I got Excite Truck Friday night, and I played it for quite a while yesterday. I'm enjoying it. I'm not crazy about the music, but I love the fact I can supply my own music. Playing a "China" track with "China Grove" playing is cool. :D

Here's my question: I've got "S" in Bronze and Silver, and all but one in Gold. I Haven't started Platinum yet (I went back to get "S" in everything else). When I complete Platinum, what will be left to do? I'm just curious, because I wonder if this is one of those games that I'll be done with after a few days of playing?

Any thoughts?

-Dan

After your done getting all S grade in the Excite levels you unlock Super Excite.Thats were iam at right now.You start all over,but with new tracks and cars.You will find that some cars are better then others for S Grade levels.I have a lot of fun with this game and hope they make another one.I think the graphics are great,and i shut the music off.The Alpine truck has won me 9-10 S grades so far,but i dont think it has a chance in Super Excite.

I <3 Excite Truck! It's an awesome game. I actually like the music. It reminds me of Steve Vai, no?

You start all over,but with new tracks and cars.
Seriously -- new tracks? That's a good reason to keep playing. :D Thanks for the info.

-Dan

Seriously -- new tracks? That's a good reason to keep playing. :D Thanks for the info.

Yeah, and it gets much harder to get an 'S' score in Super Excite mode. I'm only on the Gold cup and it's incredibly difficult already.

All new cars and all new courses are waiting in Super Excite...

However, so far the environments seem the same.

Gameplay is very challenging and I play Excite Truck about 10x more than i play Zelda or 100x more than I'm playing Monkey Ball these days.

Hate to admit it, but I actually like the music. Or perhaps I should say "it doesn't bother me..." Seems very fitting for the gameplay anyway.

Races in Super Excite mode get VERY hard, especially in the Gold levels... You can be in the lead for an entire race and have a guy zoom past you in the last SECOND. You've got to use every trick in the book just to get "B" grade!

;-)

Sorry to bump this post, but I have to know...

Has anyone beat the 'diamond' levels in Super Excite mode? Just getting by Platinum in Super Excite is hard as hell...

And I can't seem to win any reaces without a car with Quick handling. Any tips on best cars for particular tracks?

BTW, the courses in the Platinum level of Super Excite are long and very nice looking. A fresh take on courses you 'thought' you knew already.

i just passed all the levels with a A or B rating in Super Excite.... i won't ruin the last level for you guys, let me just say it's nuts and hard as hell! :)
now i have to beat all those levels with a S rating to unlock "mirror" mode... i'm not sure that i'm up for the task! lol

i just passed all the levels with a A or B rating in Super Excite.... i won't ruin the last level for you guys, let me just say it's nuts and hard as hell! :)
now i have to beat all those levels with a S rating to unlock "mirror" mode... i'm not sure that i'm up for the task! lol

Dude... There is NO WAY IN HELL to get an S rating on all tracks in Super Excite...

Not unless you have unlocked one hell of a car!

;-)

Um, does anyone do airborne truck spins? To date, I haven't done a single one... Have 100 - 200 awards in most other categories however.

---EDIT---

That Super Excite Platinum track "Canada:Winding Road" is one INCREDIBLE track! Especially if you use it with the MAKO car. Talk about max speed and max air!

;-)

Dude... There is NO WAY IN HELL to get an S rating on all tracks in Super Excite...
I'm not there yet, but I look forward to proving you wrong. :D ;) :p

Um, does anyone do airborne truck spins? To date, I haven't done a single one... Have 100 - 200 awards in most other categories however.
I do them sometimes, but you don't get many points for them. It's a lot easier to just smash other trucks for points. :p

-Dan

Iam trying to take some of them short cuts on the bridges in some levels,but keep falling off.I can stay on one.The one with the train is HARD.

There's only one course in Diamond and it's very different than all the other courses. I'll leave the details as a surprise! Once you get all S ratings in Super Excite, you open up Mirror mode. I'm about halfway done with the S ratings in Super Excite.

This has turned out to be an excellent game and I'm so glad that I bought it. I was actually not going to originally, but decided to buy it as my 3rd game to get the $20 giftcard at Target at launch.

I would like to see more course variety and online modes, but hopefully we will see that with ExciteTruck 2! This is definitely the "Wave Race" of the Wii launch.

Yeah, its becoming painfully obvious that MOST reviewers didn't even complete Excite mode. And NONE of them beat Super Excite... Not a single mention of Mirror mode... ;-)

If I was more of a fanboy I'd publicly challenge them to describe their experiences on Super Excite mode, or to tally the total number of cars or tracks.

Bumping this thread because I FINALLY reached the final track under Super Excite mode. Heheheh... No spoilers. But its a nice change of pace from the usual.

The Excite Truck faithful will be suitably rewarded!

;-)

Bumping this thread because I FINALLY reached the final track under Super Excite mode.

I did too, on Monday night. Beat the game and saw the credits. Now I have to get all S's for 'Mirror' mode (only about 4 left to get), which I'm guessing is a simple reversal of all the existing tracks, although I could be wrong. Then, of course, I have to finish getting all the trophies. Still a ways to go! :)

Be sure to let us know what Mirror Mode is when you finally get there.

Be sure to let us know what Mirror Mode is when you finally get there.

OK, unlocked Mirror Mode tonight. Basically, it is the same as Super Excite Mode, except the tracks are all mirror images of the originals (shocking, I know). So, right turns are now left, left are now right. Also, I unlocked the new paint jobs for all my cars and ... well, let's just say you'll want to do that. ;)

Now I'm working on beating Mirror Mode ... this is the game that refuses to end! :)

I bet after Mirror Mode there is "Repeat Mode," where you get to repeat the game from the start!

;-)

After your done getting all S grade in the Excite levels you unlock Super Excite.Thats were iam at right now.You start all over,but with new tracks and cars.You will find that some cars are better then others for S Grade levels.I have a lot of fun with this game and hope they make another one.I think the graphics are great,and i shut the music off.The Alpine truck has won me 9-10 S grades so far,but i dont think it has a chance in Super Excite.


