Excite Truck
Publisher: Nintendo
Official Site: Nintendo.com

ESRB Rating: E
Reviewed Platform: Wii
Available Platforms: Wii

Overall: B
Violence: B-
Sexual Content: A
Language: A
Alcohol/Drug Use: A

What is this game about?

In Excite Truck you get to drive a four-wheeled monster through various types of terrain. Although you compete against computerized challengers, winning the race is secondary to doing tricks with the truck that will earn you stars. These stars will unlock more trucks and tracks for future game play.

Is it fun to play?

The Wii is still new, so the sheer novelty of driving a truck with the little Wii remote is cool. You hold it like a steering wheel and try and keep the truck on the track. Usually you feel more like you are on the verge of losing control, but that's part of the fun.

Also, like many of the early Wii games, the play in this one is deceptively simple yet initially satisfying, at least for the three teen boys I tested this one with. Two hours later, they had unlocked close to ten of the tracks in the game, each with a different type of terrain. Mountains, deserts, lake-side trails littered with boulders -- it seems there isn't any type of course you've been dying to take a big four wheeler down that isn't in here somewhere.

Out of the box, you start with the training levels, which teach you the basics of driving fast and hard in a virtually indestructible vehicle. Other computer-controlled vehicles are in the race with you, but don't worry about bumping into them. In fact, that's part of what you want to do, as it earns you extra stars -- which is the currency in this game that allow you to unlock more trucks and tracks.

Bashing into a computerized opponent's vehicle can net you between one and five stars, depending on how well targeted the impact is. Driving real close to the trees is another way to grab some stars, as does drifting (cornering with your rear wheels sliding around the curve) and keeping your 4-by-4 in the air as long as possible during a jump.

These antics will cost you some time, which is an issue, because the closer to first place you can arrive at the finish line, the more bonus stars you receive. The first one across the checkered flag gets 50, and the rest of the pack get less stars according to their position.

What about body damage? After a crash just keep pushing the Wii Remote's "2" button as fast as you can, and you'll be back in the race in a flash. No insurance worries in Wii-land.

Yet, I sense after the initial play, our testers felt like they had seen all there was to see. Unlocking the tracks and trucks can become repetitive, and there's not much else to challenge players.

What do parents need to know about Excite Truck?

The only content concern here is the idea of scoring extra points by ramming into other vehicles. Some race games would penalize you for such behavior, but here it's a good thing to do.

There's hardly any reading involved, so virtually anyone can play this game and quickly get a feel for it. That's usually good for parties where you want to get kids of all skills mixing together, but unfortunately this game is really only a single person experience. The two player mode, which uses a split screen, is very basic and doesn't allow you to unlock additional tracks. There are no on-line gaming options either.

Everything about the Wii is fun and novel at this point, but I'm willing to bet an even more exciting racer is around the corner.

Rod Gustafson

© 2007 One Voice Communications Ltd. All Rights Reserved.