...it's a really good game. It's the best Wii game of the year that I've played so far, and I've played most of the interesting Wii releases this year except for Madworld. I may have played Madworld once, but blinked while playing it and missed the entire game. I'm not sure.
Back to Excite Bots... Most everything that was done in Excite Truck has been improved for this game; the latest in the Excite series. There are two different control schemes now. Both are motion control based. There is the classic Excite Truck style which has you tilting upward on either end of the Wii Remote to steer with the buttons facing upward. Leaning back and forward allows you to stay in the air for a longer or shorter period of time during jumps or straighens your bot out to land correctly. The other method is extremely similar but it's done with the Wii Wheel. Both control methods are much tighter than the controls were for Excite Truck. They rival the Wii Wheel controls in Mario Kart Wii. Another thing that stands out is the speed. It is much faster than Mario Kart, and more accidents happen.
The game consists of the same scoring system with stars. You get a certain amount of stars for performing different types of tricks, anhilating others with weapons, and depending on which place you finish in. 50 for first, 25 for 2nd, etc.
The thing that makes this game very different than it's predecessor is that the stars are now used as currency. You use all of the stars that you have accrued over your Excite Bots career in order to unlock several different things. These include new bots, paint jobs, trophies, icons, and special designs. You have to meet requirements before you can unlock most items. You may have to perform so many of a certain kind of stunt in order to buy a trophy, to race with a bot so many times in order to get a trophy for that bot (or to unlock it's special design), to gain enough stars lifetime in order to unlock certain bots (you start with 6 but there are 20 overall), paint jobs, etc. All in all, there are a lot of unlockables and it will take a long time to unlock them all.
The game has Excite Mode, Super Excite Mode, and Mirror Mode like the last game. You have to get all S Ranks in Excite Mode to unlock Super Excite and to do the same in Super Excite in order to unlock Mirror Mode. Super Excite and Mirror are much harder than Excite. If the game seems too easy at first, don't worry, you'll soon be tested. All S Ranks in Mirror Mode gets you the final vehicle.
The coolest feature, in my opinion, is the online. How it works is that you can bet up to 2500 stars on the race and you win stars based upon how well you place. The way the game is set up, you won't usually lose stars unless you come in last. The races have up to six racers and everything runs very well. I haven't dealt with nearly as much lag as I have with Mario Kart Wii. Also the disconnects seem to be less frequent and when they do happen you don't scream at the television because you get back the stars that you bet. It's not like Mario Kart's where you lose three hundred VR points and want to throw the Wii out of your window.
There are also several minigames (it wouldn't be a Wii title if it weren't) and Poker Race. In Poker Race you try to pick up cards on the track in order to make the best possible poker hand. It's a cool feature if you want to do something different. Poker Race can also be played online.
In conclusion, if you liked Excite Truck at all, pick up this game immediately. Also, if you you are getting burnt out on Mario Kart and would like another racer, then this is the best choice on the Wii. Even if you didn't care for Mario Kart Wii and own a Wii, I would suggest at least renting it. It plays much differently.
If you have any questions about the game or would like to make any comments, feel free.
Proud member of the SONIC SUPPORT SQUAD
Tag "Sorry man. Someone pissed in my Wheaties."
"There are like ten games a year that sell over a million units." High Voltage CEO - Eric Nofsinger