Darn! Now I have to go back to re-do some tracks to get "S" levels. I love this game. it looks even better now w/ component cables. There's a huge graphic clarity/crispness difference between composite and component (see other threads). It looks great w/ Excite Truck!

Another update: I beat Mirror Mode (getting the minimum B or higher on all races) but nothing special happened. Perhaps something will happen after I get all 'S' grades. :)

Keep at it!!! And it you see anything fantastic, POST PICTURES!

wife got it for me for xmas, Great freakin game!!!! Fun to pick up and play for 2 hrs or 5 minutes. Im currently trying to beat the diamond track right now. best i could do was 132 with that huimmer lookin truck. Man this level is HARD!

Any advice on how to get an "S" rating on "Excite" China track? I've tried and tried and just can't seem to get above a "B" rating.

Would getting a steering wheel help much?

Thanks for any help.

Any advice on how to get an "S" rating on "Excite" China track? I've tried and tried and just can't seem to get above a "B" rating.

Would getting a steering wheel help much?

Thanks for any help.
Getting a steering wheel probably won't help. I don't remember the specific track (I'm at work), but one tip is to drive close to the side of the road when there are trees present -- you can get some Super Tree Runs when you do this. Also, crashing into other vehicles can boost your score quickly, and if they're the leaders, it can slow them down.

-Dan

Well, I've finally officially beaten the entire game of Excite Truck, completing all 'S' rankings on Mirror mode. I must say it was a whole lot more fun than I anticipated. It was certainly difficult, but it was a fun kind of difficult, not a "I want to kill myself" kind of difficult like Monkey Ball.

You unlock a super sweet vehicle as reward for beating the game. Let's just say you'll never lose another race! I'll post pics separately.

Yeah, definitely get used to making small tree runs, truck smashes, and try to get AT LEAST 2 or more "truck spins" (360 or 720).

These little things add up.

You could easily post an extra 20 points or more for these little things.

Well, I've finally officially beaten the entire game of Excite Truck, completing all 'S' rankings on Mirror mode. I must say it was a whole lot more fun than I anticipated. It was certainly difficult, but it was a fun kind of difficult, not a "I want to kill myself" kind of difficult like Monkey Ball.
Well, now you've made me want to go back and completely finish the game. Curse you! ;)

-Dan

For those having a tough time getting 'S' scores, you may want to unlock all the paint jobs on all the vehicles. This unlocks a very useful vehicle which I've used for, oh, the last 90 or so races in a row. :)

As far as pictures ... first, here's my game-finishing score on the Nebula course (200 stars required for an 'S' grade). I had one of those 'perfect' races to get this score, and amazingly I only finished in second (beaten on a photo finish). I would have loved the extra 25 points but ah well.

Here's the screen displayed confirming you've finished Mirror Mode.

And here's your reward for beating the game. Only click on it if you really want to know what it is. :)

Now I need to finish collecting all the remaining trophies. I will, of course, report if that results in anything new.

PS There's something really really awesome about the vehicle I posted in the last picture, and that something is:

You automatically have turbo for the entire race, every race. You can now blow away all your old records as far as times and stars. Enjoy!

Great post! You've saved me HOURS of labor with this!

;-)

I've already lent out my copy of Excite Truck to a buddy, so I'll be picking up where I left off in about a month or so.

For those having a tough time getting 'S' scores, you may want to unlock all the paint jobs on all the vehicles. This unlocks a very useful vehicle which I've used for, oh, the last 90 or so races in a row. :)
I didn't know that unlocking the paint jobs actually did anything for you. Thanks for the info! BTW, can you remind me what you have to do to unlock the paint jobs? Also, how do you know when you've unlocked all the paint jobs for a specific car?

Thanks!

-Dan

BTW, can you remind me what you have to do to unlock the paint jobs?

You need to either run 10 races or get 3 S grades with a car to unlock its alternate paint job. 10 races is usually easier for most vehicles but sometimes you'll get lucky.

Also, how do you know when you've unlocked all the paint jobs for a specific car?

It will notify you as soon as you've finished 10 races / 3 S grades and you'll be able to flip the vehicle icon when choosing a vehicle at the beginning of a race to select the alternate paint job. You can use the vehicle selection page to see which cars have NOT had the paint jobs unlocked (whichever ones can't be flipped). There's only one paint job per vehicle, so once you've unlocked it you're done with that vehicle. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the info!

-Dan

For those having a tough time getting 'S' scores, you may want to unlock all the paint jobs on all the vehicles. This unlocks a very useful vehicle which I've used for, oh, the last 90 or so races in a row. :)

Really? I just unlocked all the paint jobs on all the vehicles, and it did not give me a new truck. Is there some other milestone I need to pass but haven't yet? I'm into Platinum on regular Excite, do not have all "S" in Gold (I think 4 out of the 5), and am working on getting passing score in Platinum.

I unlocked all the paint jobs by taking them through the original Mexico track. I just took the ones I hadn't gotten the special paint job, and won 3 "S" races with each. Any other thoughts.

And I also thank you for sharing all the info so far. I love this game!

Rich

Really? I just unlocked all the paint jobs on all the vehicles, and it did not give me a new truck.

You need to unlock on *ALL* vehicles, not just currently available vehicles. Some vehicles aren't available until you're at least on Super Excite mode and you've raced enough races to unlock all the vehicles. I believe there are 20 total vehicles to get the paint jobs on, but I don't have the game on right now. Keep Truckin'!

You need to unlock on *ALL* vehicles, not just currently available vehicles. Some vehicles aren't available until you're at least on Super Excite mode and you've raced enough races to unlock all the vehicles. I believe there are 20 total vehicles to get the paint jobs on, but I don't have the game on right now. Keep Truckin'!

Doh!

Got it. Thanks. Guess I'm about halfway there...

