Excitebots: Trick Racing (Wii, 2009)

Excitebots is the newest "Excite" title for Wii. It is an updated version of Excite Truck, one of the original releases for the Wii. Fans of Excite Truck will be in familiar territory, with many of the same locales, bonuses, and tricks. But this is no simple rehash, as there are plenty of new twists and tricks to be had.

The original Excite Truck took awhile to grow on me. I doubt I would have purchased the game at all, but it was included in the Wii bundle I bought. Once I warmed to it, I quickly became obsessed with the game. The action is furious and the game is challenging, almost too much for my tastes. But I found myself having such a good time, despite some frustration, that I stuck it out until the bitter end.

Excitebots is enough like Excite Truck that I found myself hooked from the very start. At the same time, there is plenty of new content to keep the game play fresh. While many of the tracks are similar to Excite Trucks, the similarity is superficial. Excitebots takes the premise of Excite Truck and cranks it up a notch. Unlike most race games, the goal isn't necessarily to come in first place. It's more important to rack up stars by completing tricks, playing mini games, and picking up various bonuses along the way.

The "accumulation of stars" point is the best and worst part of Excitebots. The extra challenge of completing tricks and collecting bonuses adds a lot of interest and excitement to the game. But being required to complete a series of tracks with superior ratings before being allowed to progress is something I find particularly frustrating. I admit, however, that it is great incentive to keep coming back to the game.

The "bots" part of Excitebots is what really sets it apart from any other game. Instead of flying around the tracks in cars, karts, buggies, or trucks, the vehicles of choice are animal-shaped robots - lizards, ants, hornets, hummingbirds, scorpions, etc. Also new to Excitebots is a series of mini games including bowling, darts, and soccer. Online play is supported, as is an excellent two-player mode.

Tired of basic racing? Take a break with some of the mini-games, or go for a spin around the track making the best poker hands with Poker Racing.

Excitebots is compatible with the Wii wheel, unlike Excite Truck. I prefer the wheel, as it adds that extra little touch of realism to the game (plus I'm glad to have another use for it besides Mario Kart!) However, the wheel is not necessary; you can play just as well with the basic Wiimote. The controls are simple, intuitive, and responsive.

If you appreciate a unique racing experience with a bit of a challenge, you're sure to enjoy Excitebots.

Excitebots brings back to gaming something that is often forgotten in the chase for photo realism. Fun.

Imagine hurtling round a track as a giant transformer, when suddenly upfront you see a familiar triangle of bowling pins. You throw yourself through them and get greeted with a strike. That is fun and its only one of the many mini games that present themself to you. Darts, football, spinning on a bar. None of them detract from the race and are all incredible fun. Throw in Mario Kart like weapons and well.....

So to sum up. Its Excite trucks mixed with Transformers mixed with Mario Kart mixed with Wii Sports. Forget the Po Faced driving games on offer elsewhere and go back to gaming how it should be. Playing with a smile planted firmly across your face.

The game is nice, with a bit of learning curb. This isn't the same old go around in circles racing. You will need to go through the training to understand most of what you can do in the game. Better getting the game with the bonus wheel, as it's about the same price with out the wheel on Ebay. Can get a little confusing at times since you go so fast and fly so far, you have no idea where you've landed. My son loves it since besides racing, you can bowl, throw darts, play soccer, and more. All this is done while racing around the terrain with your machine. So great price with bonus Wii wheel makes for a nice gift for some one or yourself.

This game is just great, I like it a lot better than Mario cart. It's a lot of fun and the multiplayer (local and online) works great. The only thing that would make it better would be if you could play 4 player local multiplayer. Because it's only 2 player (6 player online), but it's still great, and the online multiplayer is amazing. I could go on and on about how great game this is, but I will just say go to game spot or you tube and watch some videos and you will get a good idea as to what the game looks like. Overall i would give it a 9/10.

If you like MarioKart, you will like this game for certain. The graphics are lavishly detailed and vibrant with color. Select robot vehicles resembling different creatures and haul tail across beautiful landscapes while doing outrageous stunts. Catch monster airtime for extra credit which you use to unlock more vehicles and options. Vehicles even transform into robots and run (similar to Transformers) for small distances. WiFi capability allows for online competition and even betting with your credits! This has been a very fun game and I must recommend it for any racing game lover.