Nerd Mentality

REVIEW: ExciteBots Trick Racing

Posted April 28th 2009 by Brandon Schmidt.

Excitebots: Trick Racing is an evolution of Excite Truck, which debuted with the Wii more than two years ago. It's a fast, trick-based racer that has you driving, flying, running, and swinging around tracks as vehicles shaped like common animals and insects. Despite that intriguingly bizarre premise, when I initially began this review I was ready to write the game off as just another uninspired sequel. After my first extended play session, I was considering it a rent-only game. Despite that, I found myself looking forward to having another go at it to see if there was anything I was missing. The more and more I played it and explored the varied game modes available, the more I found it to be, despite some obvious shortcomings, a quirky and likeable game with a lot of replay value.

The crux of the game is arcade-style racing.  Like its predecessor Excite Truck, though, the goal is to not to finish the race first, but rather to earn the most stars.  Stars are awarded during the race by performing various tricks.  The tricks can be as simple as grabbing enough hang time during a jump or as tough as performing timing-based tricks, such as boosting off an incline at precisely the right time to grab stars hovering high above the ground. The idea is a little counter-intuitive at first in that it's natural to feel like you have to be the first to complete the race in order to win. Although there are bonuses associated with what position you finish in, it's still possible to finish first overall if you can out-trick your opponents. You'll also encounter occasional in-race side tasks such as kicking a soccer ball into a goal, throwing darts at a target, and other oddball objectives that are not only fun, but also add to your star total for the race.  Multiple paths on many of the tracks along with shifting landforms give you that much more to look at and add an element of unpredictability that keeps the game from getting stale.

There are additional modes available that each bring something different to the table. A personal favorite, Poker Races, has you speeding around the track and scoring stars by picking up cards to complete poker hands. The better the poker hand, the more stars you'll receive.  This mode adds a completely different strategic element to the game and is a fun alternative to the trick-based system. There are also a variety of mini-games you can play that challenge you to complete those in-race side tasks mentioned before. My favorite of the bunch was the Sports challenge which had you scoring soccer goals, throwing darts, hitting home runs, kicking field goals, and bowling over pins all while racing against the clock. There's enough diversity here to keep you playing for a long time.

There are two difficulties to the main racing game along with four circuits, but once you've gotten a handle on the game, you'll definitely want to play against some real people. All tracks are available for play via 2-player local multiplayer or up to 6-player via Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi matches can be played against random strangers or against friends using friend codes. Online matches are generated quickly and there's no noticeable lag. You can also wager your hard-earned stars before each race in an attempt to build up a larger savings.  This savings can be used to unlock additional vehicles.  While I don't think the online play here will get the recognition of say a Mario Kart, I find that it's actually more enjoyable; there's no blue shell here.

It's the control aspect where Excitebots really shines. There are two control options available: holding the Wii remote sideways or using it with the Wii Wheel. The controls for normal racing maneuvers (accelerate, brake, turn, etc.) are tight, and the trick system utilizes the remote's accelerometers in some fun ways. Frequently in the game you'll encounter swing poles that you must rotate around in order to earn stars. Rotating your Excitebot involves duplicating the motion with the Wiimote in a synchronous manner. Every jump in the game can be altered by tilting the wheel forward or back to adjust your glide and rate of descent. I wouldn't say the controls immerse you in the game, since that seems an impossibility for an arcade-style racing game that's this off-the-wall, but they do add an addictive element that I've yet to see in any Wii racing game to date.

From a technical standpoint, the game's probably not going to win too many people over. At first glance, Excitebots could be mistaken graphically for a last-gen game.  The engine looks roughly the same as Excite Trucks and that is a bit of a disappointment considering how long ago that game was released.  The races themselves are so fast and there's so much you're trying to do during them that you probably won't notice the scenery anyway. The music in the game is largely what you'd expect for this genre – a lot of synthesized techno that evokes memories of F-Zero GX. With a racing game, the music's only really there to drive the atmosphere, no pun intended.

Everyone has heard the old adage "Never judge a book by its cover." Too often in the game industry we buy into the hype of a major release only to see it fall flat on its face with unrealized hopes and promises. Every so often, however, something innovative and unexpected comes along and reminds us that there are always new tricks and new surprises that are out there waiting to be created.  Excitebots: Trick Racing is by no means a perfect game and is lacking in a few areas that for most games would be key.  But Excitebots is not most games. Although it would have been nice to have a game that's more technically impressive, lackluster graphics and sound don't take away from an otherwise solid game. It's the trick-based race system and how the controls are tightly meshed with it that make this game worth playing. Absurdly themed mini-games and a solid online setup provide enough longevity to make this game a worthy investment of your time.

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