Rich

OK, I'm not a real experienced gamer. I'm still in Excite, but can't quite get an S on the Scotland track for in Gold or Platinum. I get within 5 points on both, but can't close the deal. I've gotten in S on everything else. So.....

- Are there any shortcuts or hints on getting a better time? I haven't been able to win either race (I've gotten 2nd several times). I feel like I'm missing something.

- What car should I be using? Which of the attributes are most important on those tracks?

I'm open to any other ideas/suggestions. I'm just getting a little frustrated doing these same races over and over. I need some help to get over the hump. I'm not doing great on the challenges either. I've passed one each on the crash and rings, but can't even come close on the gates on. Any hints there would be appreciated as well.

Thanks in advance.
Richii

Being able to get good air is important, but you should also try your luck with Tree Runs. Cut any corner you possibly can by cutting through the trees. The Scotland tracks are my favorites. I think I was stuck for a while on the same track you are...

Also try to land perfectly each time. Jump AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE so you can boost, especially in the watery areas where you can go full out without overheating.

Finally, coming off the jump by the castle, do a tree run after grabbing the powerup (I think there is one just after you jump the by the castle).

Good luck!

Just completed Challenge Mode on Super difficulty. Not an easy task! (Gate courses were insanely difficult.) Nothing huge resulted, but it did unlock new custom star-replacement icons which vary per track. (e.g. on Canada courses you'll have pine cones instead of stars, etc. I'll leave the rest as a mystery.)

Additionally, now that I have completely beaten both modes when I'm at the profile selection screen my profile is decked out with stars. :)

My only remaining task is to finish out my trophies. I have only one left to get, and I need another 189 Super Rings to reach it (those are the hardest for me). I'm going to be racing the Scotland Bronze Mirror Mode track a whole bunch... all I can say is, it better be worth it! Ah who am I kidding - the sense of satisfaction from finishing the game completely will be enough. :)

Have you EVER had a situation where you could get an "S" rating without winning a race? I read A LOT of reviews that said "you don't have to be first in order to progress..."

Shows that they played the game for all of 2 hours.

Have you EVER had a situation where you could get an "S" rating without winning a race?

Heh, funny thing is I beat the game by finishing second on my final 'S' score. See my post from 1/5/07 2:01 AM. I think I've gotten at least one other 'S' score when finishing in second, and I'm pretty sure I got one in 3rd too. :) Still, it's certainly a fluke when it happens. You have to hit all the stunts perfectly to be in that position.

Well, I collected my final trophy tonight, and ... nothing happened. So other than the feeling of accomplishment at finishing everything I could possibly do in the game, there's not much of a reward. Hopefully this is useful in case anyone else is continuing to race just to get trophies in hopes of unlocking something additional.

In any event, I got more game time out of Excite Truck than I ever would have imagined. Kudos to the developers for making a very fun and very challenging game (to beat), and let's hope they make a sequel at some point!

PS I ended up using the very first Bronze level Scotland track to collect super rings. Pretty easy to score 6 super rings per 2.5 minute race.

So other than the feeling of accomplishment at finishing everything I could possibly do in the game..., there's not much of a reward.
That's good to know, but just getting 100% complete is always a good feeling. I rarely have the patience to do it, so kudos to you for completing everything! I bow to your excellence. :D

-Dan

Thanks. It's been a while since I'd done it myself; I think Burnout 3 (PS2) was the last one for me. I guess racing games are one of the genres that I don't mind playing a lot ... at least, pseudo-racing games. :) Burnout / Excite Truck are more arcade racing than anything else, but I greatly prefer those types of games to something like Grand Turismo anyway.

Now I'm going to try to collect all 120 stars in Super Mario 64 since I never did that the first time around. :)

Thanks. It's been a while since I'd done it myself; I think Burnout 3 (PS2) was the last one for me. I guess racing games are one of the genres that I don't mind playing a lot ... at least, pseudo-racing games. :) Burnout / Excite Truck are more arcade racing than anything else, but I greatly prefer those types of games to something like Grand Turismo anyway.

Now I'm going to try to collect all 120 stars in Super Mario 64 since I never did that the first time around. :)

Have fun getting 100 coins in Tick Tock Clock...

I just finished unlocking all paint jobs. It's nice that you can use any tracks you want to do this -- that makes it easier, especially if you've found some tracks that you can do in your sleep.

I was a little disappointed with the truck that was unlocked, but only because I confused two of JoshuaL's posts. If you want to know exactly what I mean:

I thought the truck you got for unlocking all the paint jobs has unlimited turbo. But when I got it and it didn't have it, I re-read the posts and apparently you only get that when you beat the game. Still, this is a good truck in the mean time. :rolleyes:
-Dan

Here's some more tips for getting those hard-to-earn S's.

Remember that you don't have to win the race to get "S". You just have to get enough points, and not take too long. So how do you take advantage of this? When you have a track that you just can't seem to get "S" on, try these things:

1) Forget about winning. Focus on points.

2) Do super drifts like crazy, even if it causes you to overheat. Once you get the points for the Super Drift, if you're overheating, just crash into something. You'll be fresh as a daisy. :p

3) Crash into other vehicles as much as possible. Super Crashes (or whatever they're called) are EASY to get, as long as there are other cars around.

4) Super Tree Runs are easier to get than you might initially think. Drive close to trees on the side of the roads.

5) If you're on a track with lots of air, and a good air vehicle, focus on doing 1080s and Super Airs. You can get a lot of points for this.

I'm sure there are plenty of other ways to get points. Just remember that winning isn't everything!

-Dan

JoshuaL -

Regarding that "special" truck -- do you have to complete Mirror Mode to get it, or do you get it if you get all "S" in the non-mirror mode? I guess I'll find out soon enough, because all I have left in non-mirror mode is to get an "S" on that final track... Still, in case it takes me a while, I'd like to know.

-Dan

Dagware--

Thanks for the good advice. I did manage to get my last 2 "S" on regular Excite using that method. So now it's on to Super Excite. I've already unlocked 2 new trucks there.

