We often look to Nintendo's own studios to demonstrate the most potent use of their hardware. In fact, in many cases, Nintendo's software is the only software that takes advantage of some particular piece of hardware.
Wii has been a strange situation, though. While Nintendo led the way with the ground-breaking Wii Sports, it has largely fallen to third parties since to create the purest experiences on Nintendo's console; even then, many titles from parties first through third are just experiences that could really be had—probably in higher definition—elsewhere, with motion controls shoehorned in whether they fit or not. (Some of the worse offenders just throw up their hands and let you choose to use old-school sticks-and-buttons control.)
There are, thankfully, a handful of exceptions. Exceptions built from the ground up around Wii's unique abilities, sporting a game design that can only be done with the capabilities of the Wii Remote. In 2006, coinciding with Wii's U.S. launch, Nintendo released Monster Games' Excite Truck, which showed a masterful understanding of how best to use Wii right out of the gate. It's now 2009. Has Monster done it again with follow-up Excitebots?
The answer is not nuanced in the slightest; while everyone else is pitter-pattering about with half-baked games begging us to wait for MotionPlus's eventual debut, Monster Games simply and competently uses the Wii Remote's every motion-sensing trick (apart from the pointer) to deliver an over-the-top arcade-racing experience that simply cannot be done anywhere else. Excitebots: Trick Racing tightens up the already excellent motion controls from its predecessor to make them easier for people of all skill levels to use, then throws in a sizable dash of utter lunacy to create one of the greatest racing experiences ever.
Much like Truck, though, Excitebots isn't just about placing first, though you do get a sizable point bonus for doing so. Instead, you're tasked with pulling off a constant stream of tricks. All the tricks from Excite Truck make triumphant returns in Excitebots, but there've been many more added as well. The best of these involve a three-word phrase that will eventually etch itself onto the devoted Excitebotter's brain: "super bar release". Scattered throughout the course and appearing when you drive your car over triggers in the middle of the track are horizontal and vertical bars. As you approach, your 'bot latches on with a robotic arm, spins around frantically, and you must thrust the Remote forward when your bot is facing forward. Do it wrong, and you'll go spinning out of control, but do it right, and you'll score a number of stars and go screaming through the air—on some tracks, right into the next bar for a thrilling chain.
The bars are my favorite, but there's a myriad other great new tricks as well. Some revolve around item pickups on the track like a dart to throw at a dartboard as you speed underneat it or a pie to throw at a clown's face. Others require you to hit something at just the right angle and speed, like bumping a soccer ball into a goal or getting a strike off a set of bowling pins. It makes one wonder just what was in the coffee at Monster when they were making this game—whatever that mysterious substance was, we cannot help but salute it.
Of course, at this point you may be saying, "I've played several Wii games where I have to engage in some arbitrary motion to pull something off. What makes Excitebots so great?" Simply put, it's that the feel of absolutely every motion you will make to control the game is phenomenal. Never does any movement feel shoehorned in, or unresponsive. It applied to Truck, and it applies doubly now with the host of new moves: Excitebots makes you feel like you're a kid again (though now playing with Transformers instead of Matchbox cars), spinning and flying them through the air, pretending to do all sorts of crazy tricks with them—only now, the tricks are actually playing out on your screen in front of you, and netting you precious stars to boot.
Fleshing out the game structure surrounding the triumphantly-returning Excite Race mode, stars are now collectable. Every star you earn in any of the game's modes, from Excite Race to the excellent Minigames mode (which is actually a set of tracks focussed around a particular trick or theme, instead of the obligatory waggle-fest most other Wii games seem to have) to the brand-new online mode is now collectable to spend on all sorts of unlockables—the best, of course, being new 'bots to race with. The best way to earn stars, too, is online; once you get even a small number, you can head online and bet a handful on your own placing. Even if you come in dead last, you often still keep your bet, and you get the opportunity to multiply those stars faster than in any other game mode if you do well. I could complain about checklist items like the lack of Wii Speak support here, and I might even be right to do so, but the simple fact is that the mode is so much fun that it is simply not missed.
Doing well can be quite the challenge, too. I thought myself pretty good at Excite before I went online; now I realize I'm merely fair-to-middling—and that's with constant air spins, turbo jumps, and every trick I can find an opportunity to pull off, while still trying to remain in the lead. Especially with the later tracks in the game, exploring every alternate path and finding every opportunity to perform tricks and perform them flawlessly is key to scoring as well as everyone else on the track. Excitebots eases you into this from the get-go, starting with a simple tutorial and tracks lacking aggressive opponents; even my six-year-old daughter has been doing quite well, using the optional Wii Wheel (both schemes work equally well, though I've been sticking with the sideways Remote out of familiarity.) But then, it ramps up the challenge as your superior performances unlock more and more tracks, replete with more and more tricks to pull off.
Excitebots adds up to a fantastic example of a game that was made specifically for Wii, and could not have existed without Wii. It never feels awkward, and it's not trying to capitalize on the demographics revealed by some pie chart thrown up by Reggie at his latest conference. It's just plain fun in its pure, unadulterated form, smartly designed and made real by extensive and skillful use of the the Wii Remote's motion-sensing capabilities. It's a key addition to Wii's library and should not be missed by anyone who thinks they are man enough to fly robots through the air.
