. Don't even get me started on snooker. It's not just sports either. All board games ever are pointless. Babies are a waste of time. Self-betterment is an act of folly. The universe will stop expanding eventually and begin falling back in on itself, rendering all human endeavour meaningless, so why bother doing anything at all? There certainly isn't any point playing Excite Truck after you finish it. It's only incredible fun. Might as well throw it in the bin. You've finished it, after all.

Oh well, might as well explain it a bit. It's about maintaining ridiculous speed through hazard-strewn environments, skimming through the undergrowth, leaping miles into the air, and trying not to crash violently into trees. It's a bit like Burnout, really - designed to respond best to minor control adjustments, unhappy when it's thrown into wide, raging turns, but genuinely keen to give you a massive boost of speed every time you look like you could do with one. Unlike Burnout, however, Excite Truck is controlled by holding the Wiimote like the edge of a plate with a potato rolling around on top of it.

Yes readers, he's on about potatoes again, but then some of the Wii's best control schemes owe their quality to the stability of a horizontal grip and the fine, multidirectional adjustment this allows, and so I will cling onto my potato analogy until I can think of a superior vegetable. As to its bearing here, these excitable trucks may not behave the same way as Mercury's blobs, but they are best directed with the same delicacy, and noticeably similar in terms of their behaviour.

The critical thing to grasp is that these trucks aren't for turning - at least not beyond a certain, surprisingly slight angle. Not realising this on the first, second and seventeenth occasion you smash into a tree because you didn't seem to turn far enough, you mistakenly assume that you're getting the wacky gesture bit wrong and start twisting your arms round in circles like a drunken washing machine. The trick, it turns out, is to limit your movements to small, guiding tweaks. A few minutes after that clicks, the game comes into its own, which is silly really, because better-written instructions would have cleared it up before the disc was even out of the box.

With the underlying logic properly installed, you're more able to enjoy the frantic pace. Excite Truck moves at ridiculous, F-Zero-like speeds, with your right thumb clamped to the accelerator almost the entire time. Meanwhile, your left thumb's busy operating the turbo boost, which is activated with the d-pad and which is in use more or less constantly. The boost needs a second or two to cool down in between bursts, and while managing it constantly is initially awkward, it soon becomes second nature. As do the actions of timing a little stab of the button to coincide with your wheels leaving the ground, in order to gain an aerial boost, or angling your car so that it lands on all four wheels to gain another dose of speed. It's all designed to keep up the pace, and for once in a racing game you'll want to aim for the water when you see it, because it's cool enough to allow for constant turbo.

'Excite Truck' Screenshot 1

Volcanoes spit rocks that get in your way. Obviously. And they say Wii games aren't realistic.

And if it wasn't clear from all that, Excite Truck is the kind of racing game that never settles for autopilot. Tracks are designed to constantly bank and swing amongst trees, walls and rocks that crush your ride on impact. Jumps are huge, and need to be managed carefully to avoid landing on a speed-whacking upward incline, while shortcuts can be found all over the place - and will need to be found if you want to secure the best possible route and keep up your momentum. You need to be on your guard at all times, watching out for POW blocks that allow you to mow down trees, AI cars trying to bash into you, and terraform icons that reshape the environment. The latter change the shape of the course ahead of you, turning a hill into a flat, water-covered plain, or morphing gentle undulations into massive ramps that send you flying over castles. Terraforming is quite strategic when you're alone, but it's most satisfying with another player, allowing you to toss them into the air by activating a mountain beneath them. The computer-controlled racers don't make use of this stuff, but that shouldn't lead you to conclude they're a soft touch - in fact they're quite capable of leaving error-prone players for dust in the later of the four tiers of races.

Excite Truck's also the sort of game where second place is often good enough to advance, albeit never to perfect. It may look like a racing game, but there's a high-scores mentality lurking behind its main championship mode, where instead of simply gunning for first place, your goal is to reach or exceed a required number of "stars". These, a running total of which is maintained at the top of the screen, are amassed through cunning drifts, big jumps, close shaves and other noteworthy manoeuvres in increments of one to five - depending on how cunning, big, close or noteworthy your actions were. Maintaining speed while you perform is important though, because you get an extra burst of potentially pivotal stars if you finish close to the front of the pack. Achieving S-ranks, the ultimate accolade, will certainly be hard to do if you don't finish in first.