Any recommendations for particularly good trucks to use among the new set of trucks about to be unlocked?

Rich

Dagware--

Thanks for the good advice. I did manage to get my last 2 "S" on regular Excite using that method. So now it's on to Super Excite. I've already unlocked 2 new trucks there.

Any recommendations for particularly good trucks to use among the new set of trucks about to be unlocked?

Rich
I don't remember all of the trucks, but I can give you some ideas. Usually you have a choice between good air and good handling. For each track, try to decide which is better. But I will say that it's not always what you would initially think, so if one type of truck isn't working, try another.

-Dan

Damn this game!!! I just can't seem to get "S" on the Diamond track no matter what I do. I won't give up, but it sure is frustrating!!
:confused: :o :( :mad: :eek: ... :cool:

-Dan

WOOOO HOOOOO! :D :D :D :D

I finally got "S" on the Diamond course! I thought I would never do it. For those of you who want some tips on this course, see below:
I knew that the secret to beating this track was the super tree runs. There's two POW icons on the course, and if you line them up right and have a steady hand, you can rack up MAJOR stars. In fact, I suspect if you're good at them and hit them all 4 times, you could probably finish last and still get "S".

However, I was having a really hard time with them. I just couldn't keep from hitting trees (or whatever they are in this track) right at the start. So I decided to try a different truck than the last two I usually use. I used Saguaro, and I found it a LOT easier to handle and keep straight in the super tree runs. The first time I used it, I almost got "S". It took a bunch more runs before I beat it, but I'm sure with a little practice I could wip this course's ass!
In getting "S" on this track, I was coming down to the finish line and I was in first place, but I didn't have quite enough points. You should have seen me wiggling my (car's) butt trying to do some drifts for those last few points. I ended getting it right on the number.

Now I'm off to Mirror Mode. At least it'll be easy in the beginning...

-Dan

Congrats! Yep, that's the best trick on that course. That's how I got an ungodly 243 on it (note: mirror mode version) and finished in 2nd place!

As far as your question from 1/24, you need to beat the whole game, including mirror mode, with S scores to unlock the final truck. They certainly make you work for it!

Congrats! Yep, that's the best trick on that course. That's how I got an ungodly 243 on it (note: mirror mode version) and finished in 2nd place!
NOW you tell me! :rolleyes: The funny thing is, now that I'm to that track in Mirror Mode, I can't do well at all. For some reason, flipping the track has thrown me way off. But I'm sure it will come, in time.
As far as your question from 1/24, you need to beat the whole game, including mirror mode, with S scores to unlock the final truck. They certainly make you work for it!
I'm sure the answer to this is "no," but I thought I'd ask anyway. When I finally do get the truck, do they let you start the game over with the new truck? In other words, reset all your stars and records and stuff, and let you run through all 3 modes again, but using the new truck? 'Cause that would be cool.

-Dan

I'm sure the answer to this is "no," but I thought I'd ask anyway. When I finally do get the truck, do they let you start the game over with the new truck?

As you probably already discovered ... yes, it's a no. Sorry. I agree being able to use the final truck in meaningful competition would have been fun. I ended up just using it to collect trophies (it's great for super truck smashes!)

As you probably already discovered
No, I'm ashamed to say that I haven't found out yet. I have two tracks left that for whatever reason I just can't seem to get an "S" in Mirror Mode. One of them is the final track, and I know that is just a matter of a little patience. I don't remember the name of the other one, but I can't for the life of me figure out how I did it before! I've tried everything I can think of. I'm thinking I might be missing something obvious, but I don't know...

One fun thing that happened when going through Mirror Mode is that on a couple of tracks, I found some semi-hidden tree runs (without POW icons) that, when navigated carefully, make it *really* easy to get "S" and finish way ahead of the other trucks. If only I could find one of those on the track I'm stuck on. Sigh.

-Dan

Sounds like I may have to pick this up!

I finally got this for my birthday. It's a lot more fun that I thought it would be. The first time I played it was only for about 10 minutes, doing the tutorial, and I was really afraid it wouldn't be a good game for me. It felt too fast and uncontrolling. Once I finished the tutorial and ran a couple more races, I felt a lot more comfortable. Now I'm up to the Gold cup and having a blast.

My most memorable moment is on one of the gold courses that I was having trouble with. I switched up my trucks a few times, this time to the one that had the best air. As I reached the summit right before a huge jump (using turbo all the way) I hit a rock formation that started to send me into a crash, but as I turboed in mid-flight, not only did it right me, but I was getting twice as much air as usual. I got the "Super Air" rating about halfway into my flight. It was crazy.

The only thing that could make this game better would have been a stage design mode like in Excite Bike. Could you imagine how much fun it would be to make custom maps and load them up to the internet somewhere or swap with friends? The game would be unstoppable.

I just got it recently as well. Its so playable and fun its hard to believe!

Already stacking up the stats, looking to go the whole way with this one.. plenty of fun gaming to be had :)

Its definately one of my favorite Wii titles so far. Really nicely designed.

What are the requirements to get an S grade? Is it just a bunch of stars? Or do you need to come in first + stars? I'm finding it tough just to get a B grade on some courses, where I'm finishing last but did enough during the course for a minimum. I fear that, though I get better at the tracks, that I won't be able to come in first for every race.

I just bought this on Ebay, new for $30. I can't wait to play!

What are the requirements to get an S grade?

You need a specific amount of stars, only, to get an S grade. I've done so finishing second and even third (but I wouldn't recommend that since it's a lot easier with bonus stars that come with 1st and 2nd place).

This may be a lame question, but I can't get the 2nd controller to get recognized by the Wii, in Excitetruck, so we can play the Versus mode. What am I doing wrong here??? Is there a certain screen I have to add it on, or a setting somewhere, to access Versus mode?

Anyone???

Not a lame question. I ran into the same thing when I bought my Wii last December. (since I hooked everything up and did not read the manual :)

You have to sync your controller before booting the game. They describe the procedure in the manual. I wish I could remember it. Once you do it, you do not have to do it again.

