G-pinions

I was one of those kids who leaned into my turns in racing games. I'm not talking about the car itself - I'm talking about my physical, human body. I would lean to make my turns tighter. I would stand on my tiptoes so Mario could jump that extra inch more across the bottomless pit. I would knock my friend to the ground to prevent another Bo Jackson touchdown in Tecmo Bowl. As a kid, I may not have quite grasped the separation between controller and game. They were one in the same. A world where every action and word in real life somehow correlated to my on screen avatar's livelihood. Needless to say, people didn't like playing me in Mortal Kombat until long after the series drifted into irrelevance.

Have I mentioned how awesome Excite Truck is yet? All those gestures I forcefully weaned myself off through the years are back in full force. To make difficult turns, I actually move my whole body 90 degrees. I learn way back, head slamming into uncushioned sofa, when I need an extra bit of air for a wicked jump. I continually yell, "Whoa whoa whoa!" like my horse is on fire. And I love every second of it. Until I played Excite Truck last week, I feared that our Waggle Overlords were slowly going to turn my favorite hobby into a smelly cesspool of casual gamers and shallow games. Now? I wish Alex Ward would ditch that bloated Burnout 5 project and make a Wii racing game instead.

What makes Excite Truck so damn exciting? It's fast and completely ridiculous. The controls are simple because it's something we've all been practicing for our whole lives. The Wiimote stays on its side throughout the race, kind of like a white banana with gryro controls. Sure, it's sloppy, but would you rather be stuck with that Ubi Soft PSX racing game they ported to the Wii with the plastic steering wheel add-on? I didn't think so. So you turn the Wiimote like you're a mime with a prop, tilting the controller in the logical direction to make turns, get air or, if you're feeling low, keep your truck as close to the ground as possible. Your left hand calls forth turbo with a slap of the D pad and your right hand controls the gas and brake buttons. Guess which button you won't be using. Thankfully, there aren't any boring maneuvers like shifting gears or stopping your car to let glass carriers cross the road, though I would have loved a sniper scope option.



(Quick Sidenote - Red Octane, developer of Guitar Hero, had a pep rally last week where they cried out against games with complicated controls. The displayed a Dual Shock controller where every button was used. The Square was used for Turbo while the X button was a Sniper Scope. I would love to see this game.)

Back to Excite Truck, the game is all about speed and air. Fire should always be spewing out of your car as you frantically slam on the D pad. The game encourages crazy jumps, like every any good game should. The longer you stay suspended a mile above the ground, the quicker the turbo gauge refuels. Races consist of flying off jumps, slamming into lesser cars, and playing God: Day 1 as you deftly mold the earth to your liking. Didn't hear about that feature, did you? There are icons strewed around the track that act as tokens of creation. Nab one and watch as a flat road gives birth to a towering hill leading to the heavens. Or knock down a giant iceberg to reveal a sunken oil tanker that, you guessed it, needs to be jumped over. Races are extremely fast and different every time. It's just a fantastic experience all around.

And then there is the minimalist though highly enjoyable two player mode. Sure, it's just a one-on-one, no frills race to the finish. Or at least it would be if this wasn't Excite Truck. There is nothing quite like hitting a jump perfectly, flying 1900 feet through the air, and landing perfectly on the back of your slow driving friend. Joy of joys, to slam into the back of your buddy's car and propel them into an ancient redwood, an act that would bring a smile to even Princess Diana's eye.

Excite Truck is what I expected from the Wii when it was first announced. Accessible, fun but unplayable with a mere analog stick. It's all about tilting your body and yelling like a five-year-old again. Maybe Nintendo was on to something with this waggle wand of theirs.