Making progress involves styling your performance, then, as well as stunning the opposition, but missing out is also of some value. Fall short of the goal, or short of your S-rank attempt, and you still get to enjoy the benefits of the stars, which go toward trophies in individual categories (the amount of trees you skimmed without hitting, the amount of enemy cars you smashed up, the number of times you piloted your airborne truck through five rings in a row), and unlock things like new skins for your cars. Your overall ranks per track also help unlock the harder difficulty mode. Logically, with this sort of emphasis on stars, the game ensures you don't just sit back and harvest them by enforcing a time limit during races, too.

Anyway, by the time you're shooting for the higher ranks, you'll also be about ready for Challenge mode, which is almost cruelly exacting. Here you try and navigate tracks by heading through coloured gates, hitting rings suspended in the air, or crushing other vehicles, with more examples of the same tasks to unlock if you can beat the tricky targets. Like the championship races, it's all very moreish, and the sort of thing that you could happily peck away at over the course of several days, or enjoy hotseating with a friend.

'Excite Truck' Screenshot 2

Bent teenager not included.

You can both afford to sit back from the TV, too, because accusations of blandness and fuzzy graphics carry about as much water as a witch in Oz. It doesn't look like Gears of War, obviously, but there are some very nice spray effects, the cars are good and shiny, the draw distances are smashing and it's all being articulated by the Wii's supposedly rubbish hardware with enough room left to ensure a solid frame rate - something critically important to a game that has you operating under such frantic conditions. Arguably more significant than the graphics though is the collision detection, which is almost perfect - you never feel as though you crashed because of the game's fuzzy logic; more because you drove into a tree. Numpty.

Why then, you're probably starting to wonder, has Excite Truck been so much maligned? It's been out in the US since November, and you would have noticed if it was catching everyone's attention. You're observant, after all. And it can't just be because of the horrible looping guitar music, because you can replace that with MP3s off an SD Card. Nor can it be on account of the button-mashing you have to do every time you crash, because it's a little tedious but your thumbs are pretty sprightly, and if the whole thing was a car crash on account of car crashes, I would certainly have made fun of that in the intro.

Apparently it's because it's not very big. It's the sort of game where you can unlock everything you're likely to access within a couple of days. What a shame, eh? I mean, you could go back to some of the earlier tracks and try and get S-ranks but... actually, that's top fun. Hrm. And I bet I could get another 15 or 20 stars if I didn't screw that bit up on lap two. Yep. Right, one more go at getting this over 160, then I'll try the next one. Alright, two goes. Three. Seven. YES. And every failure adds stars to the total, building towards trophies, so it's worth completing each race. Can't be bothered? There's an instant restart button on the pause menu. It's as if they knew.

And so on and on and on. Compete with yourself, compete with your friends (perhaps you can email each other scores, or use the Wii's messaging system - just because Xbox Live's made everyone lazy doesn't mean the old methods stopped working). But, amazingly, despite the fact you might have to cross the same polygon more than once to do it, the game's a source of surprisingly inexhaustible enthusiasm. Built on a moreish achievement system, around mechanics that satisfy more and more with each passing day, it's a game maligned for the usual reason: reviewers wanted to move on, and weren't being offered any incentive to redo things beyond simply enjoying the activity. If you can reconcile yourself with that, and like the sound of the game, this is 35 pounds well spent.

8 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (100) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Der_tolle_Emil #1 5 years ago

    Yes. I knew I was going to buy it today and it will be all the sweeter knowing the game is indeed great. Thanks for the timely review!

  • kissthestick #2 5 years ago

    it looks fun, donno about an 8 though, maybe 7

  • bunglebonce #3 5 years ago

    As good as Gears of War? Fantastic.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #4 5 years ago

    @kissthestick: Sorry to offend but you realise that that is quite a retarded comment?
    Edited by 1 at 16/02/07 @ 09:25

  • ChrisS #5 5 years ago

    Fantastic review. I always suspected that this was getting a raw deal. I played this at Wii House back in November, blasted through four tracks and had a ball. Most enjoyable game I played all day, and I couldn't imagine it not being fun any more.

    Granted, the multiplayer looks a bit rubbish, and it could perhaps still do with a bit more fleshing out, but I was always keen on buying this, and that review's just reinforced my decision to get this over the weekend.

    Nice work, Tom. :)

  • Ignatius_Cheese #6 5 years ago

    Pleasantly surprised by Tom's overally positivity, considering this title has been belittled by other journos. Glad I preordered this and will gaily skip along the high street to collect it at lunch. What a nice start to the weekend. Cheers!

