Super Truck Smash!!!Afraid that Zelda will grip me with an iron fist, I decided that the first game I would play on my shiny new Wii is Excite Truck. I was a fan of the game back at E3, where I found it to be a fast, visceral kind of racing game, not unlike the godly Burnout series. So far, my home impressions have not changed.
The steering controls are a bit tricky at first, but after less than an hour of playing, I'm already feeling more comfortable with them. Don't worry about the remote being over-sensitive – you're more likely to have the opposite problem. There are times when my remote is turned completely vertical, trying to steer as hard as I can. It's not uncomfortable, but I was at first worried that this movement would be required too often. It turns out that steering is heavily dependent on the vehicle you choose, as well as the terrain under your tires. If you drive well and stay on the paths, extreme steering won't be necessary.
You may remember that Excitebike 64 did a great job of capturing the angular details of the original Excitebike. Now Excite Truck carries on the legacy. How you take off from ramps, tilt the truck in the air, and land on the ground is extremely important to your success. It can be intimidating when you first launch into the air and realize that you have so much control in your hands, but once you settle down and get the feel of it, the level of control over the truck's flight is just awesome. It's a major part of the racing strategy needed to win.
I haven't tried the two-player mode yet, but Excite Truck looks to be a quality launch game for Nintendo. It does a nice job of filling that Pilotwings / Wave Race slot in the lineup, and more importantly, it's just a fun racing game.
Topic: IMPRESSIONS: Excite Truck (Read 3414 times)
