Excite Truck - Final Play

Oh Monster Games and Nintendo, you got so close. Okay, I’m being dramatic; however, the implementation of a custom soundtrack is so nice to see in a Nintendo game, and is so close to being very well done, that it really was a notable experience in my most recent plays. I purchased an SD card primarily to try out the soundtrack feature, but it will likely come in handy in the future. So I created my driving mix of some 15 songs and loaded them up on the card.

Once in a race, you can set your sound options to play a single song or random tracks. I opted for random tracks, shuffle play and set the music volume on high and lowered the sound effects way down. I have always been a huge fan of the right music for the right game and having a great driving mix for a game like this really adds to the game experience. I guess I should also add that the in-game music is so bad that my own soundtrack is an extra special treat. The music played well and I raced like a fiend until I had completed the four cup levels. Unfortunately, as I went to select the next level, the game replaced the greatness of my custom soundtrack with the poor game in-game music, exposing the major flaw with the soundtrack handling. It would have been perfect if my music could play seamlessly from race to menu, as it is jarring to have a song you are playing all of a sudden stop, to be replaced by some poor guitar riff in the menu sequence.

My play experiences from the first play until now have remained pretty consistent - Excite Truck is a fun play. As a single player experience, I have enjoyed the sense of speed, the compelling and exhilarating controls, and the wackiness of the super air and morphing tracks. After completing the four cups, I was greeted with a message explaining that if I completed every cup race with an ‘S’ (best) rating, the “Super Excite” mode would open. I wish I knew what this super mode is as I’m curious and was hoping to find out after completing the four cups. I’m confident that I’ll be coming back to this game every now and then to give it a go and will surely work towards getting those “S”s though I’m not feeling that compelled to spend all my game time doing so. The single player has struck me as a dish best served every once in a while, like some simple but tasty comfort food.

I was able to test out the multiplayer and, though it was fun while I played, it is pretty shallow and feels like a last minute add on. The multiplayer is only for two players and there are some missing features, too. For example, when you crash in the single player you can pump the 2 button to work up to a speed boost to get you back in the race. This does not happen in the multiplayer. There are also no cpu controlled cars. It is simply one on one. Won’t be breaking out the multiplayer that often, especially with the likes of Wii Sports and other options.

As I play more and more Wii games, it is interesting to think about some of these games and what the unique motion controls bring to them. I have been playing Red Steel and if weren’t for the controls, I’m convinced I wouldn’t be even half as into the game as I am and would likely have found it a far less compelling play. I have some of those same feelings with Excite Truck. The controls really add a lot to the experience and in the many hours and three play ratings I have put into this game, they don’t strike me as gimmicky. Unlike some of my early experiences with the DS where the unique interface, though fun, wasn’t so convincing (Mario 64 DS, I’m looking at you), Excite Truck’s driving controls with the Wii Remote really come into their own after a little practice and offer a pretty smooth experience that has gotten better over time. Overall, I have enjoyed playing this game and expect it to make some regular appearances in my gaming rotation. It is an arcade racer in the Wave Race, Rush, and Hydro Thunder genre of racing games that offers some nice thrills, a nice challenge at times, and fun controls.