With its Elvin warriors, cartoon sports and midget-tossing challenges, the Wii isnt the place to be if you want realistic gaming. But even by Nintendos freakish standards, Excite Truck is a bewildering experience.
Essentially a stunt racer where you throw huge trucks around courses more suited to a motocross bike, Excite Truck is another title specially designed for the consoles motion controls; holding the Wii remote sideways, players can turn the controller left and right to spin the steering wheel, and even tilt it forwards and back while in the air to adjust how your rig will land. But while the steering gestures feel natural and intuitive, the games twitchy, motion-sensitive manipulation never feels quite responsive enough, making for a jerky and ultimately frustrating lack of control. And while the steering lacks the precise control of an authentic driving simulation, Gran Turismo nuts will also baulk at the implausible action where driving through pools of water or flying through the air is enough to cool your engine and improve your chances of a speed boost.
Although Excite Trucks packed with ideas and is unlike any other racer on the shelves, it still lacks the flair and polish of other Wii games. And while it demonstrates that using the motion controls to steer a virtual vehicle is eminently possible, youll soon yearn for the steadfast control that traditional thumbstick allows.