  • Have_to_Speak_Up #7 5 years ago

    Emil... I agree... a little silly. The fact that it "looks" good... and then offers what he would give it in a "review" when the ability to "review it" is obviously "lacking" due to the "fact" that "he" has only "looked" at the game "most" likely only in "Tom's" re"v"iew.

    How strange

    That said I'd give it a 9

    BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

  • The12thMonkey #8 5 years ago

    Bent teenager not included.

    Best. Tagline. Ever.

  • richardiox #9 5 years ago

    Gah! In my head this morning I was weighing up getting this today or Korininpa next week. Thought "if it gets an 8 or more on EG then i will" - although I was expecting a seven.

    Now I have to buy it and I know I wont be able to resist Korininpa next week either. I hate this Wii Drought.

  • dbeamish #10 5 years ago

    sounds like a solid 20-25 quid game..

    oh.. 35 you say?

  • morriss #11 5 years ago

    "Golf's even worse. You're allowed as many shots as you like."

    No you're not. 10 over par in one hole and you forfeit it.

    /pedant

    :)

  • Der_tolle_Emil #12 5 years ago

    Isn't it 7 over par?

  • Rambaldi #13 5 years ago

    Hmm...

    Forgive me for not quite buying the line "it's a game maligned for the usual reasons" coming from people who appear to get all wet and squichy over anything obscure and bored and jaded over anything not so.

    That said, it does look OK.

    Hmm...

  • bushwod #14 5 years ago

    8 / 10, as good as motorstorm then?

    Funny thing is, I hate racing games but the wiimote makes me want to buy this.

  • morriss #15 5 years ago

    So can you or can't you play against friends online?

  • morriss #16 5 years ago

    @Der_tolle: you might be right, yes. Point is, you can't have as many shots shots as you like. :)

  • Dizzy #17 5 years ago

    Good stuff.... I need 2-3 more 8+ games on the Wii to buy one, but it looks like that won't take that long. When MP comes out I am in ;)
    Edited by 1 at 16/02/07 @ 09:41

  • [maven] #18 5 years ago

    morriss: Can't.

  • Agent_Llama #19 5 years ago

    NOOOOOOO... Oh wondrous Eurogamer, don't make me buy another fricking game... *sob*

  • Eraser #20 5 years ago

    Hoorah! I'm happy. The review convinced me to get the game. I've been eyeing it in the past, looking out for the release, thinking buy or not buy, but now I'm sure, it's a definite "BUY!"

    ps:
    did anyone notice how weird everyone's been controlling this game in videos from Nintendo? In every video I see people swinging the remote around like a madman resulting in their truck being completely out of control.
    Edited by 1 at 16/02/07 @ 10:01

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #21 5 years ago

    Sounds exactly like what I want to play now!

    /heads off to GameStation with voucher in hand

  • OnlyMe #22 5 years ago

    I wonder why controlling the cars like that with the Wiimote is a fantastic idea, but when talking about doing the same with the PS3 controller it's like "omg, the worst idea evah!".

  • MadMirko #23 5 years ago

    Heh, will pick it up shortly. It always pays to wait for the EG review!

  • Dizzy #24 5 years ago

    "I wonder why controlling the cars like that with the Wiimote is a fantastic idea, but when talking about doing the same with the PS3 controller it's like "omg, the worst idea evah!". "

    Wiimote is no SIXAXIS... it is not a "tilt" controller.

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #25 5 years ago

    @ OnlyMe

    Don't turn this into a fanboy debate. No one here has said any such thing so don't troll!
    Edited by 2 at 16/02/07 @ 10:08

  • MadMirko #26 5 years ago

    +1 to Pac-man ate my wife

  • mkreku #27 5 years ago

    But aren't the tilt functions all you need to use in this game, even if the controller is capable of reading your position in a 3D space? I mean, what does moving the controller backward and forwards or up and down accomplish in the game? I figured it was only tilting it in any direction that gave any results on the screen?

  • andromeda #28 5 years ago

    looks like a lot of fun:)

    although still think ExciteTruck is the silliest name i've heard in a while.

  • MadMirko #29 5 years ago

    ExciteTruck is the silliest name i've heard in a while.

    The purpose is to remind you of Excite Bike. And yes. :)

  • TripSkyway #30 5 years ago

    It's a great game, loads of fun.

  • #31 5 years ago

    IT'S MY BIRTHDAY AND I WANT THIS FOR MY BIRTHDAY!