Thank you VERY much, I found the syncing method on Nintendo's website. Duh@me.

i want this game to be Multiplayer online.

I know, it's a shame it didn't do it right out of the box. I suppose the only slim possibility would be an update later down the line, but I don't know if that's even technically possible. One can only dream.

I'm still collecting S ranks in Super Excite right now. I'm having a heck of a time on one course... I can get enough stars to come in first and win, but I never come in first for those times, or when I do come in first, I'm always a couple stars short. I've had games where I started off with 3 Super Trees and a Super Smash in the first 20 seconds or so, and still come no where near to winning. I think I'm going to have to switch up my cars (I use the Monster Truck exclusively currently) to see if that'll help. The best part is that I'm still having fun, even though I've played the same course at least 30 times now.

i want this game to be Multiplayer online.


That would be awesome.

I finally got an S rank on the one race that I was having problems with. The trick for me was that I started doing Aerial Spins. My best so far is a 1440 degree spin, but they've all helped. If I'm coming off a jump with no rings, or if I miss the first ring, I'll start doing spins to make up more stars. It took a while and some practice, but I can get a Super Spin and still get Super Air on jumps where previously I only got Super Air. The extra 5 stars helps tremendously.

Stupid question from a so-so gamer ... how do you do the air spins? :confused: I cannot seem to get the hang of them ... even in the training mode, can't get one spin going. So, I imagine you want to get good height to start, right? Or not necessary? And then ...? Tilt the ends of the controller up and down, side to side, front and back ... ??? Which way do you have to move the controller to get the spin going? And to keep it going once you get it started? Is there a timing trick as well ... start out slow, start out fast, move as quickly as you can, catch the vehicle at a certain point when you go the opposite way???? Any hints appreciated :)

It's been a while, but if memory serves me correctly, you keep the buttons on the controller pointed towards the cieling, and tilt one end of the controller up. In other words, if the controller was the wing of an airplane, you'd tilt it like banking for a turn. The trick is, you have to tilt it one way, then the other, and the right timing of these tips will result in the truck spinning. It's not very easy until you get the hang of it.

For others out there, if I got this wrong, feel free to correct me! :o

-Dan

That's mostly correct, but you need to hold down the turbo button and the 1 button in mid-air as well.

What I do is take a jump that usually gives me a lot of air and turbo jump off. In mid-air I hold down 1 and the D pad then (as above) with the buttons of the controller still facing the ceiling I make a motion like milking a cow (for lack of better description) dropping my right hand and raising my left a couple inches for half a second, then doing the reverse. I can get a max of 4 spins with my best air, to give you an idea of timing (I think I could get 5 spins with practice). I don't know if you get additional stars after 3 spins though.

Once you do it a couple times it becomes a lot easier and just a matter of better timing and rhythm. My first spin was definitely my hardest. Once I did a couple accidentally, I started learning from my mistakes. One common mistake is that I'll tip the front of the truck down, losing air. You want to keep it tilted back to keep getting good air.

You'll probably all hate me for thread-crapping but I am in shock at this game. I rented this, played it for 20 minutes, and put it back in the case. Am I the only one who thinks this 'next-gen' game is horrible? No truck customizations, arcade-style racing (compared to some established franchises on the XBox and PSx), poor control, and graphics/textures that look like they came out of the PS1 era.

I definately am seeing how the Wii is going to be hurting at 480p if the aliasing in this game is indicative of what is to come. Or did they just mess up and this is really a 240i game? It kind of looks like it, with interlaced 'dust' too!

I hate to say it but this game makes me wonder if I should sell the Wii, if this is the best the console can do. I like Mario but this is nuts. I played the demo of "MotorStorm" for PS3 and it's actually a laughable comparison. Not just in image quality, but in polish, audio, and overall fun factor. What the heck happened to Nintendo? Take away the controller and there's nothing left.

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/7354/excitetruck200609140759lq9.th.jpg (http://img521.imageshack.us/my.php?image=excitetruck200609140759lq9.jpg)http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/1646/motorstorm2006120610373gp7.th.jpg (http://img501.imageshack.us/my.php?image=motorstorm2006120610373gp7.jpg)

I should dig up the original 'WaveRace' for N64... that was a heck of a lot of fun. I guess you couldn't tip the controller, but at least it had game mechanics.

Thanks dagware and dragonglen, I'll have to give those a try. Especially on the last track, the Scottish one, that I'm having a hard time getting an S on so I can move on the the Super challenge.

Wildfire99, yes, you're right ... time to sell your Wii. It was designed to get the family interactive, and it did. It's a fun game, not a heavy duty gamers game. It's not competition for the Xbox or PS3, it's in a class of its own ... which is beating the other two in sales and demand as it is involving the entire family. I know some folks who have said that it actually is bringing battling siblings and even step-siblings together, and keeping kids who were heading for trouble in the house and out of that trouble. They have posted as much on another board that I am active on, not a gamers or video related board. In fact, if you get it listed on ebay before supply matches demand, you might still make a profit on it, even slightly used. :) But don't compare it to other consoles, there is no comparison, it wasn't designed as such, it was designed with fun in mind ... and definitely succeeded in its goal. :D

I rather enjoy excite truck. I bought it earlier this week and have been playing the hell out of it. Even my wife enjoys it. But the true testiment to nintendos new strategy is the fact that during our memorial day bbq yesterday, my dad played the game constantly. This is a guy who hasn't played any video games since I was a kid and we would play RC Pro AM on the NES. The Wii may not have the greatest graphics, but they have destroyed everybody else when it comes to fun factor and accessability.

You'll probably all hate me for thread-crapping but I am in shock at this game. I rented this, played it for 20 minutes, and put it back in the case. Am I the only one who thinks this 'next-gen' game is horrible? No truck customizations, arcade-style racing (compared to some established franchises on the XBox and PSx), poor control, and graphics/textures that look like they came out of the PS1 era.

