How Excitebots: Trick Racing exceeds its predecessor in every way: A Review

Nowhere other than Excitebots: Trick Racing will you find yourself throwing pies into the faces of clowns, knocking down bowling pins, throwing darts, saving butterflies, or hitting home runs...all during already fast-paced, frenetic races. This is the game's defining feature, but does it work? Read on to find out!

Excitebots controls much like its predecessor, Excite Truck, does. The player, of course, holds the Wii remote sideways, pressing the 2 button to step on the gas, using the 1 button to brake, and physically twisting the Wii remote to steer. The game also adds Wii wheel functionality, though I highly recommend sticking with the Wii remote by itself. All in all, this control scheme works. A few advance functions come into play, which I will discuss throughout the review.

As I already mentioned, gameplay in Excitebots: Trick Racing revolves around zany, action-packed racing. Each vehicle in the game has an arm that extends from its back. This arm will be your key to earning stars in a myriad of ways. The game will throw these things at you with little to no warning. It seems harsh, but let me assure you that this works, and it works well. It gives the game a satisfying feeling of spontaneity.

In addition to all of the above, Excitebots has some very pretty graphics. I have to say, I like the graphics in Excite Truck more, but that's probably just preference. Conversely, Excitebots does best Excite Truck in variety: you'll find yourself visiting many more locations this time around, including Tasmania, Egypt, Kilimanjaro, and more.

Where sound is concerned, Excitebots doesn't disappoint. The music is nearly as zany as the gameplay and is just, well...cool, in general. You won't hear any complaints from me in this area!

Little improvements here and there are what really set Excitebots apart from Excite Truck. First of all, the currency in both games, stars, play a much greater role in Excitebots. Stars can be used to purchase new vehicles, color schemes, and trophies, adding motivation that Excite Truck lacked. Also, Excitebot: Trick Racing adds online play to the mix, giving it another leg up over Excite Truck. I would have really liked to see a local multiplayer that supported more than just two players in Excitebots, but alas, I was disappointed.

Conclusion
Excitebots: Trick Racing manages to set itself in a different league of racing games with fast-paced, frantic gameplay and solid controls. It takes the excellent formula of Excite Truck and makes it better in basically every way. The music is quite excellent. If I have to complain about something regarding Excitebots, it is the fact that, like Excite Truck, it doesn't support more than two players for local play. Otherwise, this is a fantastic racing game that I find easy to recommend to any Wii player!    

*UPDATED* Now Playing: Week of April 7-13

Holly
Last week I forgot to mention one key title that I would be playing. That's because I hadn't gotten it yet, but I have it now! Metroid Prime Trilogy! I already started Metroid Prime and will undoubtedly play it some more this week! Kid Icarus: Uprising is another important game. I've been working on it for a while, and I am getting closer to finishing it, but it's a busy life, after all! Though Excitebots: Trick Racing got a lot of love this week, I still haven't quite finished with it, so it'll carry over into next week. What's new, you ask? Well, Metroid: Zero Mission, for one! Also, I'm hoping to begin Final Fantasy III this week as well. It should be a great week of gaming!

Mary (Update)
Mary will most likely be relaxing with Donkey Kong Country this week. And if she's got time, I'll probably have her over to my place for some social gaming, which might involve any number of games. MotoHeroz is a favorite of ours, but perhaps Mary will consent to play Super Mario Galaxy while I take up the player two position. There's a slew of other possibilities: New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Mario Kart Wii, Kirby's Return to Dreamland, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Rayman Origins, Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country 2, World of Goo, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Mario Bros. 3...with so many games to play together, there's no telling what we might choose!  

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...