  • #32 5 years ago

    Is this really only £35 in the shops (on the high street)?

    I'm off out today, might just pick it up if that's the case.

  • MadMirko #33 5 years ago

    It should be, in Germany RRP is 49,99 Euros but you can get it for 39 online.

  • MoGamer2006 #34 5 years ago

    Nice one, EG - I concur wholeheartedly with your thoughts. Got this at US launch and couldn't understand why it was getting only medium to fair reviews... it's great fun, and even having cracked it I still fire it up regularly for a blast!

    My fave track is that Canadian one where, near the starting grid, you can Power through some trees and make an insane leap through the air and earn about 7 stars - exhilirating!

    I think what I like most is its lack of pretension - it's just a good old-fashioned racer with the accent on crazy excess... in fact, it reminds me a lot of that VW Beetle game that EA did on the N64 yonks ago, which I also loved...
    Edited by 1 at 16/02/07 @ 10:34

  • SBfistfun #35 5 years ago

    Hoped it would be good but sounds meh

  • malteaserhead #36 5 years ago

    Mapster
    16-Feb-07 10:14:03

    IT'S MY BIRTHDAY AND I WANT THIS FOR MY BIRTHDAY!

    __________

    No need to shout old timer (ah the hearing is going)! Happy bday!
    Edited by 1 at 16/02/07 @ 10:40

  • NOSAVIOUR #37 5 years ago

    @ Dizzy 'Wiimote is no SIXAXIS... it is not a "tilt" controller.'

    Only it is also a tilt controller with motion sensors similar to that of the sixaxis

  • MoGamer2006 #38 5 years ago

    Ah yes, Google is the saviour of my ailing brain... it was Beetle Adventure Racing, of course, developed by Paradigm (the talented chaps what did Pilotwings 64).

  • malteaserhead #39 5 years ago

    yes! and Beatle AR was top stuff!

  • #40 5 years ago

    That's it, I'm deffo getting this, I need a chill out 'fun' type game!

  • MoGamer2006 #41 5 years ago

    @Malteserhead:

    Nice to see someone here with good taste - and, if your name is literally true, who tastes good too!

  • malteaserhead #42 5 years ago

    :)
    @Mogamer

    I thought BAR was one of those games that people who don't like racing could get into (but skillful/demanding enough to satisfy those that do like racing games).
    Like Burnout and hopefully Excite Truck

  • fiery_jackass #43 5 years ago

    what an odd, defensive tone in that review; I find it quite off-putting and clumsy.

    e.g. "Compete with yourself, compete with your friends (perhaps you can email each other scores, or use the Wii's messaging system - just because Xbox Live's made everyone lazy doesn't mean the old methods stopped working)"

    seems a touch unnecessary

  • Der_tolle_Emil #44 5 years ago

    Beetle Adventure Racing was great. Especially the later tracks (the city for example) where you had to take another route each lap to collect all the boxes. Plus it was very nice visually for the N64 (the cars had real time environment reflections!!).

  • peterfll #45 5 years ago

    I've had this since I got my US Wii at Xmas. I agree whole-heartedly with the review, it seemed to get judged way too harshly on release. It's enjoyable in a trashy way - in the sense that it doesn't take itself very seriously and is simply fun to play. I also think it has some of the best graphics of any Wii game so far, at times it looks quite the swishy-thang.

    Nice Crash!

  • jamiscool #46 5 years ago

    Beetle Adventure Racing needs a sequel...

    Although this looks good as well.

  • AcidSnake #47 5 years ago

    Ok...now to see if I can find a shop that has it...

  • MrFlintBlackman #48 5 years ago

    Theres far too many mixed reviews for this game, what to do!?

  • peterfll #49 5 years ago

    ^

    Trust your instincts. Reach out with your FEELINGS.

  • Alastair #50 5 years ago

    @Morriss

    'No you're not. 10 over par in one hole and you forfeit it. '

    Can you show me where it says that in the Rules of Golf. I'm pretty sure that's not the case at all. Or do you mean golf games, like Tiger Woods?

    /uber pedant :o)

  • Rodster #51 5 years ago

    I think all average games deserve a 10. Come on EG your slacking.

  • Arganoid #52 5 years ago

    "But aren't the tilt functions all you need to use in this game, even if the controller is capable of reading your position in a 3D space?"

    The Wii controller isn't capable of reading your position in 3D space. It can tell where you're pointing (as long as you're pointing in the direction of the sensor bar), and it can detect acceleration and tilt.

