Games for Lunch: Excitebots: Trick Racing

In a nutshell: It really feels like you're driving a robotic frog!
4/22/2009 5:11 PM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 3

Developer: Monster Games
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: April 20, 2009
System: Wii
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web site

0:00 I spent a few enjoyable hours with the original Excite Truck when the Wii was fresh and new, but I moved on to other games before finishing. A short demo of Excitebots at GDC got me fired up for more seat-of-the-pants high-flying trick racing, though.

0:01 Since the game actually comes with a Wii Wheel accessory, I guess I'll try using it. I never really liked the way it felt for Mario Kart Wii, though.

0:02 A quick message about how to properly hold the Wii Wheel, then the title screen pops up with some thrilling full-screen video from the game. Bots are flying and crashing and flipping all over the place to the strains of some high-energy guitar synth.

0:04 There's an intriguing option called "Poker Race" that's grayed out on the menu screen. The online and versus play options are also locked. Looks like I'm off to the single-player racing, then. Let's start with the training to get a refresher on how this all works (hey, it's been a while).

0:06 For the training I get to pilot a bright green, robotic frog with wheels hanging off his webbed feet. I'm impressed by the speed and power behind the amphibian, especially when I turn on the turbo and get a weird sort of zoom effect on the camera.

0:08 Off to my first race in Mexico. I can stick with my Frog or chose from a whole robot menagerie: Beetle, Ladybug, Bat, Turtle or Grasshopper. I stick with the frog because I'm already used to how he controls, but I change his color to a freaky Cherry Red.

0:09 The game reminds me that I need to earn 75 stars for a passing "B" grade. If I remember correctly, stars are earned for jumps, tricks and fancy driving, as well as finishing in a good position.

0:10 The robots all walk up to the starting line on their hind legs, even when this makes absolutely no sense for their animal counterparts (like my Frog). Are they just showing off or something?

0:12 Mexico is a wide-open desert course without much to crash into ... good for getting used to things, I guess. Smashing into a bunch of opposing bots early gets me a lot of stars, as do some nice, high turbo jumps later on. At one point I picked up a tambourine item, which made my bot sprout an arm out of its back to shake a tambourine and ... that's it. I got two stars for my trouble anyway, helping me to a massive 128-star total and an "S" rank. Booyah!

0:15 Racing the jungle-like Fiji course now. Still not quite as many trees as I remember from some courses in the original.

0:16 I just hit a question-block and saw a bunch of bowling pins materialize right in front of me. Sliding into them gets me a "strike" and 10 stars. Nice!

0:17 Another easy first-place finish and 213 stars this time for another S rank. I don't remember the first game being this easy to control. Maybe they've tweaked the controls? Maybe I've just gotten used to the Wii Remote? Maybe the Wii Wheel is better than I thought? Nah ... that last one can't be it.