Preview: Excite Truck (Wii)

Fond memories still persist regarding the classic Excitebike, where racers spent more time airborne than on the ground. For the launch of the Wii, Nintendo has chosen to bring the franchise back, but this time strapped onto a new form of transportation. The core ingredients are the same; challenges, huge jumps and electrifying action. Yet the inclusion of trucks allows the series to go outside arenas and identikit cross country courses and take some inspiration from the Burnout series with the use of motion blurring.

The Emerald isle with its perfect beaches now plays host to fuel guzzling, turbo boosted trucks instead of blue hedgehogs. Short cuts and alternate routes exist for the braver driver who wants to stray from the beaten path onto something a little more hazardous. Mountainous courses provide a real challenge, with vertigo-inducing jumps across ravines while trying to control landings on desert terrain. Course variety is promising, with the Great Wall of China included and levels that rely on forests or snow to provide new scenery.

The Wii remote is utilised by turning it on its side, NES style. This allows the buttons to be used for acceleration and braking, while the D-pad handles the all important boost mechanism. The real twist comes by tilting the remote (left or right), which symbolises a steering wheel, and allows the player to prepare for critical lands whilst airborne. Forget about the laws of physics and aerodynamics, as with skill you can pilot your vehicle to impressive landings and gain a valuable advantage over opponents.

The courses are visibly packed with obstacles and competitors ensuring the action never lets up. The level of detail is also impressive, with the frame rate coping with everything the game throws at it. The in-game camera also manages to display proceedings without providing a sense of seasickness, as it conveniently backs off when the truck is airborne, capturing a panoramic viewpoint. One notable visual issue is the movement of the vehicle in relation to the terrain. This is a problem which at times has affected rally games such as Sega Rally 2 and Colin MacRae. Monster Games has certainly tried to tackle to what many would think is a minor issue; however, despite the suspension moving visually, it still seems the ground and tyres are not connected.

So arcade thrills certainly look covered by Excite Truck for the Nintendo Wii launch, but the main doubt is over its longevity. A two-player mode is promised, yet apart from this it remains to be seen if additional modes can warrant a full retail price, and what these modes actually are. Hopefully Monster Games can pull a few surprises out of the bag and maintain the Excite tradition.

Words by Jason Julier