  • richardiox #53 5 years ago

    Er, yes it can detect position in a 3D space - for example the games on Wii Play or WarioWare where you have to reach towards the screen / away from to alter the depth in the 3D game space.

  • in5ane #54 5 years ago

    The crap you have to wade through reading reviews here at EG these days really puts me off bothering to read them at all.

  • ForbiddenForest #55 5 years ago

    Cracking review, guys - EG officially is the Channel 4 news of reviewing. My spider sense was tingling ever since I saw the first colour-drenched shots of this baby and I prayed for it to be fast and fun. Yee-har!

    I noticed Teletext (which can be equally splendid, but got it wrong today) moaned about lack of a 4-player, but how many people play 4-player at home? 2%? 4%? Four screen on one telly looks shit, and I've never, ever played any console game like this because of its distractions. Give me my own telly for 2-player mario and I'd never leave the building.

    I'm going to stop buying edge to celebrate (that's only 30 notes to find before the game is mine!

  • Darren #56 5 years ago

    There was me deciding not to buy Excite Truck following numerous sub-7/10 scores it's been getting Stateside and EG go and give the game, which I'd previously pre-ordered and then decided to cancel, an 8!!! LOL

  • siro #57 5 years ago

    Since when are graphics and sound no viable subjecs in reviews any more? Is that only for wii titles? Because I also want to like my wii games audiovisually appealling.

    Not trying to diss the wii, but this review for neglecting something that counts to most gamers. And also some of those do happen to own on the wii.

    And of the provided screenshots there's only a single one of the actual game...
    Edited by 1 at 16/02/07 @ 13:22

  • RedPanda #58 5 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • peterfll #59 5 years ago

    Well siro, take it from me, if you're looking for a game that shows the Wii in a favourable light graphically, this is not a bad place to start.

    I cannot say the same for the audio however.........
    Edited by 1 at 16/02/07 @ 13:33

  • Alastair #60 5 years ago

    'The crap you have to wade through reading reviews here at EG these days really puts me off bothering to read them at all. '

    So don't read them.

  • sgeddes #61 5 years ago

    Seems to me to be the "Wave Racer" title-equivalent for the Wii.
    Seemingly not that much to it, but well-done for what it is, great fun nonetheless and enough there to be picked up the odd session time and again.
    Tom and others who've actually played the game for more than a couple of hours - am I right??

  • fiery_jackass #62 5 years ago

    That's some half-assed reasoning, Alastair.

  • Alastair #63 5 years ago

    You reckon?

  • Alastair #64 5 years ago

    What's wrong with it?

  • ForbiddenForest #65 5 years ago

    Siro - "Since when are graphics and sound no viable subjecs in reviews any more? Is that only for wii titles? Because I also want to like my wii games audiovisually appealling. "

    Fair point, and the wii certainly seems to lack that oomph in the visual department. But isn't it refreshing to see games which have had so much more resource put into tuning and handling, as opposed to an extra dollop of surface make-up which becomes redundant in no time at all.

    I for one bought into wii to get away from the graphics arms race and games like Gears'. Well done EG for looking at things from a new perspective. Okay, it's probably a seven. But one man's seven is another man's nine etc, etc...

  • fiery_jackass #66 5 years ago

    I reckon. The original comment indicated that the poster isn't as keen on the tone or feel of current EG reviews (a view I happen to share to some extent, particularly with this review). He/she is offering feedback on that issue, in the appropriate place.

    now do you see? How is "so don't read them" an even remotely sensible attitude?

  • Alastair #67 5 years ago

    Fair point I guess, although if I were giving feedback that I didn't like a review I would try to be a bit more constructive. Saying that there's a lot of crap in the reviews on EG at the moment doesn't really help the writer to determine which specific part is crap.
    So I was suggesting that rather than moan ineffectively, just don't read them...

    Anyway, I don't wish to get into an arguement as I'm not an arguementative chap.

  • fiery_jackass #68 5 years ago

    fair enough, sorry if I was a bit feisty.

    As for me, I wish the writers would keep the fourth wall up a bit more, and not spend half the review loudly trying to anticipate, announce and wrong-foot the comments thread.

  • ZeroAX #69 5 years ago

    i tried this game it rocks can't wait to try it with my friends.
    and i like eurogamer reviews. they are the best of many sites i know

  • Dermoth #70 5 years ago

    If you want reviews that give review scores that reflect the graphics as much as the gameplay, may I recommend every other games review website on the internet?