I definately am seeing how the Wii is going to be hurting at 480p if the aliasing in this game is indicative of what is to come. Or did they just mess up and this is really a 240i game? It kind of looks like it, with interlaced 'dust' too!

I hate to say it but this game makes me wonder if I should sell the Wii, if this is the best the console can do. I like Mario but this is nuts. I played the demo of "MotorStorm" for PS3 and it's actually a laughable comparison. Not just in image quality, but in polish, audio, and overall fun factor. What the heck happened to Nintendo? Take away the controller and there's nothing left.

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/7354/excitetruck200609140759lq9.th.jpg (http://img521.imageshack.us/my.php?image=excitetruck200609140759lq9.jpg)http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/1646/motorstorm2006120610373gp7.th.jpg (http://img501.imageshack.us/my.php?image=motorstorm2006120610373gp7.jpg)

I should dig up the original 'WaveRace' for N64... that was a heck of a lot of fun. I guess you couldn't tip the controller, but at least it had game mechanics.


Heheheh...

Friday I passed a copy to a room full of graphic designers and they loved it. All of it. We were playing it on a projector at about 6' image size and not one comment about bad graphics. But many comments about great gameplay.

Now I didn't have MotorStorm running for comparison ...

In any event, I agree that Wii graphics do generally suck. But if you're gonna pick two games for comparison, in order to show how weak the Wii is, you'd be better off comparing Gears of War and Far Cry Vengeance.

http://www.twitchguru.com/2007/03/22/excite_truck_vs_motorstorm/

Well I went back and played it again, trying out some different cars this time, and one thing I didn't compliment it on that it does well is the sheer sensation of speed. That might explain the low poly counts, even though I could swear there was a ton of pop-up whenever you got lots of 'air'.

But what really frustrates me about this game (and for the second time I did stop playing out of frustration) is the sheer lack of grip on any vehicle. Now I know why it made me think of WaveRace... your car really 'floats' on the ground instead of driving on it, it's like air hockey, or the warthog from "Halo" but without the grippy tires (yes, that's a joke). At least with WaveRace you could dig the side of your jetski into the water and cut a corner when you needed to, with Excite Truck I'm just slipping around from side to side, never sure where the limits of steering are with the floating Wii controller. Frustrating, but I guess not my cup of tea.

I'm just surprised that casual gamers wouldn't get frustrated by their car going everywhere on the track but where they point it, but maybe they just assume it's because they suck at games and have fun anyway. Goodness knows, the game is easy enough to win despite the levitating cars.

My concern is that (IMO) this is another game that seems to rely on a control gimmick instead of real game-play. As the topic says, where to go next from Excite Truck? Hopefully into the wastebin... no just kidding... :D maybe just a game that would be competitive on any platform, that doesn't require controller gimmicks. (Even the new DragonQuest game for Wii isn't a real 'game', it's just an action controller gimmick that merely looks like a real game.)

My fear is that while I kind of have a short attention span, a lot of people will end up getting "Wii Burn Out" before the year is up.

It's pretty clear the Wii wasn't intended for you. You don't get it and you probably never will so if I were you I wouldn't spend another cent on the Wii.

I don't know about anybody else here but I don't have much trouble getting my truck to go where I want. Of course I spent more than 20 minutes playing it before I gave up and labled it junk.

The Wii wasn't intened to compete with the 360 or the PS3 in terms of graphics but to compare it to a PS1 is ridiculous.

It's pretty clear the Wii wasn't intended for you. You don't get it and you probably never will so if I were you I wouldn't spend another cent on the Wii.

I don't know about anybody else here but I don't have much trouble getting my truck to go where I want. Of course I spent more than 20 minutes playing it before I gave up and labled it junk.

The Wii wasn't intened to compete with the 360 or the PS3 in terms of graphics but to compare it to a PS1 is ridiculous.

I agree 100% with this. The Wii is not your cup of tea and you should dump it if you find it frustrating. You should have tried it at a friend's house before buying one. Then you would have seen that the Wii is just a piece of junk controller gimmick with lousy low quality graphics and not a serious gamers console. It seems that most people who try them though love them, why you still can't get your hands on one. Which in turn should give you a good market to get rid of yours, even slightly used.

I have no trouble controlling the truck either, and I only half suck at games ;) It took some time to get the feel of it, less time than it took on Need For Speed PC, which I still haven't mastered and do find frustrating as a result.

Where next ... obvious answer ... eBay. Good luck, it should sell fast and easy. :D

Well I went back and played it again, trying out some different cars this time, and one thing I didn't compliment it on that it does well is the sheer sensation of speed. That might explain the low poly counts, even though I could swear there was a ton of pop-up whenever you got lots of 'air'.

But what really frustrates me about this game (and for the second time I did stop playing out of frustration) is the sheer lack of grip on any vehicle. Now I know why it made me think of WaveRace... your car really 'floats' on the ground instead of driving on it, it's like air hockey, or the warthog from "Halo" but without the grippy tires (yes, that's a joke). At least with WaveRace you could dig the side of your jetski into the water and cut a corner when you needed to, with Excite Truck I'm just slipping around from side to side, never sure where the limits of steering are with the floating Wii controller. Frustrating, but I guess not my cup of tea.

I'm just surprised that casual gamers wouldn't get frustrated by their car going everywhere on the track but where they point it, but maybe they just assume it's because they suck at games and have fun anyway. Goodness knows, the game is easy enough to win despite the levitating cars.

My concern is that (IMO) this is another game that seems to rely on a control gimmick instead of real game-play. As the topic says, where to go next from Excite Truck? Hopefully into the wastebin... no just kidding... :D maybe just a game that would be competitive on any platform, that doesn't require controller gimmicks. (Even the new DragonQuest game for Wii isn't a real 'game', it's just an action controller gimmick that merely looks like a real game.)

My fear is that while I kind of have a short attention span, a lot of people will end up getting "Wii Burn Out" before the year is up.


