Favorite Wii games countdown #10: Excite Truck

Christmas morning 2006: there are 3 presents of varying sizes; one for me, one for my brother just below me in age, and one for the brother below him. Mine's the biggest. I have an inkling that it's what I've been clamoring for for months now: a Wii system. I hold it in my lap while I wait for my turn to open. Joe opens something (can't remember what), then Dave opens something. It's finally my turn. I open cautiously, trying not to get my hopes up. My heart does a gleeful somersault: it's a Wii! Best Christmas unwrapping ever! In the next round of opening, Joe and Dave receive the two things that I totally saw coming: a second Wii remote and a game. The game is Excite Truck.

So you see, my earliest Wii memories revolve not only around Wii Sports, but also Excite Truck. It's likely other gamers had the same problem as me with Excite Truck: everything gaming-related up to that point in my life pretty much screamed in my face to use the D-pad to steer. Even after I grasped the motion-controlled nature of the game, it was a while before I grasped the overall feel of the game. Steering in Excite Truck is, shall we say, a little quirky? I hope I'm not turning anyone off to this game, however, because once I got the gameplay down, I loved Excite Truck! Still do, 'smatter of fact. There's little else that offers the thrills and satisfactions that Excite Truck has: catching 5-star air, then landing perfectly on all four wheels for a speed boost; smashing into other racers with bone-crushing force; the list goes on. Try this one out if you get the chance!

Honorable Mention: Link's Crossbow Training

Link's Crossbow Training came packed in with the Wii Zapper accessory. For how cheaply it comes, it's a pretty darn good experience. I still play this one once in a while.

A Game I Should Have Played: Excitebots: Trick Racing
I heard this game was a lot like its predecessor, only better. I've got it on my Gamefly Game Q, but then I've got about 20 other games on there as well. Someday soon...