    EG aren't above altering scores based on graphics if there's a compelling reason to do so, but it seems that the graphics in ExciteTruck are both pretty and functional, so who cares?

    And if this *isn't* as good as Gears Of War, I'll be seriously disappointed, because GOW is a humdrum, monochrome bore. I'd still rather play Halo.

  • ForbiddenForest #71 5 years ago

    "As for me, I wish the writers would keep the fourth wall up a bit more, and not spend half the review loudly trying to anticipate, announce and wrong-foot the comments thread."

    Granted, EG reviews do go on a bit, but the comments thread is the most exciting thing to happen to games reviews since they went online (and the sole reason future and co are up sh*t creek), so you can understand why the reviewers want to take part in this revolution too.

    I'm just happy, as a 30-something, that the site is 1.up-to-the-minute 2.free and 3.rightly nintendo biased. Wahooo!

  • Sid-Nice #72 5 years ago

    Sorry for not reading the review (only the Score) as I've had Excite Truck for 24 hours and thought I've played enough to form my own opinion. According to the Wii message board my son and I have clocked up a total of 16 hours game play. This game is Old Skool adrenalin rush personified and my God it works. The tutorial doesn’t do the game justice I was beginning to get board; then when I started to race I thought “Wow this is fantastic.” The sense of speed is unbelievable.

    I think 8/10 is a fair score I personally would score the game 7/10 but that would be back in the day when a 7/10 was a great game.

  • btmmayor #73 5 years ago

    "it's a game maligned for the usual reason: reviewers wanted to move on, and weren't being offered any incentive to redo things beyond simply enjoying the activity."

    This comment sums up why I believe Eurogamer is the best gaming review site on the web.

  • Nova5lag #74 5 years ago

    Im so glad excite truck reviewed well. Off to get this tomorrow. :D

  • dirigiblebill #75 5 years ago

    @ jackass

    Not just trying to wrong-foot the comments thread, but often trying ironically to wrong-foot the (style of) review itself. EG coverage would run about 500 words shorter if they cut out all the self-deprecating 'gee whiz I'm doing an introductory paragraph' bullshit. Sometimes it works, sometimes it just feels indulgent.

  • tiddles #76 5 years ago

    Er, yes it can detect position in a 3D space - for example the games on Wii Play or WarioWare where you have to reach towards the screen / away from to alter the depth in the 3D game space.

    It only knows you're moving, not where you actually are.

  • richardiox #77 5 years ago

    But by knowing you are moving towards or away from the TV it can detect it's relative position in a 3D Space, no? In the same way it can tell if you are moving the controller right or left relative to the TV...it's not just picking up tilt through the gyros and acceloration - it also knows its relative position to the LEDs on the sensor bar. Eg, where it is in a 3D space. Unless I've totally got the wrong end of the stick.

    A better example would be to note that without the sensor bar, you would lose the ability to "reach" into the games, as the Wii knows you are doing this as (evidenced through the SB calibration screen) by the ends of the sensor bar moving closer to each other.

  • parablax #78 5 years ago

    Just picked this up instore at Tesco's for £29.99 this lunchtime.

    That's significantly cheaper than, gameplay, play and amazon.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #79 5 years ago

    @tiddles/Richardiox: But by knowing you are moving towards or away from the TV it can detect it's relative position in a 3D Space, no? In the same way it can tell if you are moving the controller right or left relative to the TV...it's not just picking up tilt through the gyros and acceloration - it also knows its relative position to the LEDs on the sensor bar. Eg, where it is in a 3D space. Unless I've totally got the wrong end of the stick.

    It does know how far it is away from the sensor bar - but only if you point it at the screen. If the wiimote is able to see the sensor bar it can calculcate the distance to the TV by using the leds in the sensor bar. However, if you turn it sideways like this it has absolutely no idea where you are. It would be possible to point it at the screen thus registering where you are, then turn it sideways and then go by the detected motion to calculate the position in 3d space. Complicated but possible - although I have no idea how accurate this would be.

  • AcidSnake #80 5 years ago

    But I think the main point is that it doesn't need to know its position in absolute 3D space...just relative...
    Unless other markers in 3D space are available...

    Like a game telling you to quickly put the remote behind the couch....
    So...Wait...Why was this point raised again?

