Exciting

While there seem to be a number of titles for Wii that have received justifiably poor reviews at launch, there are several that have been panned by some critics, but given decent scores by others. Following are my thoughts and impressions concerning one such title, Excite Truck from Nintendo.

Excite Truck was one of three titles I picked up at launch, and while it hasn't sucked away so much of my life as Zelda, it has logged a pretty decent amount of time in the glowing blue slot... First off, let me state that I am not a huge racing title fan, or at least, not a fan of racing sims, such as Gran Turismo or Forza. I prefer arcade racers, if any, and am definitely partial to games like Mario Kart, F-Zero and Burnout.

And I guess that is why I find Excite Truck to be such a fun title! Really, it takes some of the best elements of those titles and blends them into an adrenaline-pumping, gotta-get-an-"S"-on-this-track, how-many-trucks-can-I-unlock? package. Here are the highlights, in bullet-point form:


- Tracks: There are only five or six locales in Excite Truck, but each is unique and well-designed. Not only that, but there are multiple course variants in each locale. I am not finished with the whole game yet, but I have unlocked 15 tracks in Excite mode, and there another 5 available in Super Excite mode, not to mention the Mirror Mode flipped tracks that become available when you score an "S" ranking on all tracks (That's 40 tracks, if you count the reverse tracks).

- Trucks: The variety of vehicles is quite decent, for an arcade racer. The trucks and buggies available are un-licensed clones of very recognizable cars, from the Dodge Ram to a Hummer (no, not an H2 or H3-a REAL Hummer), and they all have differing driving characteristics, including speed, boost, grip and acceleration. When all are unlocked, you get something like 20 trucks, including, I have read, a monster truck that becomes unlocked after all paint jobs are unlocked for the previous 19! Which brings me to the paint jobs! I was content with the prospect of earning 19 trucks when I saw the silhouetted shapes on the selection screen, but after playing a while, I managed to earn an "S" ranking three times with the first truck, and was rewarded with an alternate paint job, complete with striping, some sponsorship decals and extra crash bars and lights. Very slick! In addition, a third paint option becomes available after 10 races are won with any truck...

- Tricks: Boost is the name of the game. You can hold down the D-Pad to boost, but if you press it too long, the temperature gauge on your screen hits the red zone and your truck will overheat. Thus, keeping the boost going without over-doing it is critical. In addition, you can earn boost by performing various tricks, such as Turbo Jumping by tapping boost right after you leave a ramp. Tricks also earn you stars, by which your race performance is ranked. Drifting around a turn, for example, gets you stars, and the longer you drift, the more stars you get, maxing out at 5. The same is true for big air, jumping through rings, dodging trees at high speed, etc. In fact, if you race well, it's possible to earn a high ranking without winning the race! Many critics have called this trick system "tacked on", I think largely because the only air trick is a 360 or 720 degree spin, but I disagree. When you play Excite Truck, you find yourself constantly trying to get 5 star awards, because it's all about your ranking.

So that is the bulk of the game. There is also a Challenge Mode for single player, which offers three challenges on two tracks each. They are Ring Mode, Gate Mode and Crush (my favorite), and my only gripe is that none of these are available in Versus (PLEASE add this, Nintendo!). The games' graphics are actually quite good, although I haven't played it in 480p yet, and the control, once you get used to it, is very responsive and tight. Add to all of that the custom soundtrack option (with an SD card inserted) and I really think Excite Truck is one kickin' racer.

Now if only we had online...

Zelda Awesomeness

Let's get one thing straight; I am definitely biased. I have owned virtually every Nintendo system ever made (with the exception of Virtual Boy - get it?) and am absolutely partial to the Big N's games and hardware.

Okay, now that we've established that, let me say this:

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS IS THE BEST GAME I HAVE EVER PLAYED!!!!!!!!1

Yeah. 15 hours in, only two dungeons finished (out of 9) and no time spent on side quests, and I can say with complete veracity that I've never played better. Every aspect, from control to character development, has me mesmerized. True, the visuals aren't completely "Next Gen", but that takes nothing away from the amazement that this game produces.

I would say that, aside from the phenomal new control mechanics (sniping enemies with the bow is sheer bliss) and the excellent level design, Twilight Princess ups the ante over previous Zelda titles with its epic and immersive storyline. I remember being moved by Ocarina of Time and shocked by Wind Waker, but Twilight Princess brings a new level of emotional connection to the characters, in part due to better animations and facial expressions.

So, congratulations, Nintendo, Miyamoto and Aonuma; you have succeeded. You have built the greatest Zelda game ever, and possibly the best video game ever.

Turkey Day Shenanigans

So, like many of you out there, I picked up a Wii on the 19th, and I've truly been blown away. My own expectations were quite high, being the rabid fanboy I am, but Nintendo has outdone themselves once again.

But more on that later...

Thursday, we had about 30 people in our home for Thanksgiving Day Dinner, including some of my family, some of my wife's family and a few friends. The age range spanned between 2 years and 65 years. There were only 4 self-proclaimed gamers present, including my brother and two cousins, and there were more women present than men...

I set the Wii up in the main living room after a while, knowing it would draw some people to it. After all, in the few days I had owned it, my wife had already played some baseball and tennis, without being dragged into it! Both of my boys had taken to Excite Truck and Wii Sports Baseball, and my brother reported that both of our sisters and our niece had all been asking to play as well (he picked up a unit on launch day, too).

I was totally unprepared for just how big a hit the Wii was going to be, however, as we started up with Wii Sports Tennis. At first we had the usual suspects trying it out, including the core gamers and a few casual or non-gamers. But after we started bowling, everyone got involved. In a short time, my own father in law (not a gamer, pictured below) was throwing strikes and spares, and soon afterward, my wifes uncle, a self-professed ANTI-gamer, was rallying at tennis! I couldn't believe my eyes.



True, neither of these older guys is likely to go out and drop $250 on a system. But to have the entire family playing together was truly a testament to Nintendo's strategy with Wii. And, I did receive one check that day, from a couple of friends who haven't played games in over a decade, to go and purchase a Wii for them as soon as possible.

Blue Ocean!