Atleast people are buying the Wii, the PS3 is a MAJOR failure. The Wii is outselling it over 3:1. Sony lost it's ass on the PS3 and now Blu-Ray is going down the crapper too. No wonder the CEO of Sony "retired".

Wow... I knew I was stirring the pot a bit but I didn't think that much. :)

As an OT: I bought the Wii after being disappointed with the PS3's game selection (and game cost!). Now that I'm looking at the Wii as a serious gaming platform (perhaps my error: it may be intended only as a toy) I keep finding games that emphasize interactive controller motion over gameplay, at least in my experience. I loved the GameCube to death... part of my Wii purchase was just to replace my broken 'Cube. Wii Sports is fun but only for about 10 minutes at a time.

I'll wait for Mario Galaxy and Metroid 3 before drop-kicking the Wii, but I really, REALLY hope that those games are fun and not just vehicles for "ooh look, you can fish/wiggle/swordfight/pick your nose by shaking the controller" stuff. Same for Excite Truck 2, I'd love to see a real 'game' like Motorstorm (which isn't saying much since Motorstorm is really shallow) that gets your heart racing for more reasons than your truck sliding around helplessly.

But I'll admit, I didn't "get" Mario Kart either, so perhaps Nintendo racing isn't my cup of tea. I'll leave you to enjoying Excite Truck now. :)

I remember when I first played Excite Truck I hated it. I think I raced a little, had such a hard time controlling any truck, and thought I made a mistake. However, I was still able to do okay in my races, so I decided to go through the tutorials and try again. Soon I started unlocking more trucks and found one I really liked. I too needed good handling. Then I started winning more, and having more fun with it.

Eventually I unlocked all the trucks and found that I'm now using the one with the worst handling, but it's actually an advantage for me because I have an easier time drifting. One of the keys to handling IMO, speaking directly to your analogy of being able to dig the jetski in the water for a tight turn, are the use of the brake and the turbo during a turn/drift. Once I started using the brake more (I had a habit of never touching the button) I found I could gain a lot more control over my turns. Using the turbo allows me to squeeze the most out of a drift for a Super Drift.

I don't know if the game is for you or not, but I know I had more fun with it once I learned to play it better. There are still some courses I get frustrated at, and want to throw the controller at my dog, but I just have the personality to want to sit and try harder, switching things up. Once I do finally beat the track I want to slam the controller on the ground and dance, but I can't since I don't want to wake the baby. I gotta learn to control my cursing though.

What kind of games do you like? Maybe the Wii isn't the right platform for those types of games. I've always enjoyed cartoony racers more than realistic racers, and mario party types of games more than Halo types of games. However, yesterday I was over my parent's house watching my brother play GoW on X360, and boy do I wish I had the visuals of that system on the Wii. It's a tradeoff, but it looked beautiful. I tend to get pissed off playing games like that unfortunately, but it's fun to watch and taunt the people playing.

um..buddy, this is a first gen Wii game...It's not going to look the greatest. The Wii has the ablity to push visuals 2-3X as good as the Gamecube. So if you look at last gen Cube titles like Zelda Twilight Princess or Resident Evil 4...imagine that X2 or X3, and that is what we will have in late 08'/early 09. Developers need time to learn the hardware.

Just compare Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness for the PS2 (2003)

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/tombraideraod_021203_1.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/traod_011403_3.jpg http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/traod_011403_2.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/traod_011403_1.jpg

vs Tomb Raider Anniversary (due out next week)

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/752/752165/lara-croft-tomb-raider-anniversary-20061221034711708.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/785/785750/lara-croft-tomb-raider-anniversary-20070504003358075.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/777/777243/lara-croft-tomb-raider-anniversary-20070330103133021.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/774/774443/lara-croft-tomb-raider-anniversary-20070320044349521.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/785/785750/lara-croft-tomb-raider-anniversary-20070504003359075.jpg
Patience.

Just compare Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness for the PS2 (2003)
Unfortunately the new Tomb Raider shots are not for the Wii. I know this because they are too high resolution--and no aliasing. Ironically, the 'gross and old' PS2 shots ARE at Wii resolution... 640x480. Resampling the new Tomb Raider pics to 480 doesn't make it that more awful, except for blurring of the background features, but that's still cheating because that mimics a 4x super-sampling algorithm which the Wii can't implement. That's not a big deal, it just means that graphics prowess is irrelevant for that title. The original Tomb Raider was terribly fun, and it had abysmal graphics by today's standards... but it had fascinating locales and consistent, predictable game-play aside from the occasional 'fall to your doom' platform jumping thing.

What kind of games do you like? Maybe the Wii isn't the right platform for those types of games. I've always enjoyed cartoony racers more than realistic racers, and mario party types of games more than Halo types of games.
I could care less about visuals if the game play is solid. I loved Halo 2 and "Wind Waker" to death, because you spent more time doing things than fighting controls. My two 'go-to' games of the month are Resistence:FOM (very fun for pick-up sessions aside from the retarded cut-scene interruptions), and Metal Slug Anthology, which is old but terribly fun for 15-minute sprints of mayhem.

If anything I will give an example that I think few will have a problem with. Mario64 versus Mario Sunshine. Why does the latter suck compared to the former? Personality and focus in development!

My fear is that controller trickery is replacing game play. Controller trickery enhances game play, it should never define it. Nor should you have to learn a totally new control scheme for every game (and I don't mean merely remapping button layouts). Nintendo has a strong portfolio but they also have a history of doing stupid things with their lead, like having expensive cartridge games, or joint-dev'ing a CD add-on then pissing off the other dev spawning the world's most successful video game platform ever... :confused:

So let me reiterate using the Tomb Raider metaphor. How would you feel about a PS3 version of "Tomb Raider X" at 1080p, with the successful dual-shock controller, that plays like you remember the original did, but with more finesse?