  • cyber_nicco #81 5 years ago

    Oh god, I didn't realize you were just getting round to this. This game justs screams mediocrity. First of all, the control mechanism just doesn't work right. Yes, I said it. Please don't try to excuse the bizarre handling of the trucks - it just doesn't feel right. Not even close. For a driving game, that finishes it - forget about the other shortcomings...

    I generously give it a 5.

  • smelly #82 5 years ago

    Reading this thread.. I'd say about 70% of comments can be summed up as:

    BOO HOO!!! A GAME NOT ON MY FAVOURITIST SYSTEM GOT A GOOD SCORE.. BOO HOO!!! I THINK IT SHOULD GET A 5 OR A 6 BECAUSE ITS NOT ON THE CONSOLE I MASTURBATE OVER EVERY NIGHT.. DESPITE THE FACT I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY HAVE PLAYED THIS GAME.. BOO HOO! NINTENDO SUXORS, NINTENDO ARE FORZ KIDZ, THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE GOOD GAMES.. THIS SHOULD GET A 4.

    Reet.. There.. i've said it in nice large print.. now any guy who's about to post and falls into the above category can save their poor little fingers, and not post.. And go back to masturbating over photographs of the ps3 they're going to be getting wondering what brilliant games may be available for it .. when sony get around to releasing something half decent for it.



    ..

    back on topic..

    "Er, yes it can detect position in a 3D space"

    erm.. no it cant.

    " - for example the games on Wii Play or WarioWare where you have to reach towards the screen / away from to alter the depth in the 3D game space."

    That'll be reading it's acceleration in the z axis then.

    But I fail to see what this has to do with this game, which just reads the acceleration of the tilt?


    and it can detect acceleration and tilt.

    Actually from what i read, it just reads acceleration (in each axis, so can have that corrospond to tilt).. Which means it's far more better for this kind of thing than just reading tilt.. As the speed your rotating matters (just like in real life)

    .. erm.. not that this is anything like real life though.



    But does any of this matter? Is it fun? Yes.. Is it worth buying? Yes (if you like fun games).

    If you dont like fun games.. then gawd knows what yer doing PLAYING games...

  • Sid-Nice #83 5 years ago

    Smelly are you a Geordie? I wondered because you wrote REET. I use Reet all the time; also I say "Alreet man" on a regular basis.

    BTW: Who are the retards that have gave the game a 1 in the 'Average Readers Pole'? I think each vote should be registered to the voters account and if readers keep giving ridiculous scores for games that are not on a platform of their choice; then their account should be banned.

  • EmiliasHorse #84 5 years ago

    @Nice Sid
    While I agree that people giving 1/10 in the readers rating makes them an arse, I totally disagree with banning them for expressing a view.

  • smelly #85 5 years ago

    >for expressing a view.

    But they're not expressing a view if they havent actually played it are they?

  • thiswaynow #86 5 years ago

    After a few hours Excite-d Truck-ing, I have to say this is really good game, maybe not one that will provide months of solid play, but a great way to while away the time until the big-hitters arrive in months to come... cool graphics (no last-gen on show here), crazy-fast action, excellent controls, and tonnes of FUN! I'm back to have another go...

  • Der_tolle_Emil #87 5 years ago

    Just a quick note again on the wiimote and the 3d positioning. It knows where it is in 3d space, but only relative to the sensor bar. Try out the fishing game in Wiiplay or the calibration in Zelda Twilight Princess. Of course it is able to use the axis acceleration alone to calculate movement to and away from the screen but it is also capable of knowing where it is relative to the sensor bar if the wiimote is able to see it.

    I bought Excite Truck today and am now up to the gold cup. It's a fine game. Good sense of speed, very solid framerate, clean, arcadey fun. Including an sometimes unbearable arcadey rock soundtrack - but so cheesy and fitting you'll still listen to it. At least the first couple of hours. The controls work fine, landing is easier than I originally thought (the game seems to be very forgiving concerning your vehicle's angle I guess) and steering is not overly sensitive as I often read. The vehicles respond quickly and at first it's hard to hit a straight line after a long drift, especially with the quickly responsing trucks, but you will get used to it in a short time. Besides it's more about jumping than cornering, cornering is quite easy but hitting a perfect jump needs skill.

    Glad I bought it, it's really fun.