Of course, making 'bot noises is fully optional.
Wii has been a strange situation, though. While Nintendo led the way with the ground-breaking Wii Sports, it has largely fallen to third parties since to create the purest experiences on Nintendo's console; even then, many titles from parties first through third are just experiences that could really be had—probably in higher definition—elsewhere, with motion controls shoehorned in whether they fit or not. (Some of the worse offenders just throw up their hands and let you choose to use old-school sticks-and-buttons control.)
There are, thankfully, a handful of exceptions. Exceptions built from the ground up around Wii's unique abilities, sporting a game design that can only be done with the capabilities of the Wii Remote. In 2006, coinciding with Wii's U.S. launch, Nintendo released Monster Games' Excite Truck, which showed a masterful understanding of how best to use Wii right out of the gate. It's now 2009. Has Monster done it again with follow-up Excitebots?
The answer is not nuanced in the slightest; while everyone else is pitter-pattering about with half-baked games begging us to wait for MotionPlus's eventual debut, Monster Games simply and competently uses the Wii Remote's every motion-sensing trick (apart from the pointer) to deliver an over-the-top arcade-racing experience that simply cannot be done anywhere else. Excitebots: Trick Racing tightens up the already excellent motion controls from its predecessor to make them easier for people of all skill levels to use, then throws in a sizable dash of utter lunacy to create one of the greatest racing experiences ever.
Much like Truck, though, Excitebots isn't just about placing first, though you do get a sizable point bonus for doing so. Instead, you're tasked with pulling off a constant stream of tricks. All the tricks from Excite Truck make triumphant returns in Excitebots, but there've been many more added as well. The best of these involve a three-word phrase that will eventually etch itself onto the devoted Excitebotter's brain: "super bar release". Scattered throughout the course and appearing when you drive your car over triggers in the middle of the track are horizontal and vertical bars. As you approach, your 'bot latches on with a robotic arm, spins around frantically, and you must thrust the Remote forward when your bot is facing forward. Do it wrong, and you'll go spinning out of control, but do it right, and you'll score a number of stars and go screaming through the air—on some tracks, right into the next bar for a thrilling chain.
The bars are my favorite, but there's a myriad other great new tricks as well. Some revolve around item pickups on the track like a dart to throw at a dartboard as you speed underneat it or a pie to throw at a clown's face. Others require you to hit something at just the right angle and speed, like bumping a soccer ball into a goal or getting a strike off a set of bowling pins. It makes one wonder just what was in the coffee at Monster when they were making this game—whatever that mysterious substance was, we cannot help but salute it.
Of course, at this point you may be saying, "I've played several Wii games where I have to engage in some arbitrary motion to pull something off. What makes Excitebots so great?" Simply put, it's that the feel of absolutely every motion you will make to control the game is phenomenal. Never does any movement feel shoehorned in, or unresponsive. It applied to Truck, and it applies doubly now with the host of new moves: Excitebots makes you feel like you're a kid again (though now playing with Transformers instead of Matchbox cars), spinning and flying them through the air, pretending to do all sorts of crazy tricks with them—only now, the tricks are actually playing out on your screen in front of you, and netting you precious stars to boot.
Fleshing out the game structure surrounding the triumphantly-returning Excite Race mode, stars are now collectable. Every star you earn in any of the game's modes, from Excite Race to the excellent Minigames mode (which is actually a set of tracks focussed around a particular trick or theme, instead of the obligatory waggle-fest most other Wii games seem to have) to the brand-new online mode is now collectable to spend on all sorts of unlockables—the best, of course, being new 'bots to race with. The best way to earn stars, too, is online; once you get even a small number, you can head online and bet a handful on your own placing. Even if you come in dead last, you often still keep your bet, and you get the opportunity to multiply those stars faster than in any other game mode if you do well. I could complain about checklist items like the lack of Wii Speak support here, and I might even be right to do so, but the simple fact is that the mode is so much fun that it is simply not missed.
Doing well can be quite the challenge, too. I thought myself pretty good at Excite before I went online; now I realize I'm merely fair-to-middling—and that's with constant air spins, turbo jumps, and every trick I can find an opportunity to pull off, while still trying to remain in the lead. Especially with the later tracks in the game, exploring every alternate path and finding every opportunity to perform tricks and perform them flawlessly is key to scoring as well as everyone else on the track. Excitebots eases you into this from the get-go, starting with a simple tutorial and tracks lacking aggressive opponents; even my six-year-old daughter has been doing quite well, using the optional Wii Wheel (both schemes work equally well, though I've been sticking with the sideways Remote out of familiarity.) But then, it ramps up the challenge as your superior performances unlock more and more tracks, replete with more and more tricks to pull off.
Excitebots adds up to a fantastic example of a game that was made specifically for Wii, and could not have existed without Wii. It never feels awkward, and it's not trying to capitalize on the demographics revealed by some pie chart thrown up by Reggie at his latest conference. It's just plain fun in its pure, unadulterated form, smartly designed and made real by extensive and skillful use of the the Wii Remote's motion-sensing capabilities. It's a key addition to Wii's library and should not be missed by anyone who thinks they are man enough to fly robots through the air.
Of course, making 'bot noises is fully optional.