But then you have the Wii port, at 480p. Not a big deal, and graphics aren't my concern since they CAN be done right if the dev cares. But now you have the controller. You can't even play the game without buying a new 'classic' controller, or using a complicated control scheme. So now you've got a wiimote and nunchuck. Use the left-hand (only) analog stick to move Lara, considering that most people are right-handed. To jump you have to flick the wiimote forward. When hanging, you have to jiggle the wiimote side-to-side to side-step or side-climb. You have to move both the 'chuck and 'mote to swim, butterfly style. And aiming is done by pointing the 'mote at the screen mouse-style. Don't forget to move with your left thumb so you don't get pounded by other bad guys. It's too complicated. I think people will get tired of it eventually. The other option is kicking back in your lounge chair with the ol' DualShock (or similar pad) and having a 2-hour gaming session without having to get all frustrated that you didn't flick in time or tilt right or point fast enough. With the Wii paradigm, suddenly you have an otherwise successful game that is not enjoyable because you're spending more time trying to be ambidextrous and remembering what to flick when, instead of allowing control to be a natural extension of your body, freeing your mind to worry instead about what is behind that door, or how to solve that puzzle. You know... the game.

And the "Metal Slug" game I enjoy on Wii? It's marred by one thing--you have to somewhat violently flick the controller thing forward to throw a bomb... over, and over, and over, and over again. Because there isn't a third button on the stick... like the Sega Genesis had back in 1988. And don't even bother to ask how complex the "arcade" configuration is with the 'mote and 'chuck together, just to emulate a Neo-Geo arcade 3 button+stick configuration.

I think I read that the 80's Nintendo corporate chain has all moved on, which will probably be a good thing. Today's "Nintendo Wins" article said the Wii is outselling the PS3, 3-to-1. So for now they're doing well, they just need to keep up the momentum and not fall prey to the 'Power Glove' mentality. Or the "R.O.B. the Robot" mentality. Or the "Super Scope" mentality. Or the "Virtual Boy" mentality. Or the SNES "mouse" mentality. The LaserScope. The GameBoy camera. The 64DD. The PowerPad. The Famicom floppy drive. The Playstation! OMG. Need I go on? Is it sad that I can go on? Does the wiimote and 480p output fall into those categories, or will this 'revolution' break the pattern? I don't know myself yet, but as a fan of Nintendo, I am concerned.

Games are only going to be spackle over the hardware gaps, so it needs to be thick and fast in coming.

Unfortunately the new Tomb Raider shots are not for the Wii. I know this because they are too high resolution--


Those Tomb Raider Anniversary shots are from the PS2 version (running in 480p). Link (http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/835/835742/imgs_1.html)

The game is squeezing over 99.8%+ of the power out of the system, just like God of War 2. Earlier PS2 games didn't come close to using the system's full potential...much like the current crop of Wii games. That was my point.

That's simply not possible. It's probably the PC version. Unless the PS2 outputs 1000+ pixels of vertical resolution. I don't see any interpolation there at all, they are very clean (a hint of edge enhancement around the bears but that could be the image processing software too). Anniversary from what I read is PC, PS2, PSP and Wii.

Anyway, I don't disagree about graphical prowess, at least not yet because definately we have not seen devs squeezing blood out of the Wii. My concern is still with control and games that are created solely as a control gimmick, and that's something that can change today with the devs.

I think I understand where wildfire99 is coming from in regards to controller scheme. For instance, in Super Paper Mario, after you jump on a baddie you can shake the controller around or something to get extra points. I've done this about a dozen times, tops, after about 15 hours of gameplay. It's annoying with little benefit. If I was forced to do this, I wouldn't enjoy the game nearly as much, and might stop playing.

On the other hand, the controls for Excite Truck seem much more natural, and none seem forced at all. I can't think of an annoying part of the control scheme for Excite Truck, and haven't been frustrated by any part of it other than getting used to steering early on, though I have that problem with most driving games (arcade, PC, whatever) because each of them have a different feeling.

But what really frustrates me about this game (and for the second time I did stop playing out of frustration) is the sheer lack of grip on any vehicle.
I just saw this post, and I haven't read in detail the following posts (mostly because they've thread-drifted), so perhaps this has already been addressed. However, in case it hasn't: As you progress, you get trucks with better grip. So get a grip! ;) :p

-Dan

I only have one more track to get an S rank in to beat Super Excite... the last one. My biggest problem is that I'm having a terrible time trying to hit the POW icons, and the best I've ever finished was 5th. Air Spins have been helping a lot, but boy I forgot how tough this track was.

On another note, I might actually get to play some multiplayer this weekend. I'm interested to see how fun it is. I still wish the game was online though.

I only have one more track to get an S rank in to beat Super Excite... the last one. My biggest problem is that I'm having a terrible time trying to hit the POW icons, and the best I've ever finished was 5th. Air Spins have been helping a lot, but boy I forgot how tough this track was.

On another note, I might actually get to play some multiplayer this weekend. I'm interested to see how fun it is. I still wish the game was online though.
Learn how to hit those icons, and to make tree runs without hitting anything. The tree runs can really make big a difference. Look for them.

-Dan

RE: the control thing.

I bought the Wii specifically because I HATE console controllers. Always have. I grew up with Atari joysticks and have always been opposed to using my thumbs (pun intended) for moving joysticks. God, anyone else remember those stupid thumb mice?

Anyways. Some games aren't implementing the Wiimote like they should. But, those tend to be ports or cross platform games. If the game was designed around the wiimote, it'd feel right using the wiimote.

The Wiimote is the next most accurate controller to the mouse. For "pointing" games like FPS's, it's more accurate.

Using it for driving/flying, it's great. If only the dev's would figure out what YAW is...

I'm 38, got the Wii Dec 26 and still play Excite truck every week. I haven't beat the game though, I just don't have hours a week to devote to playing. Life does get in the way.

I wish N had a VGA cable, I want to hook the Wii up to my projector and make a backyard screen. I'm going to have to buy one of those transcoders :(

I finally unlocked mirror mode. On the last track, instead of competing, I just focused on hitting as many tree runs and aerial spins as I could. I came in last place, and even had to turn around before the finish line, but I did get an S rank. Now I get to go through the whole game backwards.