  • Sid-Nice #88 5 years ago

    Get an SD card Der_tolle_Emil I'm listening to Strauss's Viennese Waltz while racing through Scotland. :)

  • Razz #89 5 years ago

    He's right about the fishing game smelly. The closer you are the TV the further back in the lake you can fish, this action doesn't use the Accelerometer instead the sensor bar also allows the Wii Remote to calculate the distance between the Wii Remote and TV screen, so the Wii Remote can also control slow forward-backward motion of an object in a 3-dimensional game, such as the fishing game in Wii PLay.

  • Santino #90 5 years ago

    just bought this game today, didn't realize quite how mental it is, its as fast as F-Zero GX for gods sake. having lots of fun with it good review.

  • smelly #91 5 years ago

    @Razz : Yip.. But that's for games which use the pointing functionality. Not really "detecting in 3d space" but how close/far away you are to the infa-red output.

  • Razz #92 5 years ago

    It detects movement over all 3 axises simultaneously, forwards & backwards (z), left & right (x), up & down (y), surely this constitutes to 3D movement. For games which use the pointer, Excite truck obviously doesn't.
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/07 @ 02:02

  • smelly #93 5 years ago

    @raz.. I guess so.. as long as you're pointing at the sensor bar...

    Okay.. i'll let you have this one :-)

    I guess you could calc the tilt and the position to get the exact 3d location in space.. as long as you were pointing towards sensor bar.

  • ph101 #94 5 years ago

    As said - The wiimote knows how is moving in 3 axis - and it can tell where it is pointing towards the sensor bar. That's not quite the same as "knowing" where it is in 3D space. Although given these abilities you can calculate where it is relative to a starting point and given inclination, which is essentially what is done in wiisports.

    This game actually looks fun. I might consider getting although I had written it off with bad reviews. I may wait for SSX Blur though which looks even better maybe.

  • Sid-Nice #95 5 years ago

    I might put Excite Truck in as part ex for Little Britain The Video Game on the PS2.

  • Ryze #96 5 years ago

    For £35+, I'll wait. I've read that it's great in short bursts, but not really a full game.

    The same as loads of the 360 games shortly after launch. Released with missing features.

    Excite truck should have online multiplayer amongst other features.

    Won't be paying full price for games missing features in 2007.

  • Ryze #97 5 years ago

    The console can tell which way the remote is orientated, and the direction in the x, y, z that it is being moved.

    The sensor bar is functional when it is being pointed at. some games use the sensor bar, some dont.

  • WillTheSecond #98 5 years ago

    "Seems to me to be the "Wave Racer" title-equivalent for the Wii.
    Seemingly not that much to it, but well-done for what it is, great fun nonetheless and enough there to be picked up the odd session time and again.
    Tom and others who've actually played the game for more than a couple of hours - am I right??"

    Basically, yeah, it's diverting fun, which is what people are looking for in a game like this, so yep, a decent buy.

    "Just picked this up instore at Tesco's for £29.99 this lunchtime.

    That's significantly cheaper than, gameplay, play and amazon."

    Got you beat: £27.99 at ASDA.

    "For £35+, I'll wait. I've read that it's great in short bursts, but not really a full game.

    The same as loads of the 360 games shortly after launch. Released with missing features.

    Excite truck should have online multiplayer amongst other features.

    Won't be paying full price for games missing features in 2007."

    You're quite correct, but then my comment above makes that a moot point.

  • Eraser #99 5 years ago

    I bought this game after reading this review (just search for my nick in the responses here ;-)) and I absolutely love it. It may not have as much depth or content as something like Project Gotham Racing and it may not be about actually finishing first but Excite Truck is a damn lot of fun and excitement (get it... Excite Truck... excitement.... aghh nevermind).

  • JackyB #100 5 years ago

    I too bought this game due to this review and the fact that the only gripes reviewers seem to have had are regarding lifespan. I am delighted with my purchase, and it is some of the most fun i have had wih my pants on!!! Yeah, Euro gamer gave it the same as Gears, and i have already had more fun with it, and i bet i play it for more than 10 hours. so whats the problem?

  • Alastair #101 5 years ago

    I'm on the platinum cup now and the courses are definitely getting more tricky.
    The trick with the Baron's Course (right name?) seems to be linking together turbo jumps for some serious air. Trying to add in Air Spins results in less Air and slows you down.

  • BadBoyBonner #102 5 years ago

    Makes you wonder WTF Far Cry is doing on the Wii when you can race round Far Cry type Islands at this speed on 2 player plotting way way into the distance with barely a single frame dropped.

  • pikemon #103 5 years ago

    ahhh... i was psyched about this game, wondering whether it's actually good or not. great.