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So last night I'm heading into a Gamestop to pick up a cheap copy of EQ2 because, well, I'm bored, it only costs $10, and they won't bill me for another 29 days - so I figure if I get 28 days of enjoyment off $10 game - thats better than I usually get out of a console game.
Anywho - As I step into the Gamestop, I notice that they've got a playable Wii. They made me hand over my driver's license in order to get the controller. Mostly because the Wiimote is:
After getting the Wiimote, I noticed that there was no horizontal bar on top of the TV that I had heard would be required to use the Wiimote. The "sensor strip" thing that I'd read about just wasn't there. The Wiimote was somehow figuring out my aim, and doing a damn good job of it without any sensor strip or calibration bar. I did not have to recalibrate the Wiimote, and the guy who played it before me stood 4' further away from the TV than I did, and he was at least 6'6" (which is considerably taller than me).
After passing through the "Mii" channel pretty quickly, I found Excite Truck. Note: When you're navigating the Wii's menu system, your "pointer hand" might appear to twitch a little bit. Thats not inaccuracy, that's amazing accuracy - the Wiimote is responding to the almost unnoticeable tremors in your hand. It seems to compensate for it, because the little pointer wiggles, but what you're aiming at doesn't change. I'm sure you won't even notice it in a native Wiimote game like Red Steel or Zelda.
Ok, so I fire up Excite Truck. At first, I was thinking that the Wiimote felt a little small when held sideways (you hold the Wiimote with the 1 and 2 buttons on the right, as if it was a steering wheel held at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions) - but after only a few seconds, it felt completely natural. I picked some kind of Jeep-like thing (there are no official licenses, so the vehicles are reasonable approximations of real cars, while others are totally original creations) and took off, holding the "2" button to accelerate. I was absolutely amazed at the sensitivity level of the "steering wheel" (btw, there are a couple of games at launch that come with an attachment for the Wiimote that makes it look and feel like a real wheel). Minor changes in left or right (turn the Wiimote exactly as if you were using a steering wheel) are reflected immediately and accurately by the tires in your vehicle and your vehicle's direction change.
I did a couple laps with the Jeep and felt it was a little over the top - when I tilted the steering wheel back, that Jeep caught serious air - so much so that I typically landed by smashing into a bridge overpass. I switched to a big 4-door pickup truck that looks like a Chevy Avalanche and was shocked at how the driving experience changed - the truck "felt" much heavier , it didn't get as much air, had slower acceleration, but could beat the living crap out of nearby trucks when it got enough momentum. Very fun!!
This game just "feels" like Nintendo... The tracks have a lot of replay value. You go through and there are stars and other things that you can collect while on the track, hidden shortcuts between areas - it reminds me of that "holy crap" feeling I got when playing the Jet ski game for the Gamecube on launch day.
After about 20 solid minutes of gameplay (it was late, and nobody else was in line...) at Excite Truck, I came to a couple of conclusions:
Contrary to what some of the arguments out there say, the Wiimote is not some fad whose novelty will wear off. Its the next evolution in gameplay experience, and I found my hands actually craving the feeling of the Wiimote in my hands. The experience of playing with the Wii was both entertaining and relaxing, something that no console to date has provided for me since the Dreamcast.
My rating of Excite Truck on the Wii: 5 out of 5 stars.
Caution: If you don't like exaggerated racing and things like star collecting and over-the-top jumps and crashes - skip Excite Truck and get NFS: Carbon. Playing a more realistic racer with those controls will blow your mind. Playing a Formula 1 game with a realistic F-1 wheel attachment for the Wiimote would probably send me into a pleasure coma.
i as well was treated to a bout of Excite Truck last night at Gamestop and
i had a blast. if the sensor bar was anything like the one at my Gamestop,
it was underneath the LCD screen and was about 6 to 7 inches long and
black, so it was kinda hard to see. but it was amazing to find out that
thing is so tiny. i cant wait till sunday. me and my baby making Mii's and
playing some Wii Sports. this is going to be huge. i overheard a PS3
pre-orderer lamenting that he is completely unexcited for the launch for
his box. first time i've heard that one in public. then he proceeded to
play the Wii and ask if he could change over his pre-order jokingly, haha.
Wii shall rule this holiday season!
