With transforming mechanical frogs, clowns begging to be nailed with pies and random soccer balls, ExciteBots: Trick Racing for the Wii is probably one of the most off-the-wall racers you will ever play.
ExciteBots borrows a lot of its core mechanics from its predecessor, Excite Truck, including morphing terrain, motion-controlled stunts, and earning stars to progress (as well to as unlock new vehicles, paint jobs and icons). The game also adds a variety of new of new elements, including wacky tricks like pie throwing, darts, soccer and bowling. I was a bit apprehensive about these parts, but thankfully, they’re used quite conservatively and add to the manic racing action.
Unfortunately, there are no options to use the Wii Nunchuk controller or the Classic Controller. ExciteBots’ stunts and tricks rely heavily on motion controls, and while they’re not as precise as Mario Kart Wii, they still work well.
ExciteBots has a well-rounded mutliplayer component, which encompasses two-player local split screen, six-player online, and poker races, where participants can bet stars and play poker while racing. There are plenty of tracks in a wide variety of worldwide locales, and they’re all very pleasant to look at.
Even if you already own Mario Kart Wii, ExciteBots: Trick Racing still makes for a great second racing option in your Wii collection.
