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> Results: Excite Truck
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The ESRB says:
Mild Violence:GamerDad did nothing more brutal than bash his monster truck into the other competitors' vehicles Excite Truck can be thought of as a spiritual successor to NES classic dirt bike racer Excite Bike (thus explaining the slightly odd name) having you race around courses with a variety of off-road trucks instead of motorbikes. Far from a racing simulation, the game focuses on providing an exciting race, with massive jumps, turbo boosts, and random power-ups that allow you to crash through obstacles unimpeded or even change the track landscape, causing hills to instantly rise up or fall away in front of your very eyes. Excite Truck utilizes the Wii's innovative motion-sensitive remote for extremely intuitive control ﾖ turn it left and right to steer, tilt it backwards and forwards to angle your vehicle for optimal landings on the uneven track surface or to prolong your hang time. While the core of the game is racing trucks around different courses in a variety of environments, there are a few other options available. Challenge Mode has you completing tasks such as taking out all the other vehicles by crashing into them, slaloming through gates, or jumping through a series of aerial rings. Split-screen multiplayer is available, but only 1-on-1 races ﾖ there are no computer-controlled vehicles to provide added competition. The game's presentation does the job well enough ﾖ the tracks are graphically varied, the sense of speed is definitely there, the menus are easy to navigate, and the game's soundtrack is a delightful collection of cheesy rock and metal that perfectly suits an arcade driving game like this (though you can also use your own music if you have an SD memory card for your Wii) ﾖ but it's nothing that really jumps out and grabs you. In fact, that just about sums up Excite Truck. It definitely gets the adrenaline pumping as you bounce around the tracks, and it controls amazingly well. There's just not much to it, and you'll be left wanting more ﾖ a common complaint with games that launch with a new console. Hopefully a real sequel will soon be announced to build on what is a solid foundation.  
Unlike more realistic racing games, Excite Truck is quite forgiving, and as long as younger children learn how to hold the controller steady just about anyone can pick up and play. While it does foster a competitive attitude and rewards the player for over-aggressive driving, it's all good clean fun, and so far removed from reality that it should pose little concern.
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