Excite Truck (Wii, 2006)

Excite Truck is not for the fans of realism. This Wii launch title isn't designed to be anything more than an adrenaline rush of a racing game, and it definitely achieves this focus. It is, however, a title that suffers a bit from launch title-itis: its presentation isn't quite as fleshed out as far as current generation racers go, but even with a few small gaps like its weak multiplayer component, the game is a hell of a lot of fun to play in its solo outing.

Excite Truck borrows its namesake from Nintendo's classic Excitebike NES and arcade game, but beyond this Wii racer's focus on excessive use of turbo boost, there's very little to compare the two games together; and no, you can't design your own tracks like you could in the NES game and its Nintendo 64 sequel let's get that one out of the way right from the start. But those who might not hold the nostalgia for the NES classic will see that the "Excite" more refers to the complete disregard for realism in favor of pushing some amazingly intense off-road racing on the console.

Excite Truck is clearly a first generation console game that will, without a doubt be outdone in the Wii system's later years. But as a game that bursts right out of the gate as a launch title for the system, Excite Truck is a fulfilling, fun, energetic arcade-style racer that features a good balance of technology and technique. There are a few spots in places that could have been filled, like its weak two player option and trick system, but overall this game definitely pulls off the intense racing rush that quality arcade racers offer.