Coming out of E3 2006, Excite Truck was a question mark. The name was familiar, though the mechanics and… well, mostly the mechanics were in question. Although Excite Truck doesn’t share too many similarities with the Excite Bike series, it is still a blast and oh… it plays really well too.

Excite Truck may not push the same visual limits as other next-gen racers, but it is no slouch when compared to other Wii launch titles. Special effects are thrown all over the place, from splashing water to mud to lots of lighting effects – the game has it all. Levels are huge and feature real-time terrain deformation. One moment the ground could be flat and the next it is a big hill.

Music is okay and features mostly guitar licks and some funk. When you get big air the music fades, which is a nice touch. The big news is that you can store your own custom soundtrack on a SD card and use it instead.

Excite Truck is very much an arcade racer, only with a twist. The best analogy would be Beetle Adventure Racing, but I only think about five played that so it might not be the best example.

Gameplay is built with jumps in mind. You still race around rocky, mountainous tracks, but most of your time is spend taking big jumps off of terrain that is constantly readjusting itself. As you drive through the course, you’ll come across exclamation points that will morph the terrain when you drive through them. Sometimes the shifting terrain will help you by making it easier to grab stars, but it can also make things trickier for your opponent if they aren’t expecting a shift. The mechanic isn’t used to its fullest, but it is still neat in that you can never settle into a track.

In order to win tracks, you must collect a number of stars. Coming in first place is always your main goal, although collecting a specific number of stars is the only way you can unlock new cups and tracks. Stars can be obtained in a variety of ways, including staying in the air a long time, drifting, hitting other trucks, traveling though consecutive rings …there are lots of ways to earn stars. Winning a race will also net you a few stars, but you have to get other stars if you want to get anywhere.

Tracks are large and many include alternate paths. In addition to exclamation points, POW blocks are also found on the field. Driving through these will make you invincible for a short time, allowing you to crash through trees or other trucks.

Excite Truck offers a few modes outside the main single-player experience. There are three mini-games that are good for practicing techniques and a multiplayer mode. Multiplayer, however, is limited to two players and is pretty weak.

Like most Wii games, half the challenge in Excite Truck is coming to grips with the controls. Generally, the controls are easy to understand, though they will take adjustment. Again, only a little movement is needed when steering; making large, wild steering motions (like the kind you used to make when you "pretend drove" as a kid) will send you careening all over the track.

As far as gameplay goes, Excite Truck is fun and challenging. Simply winning races is only half of battle; the other is learning when to boost and how to acquire as many stars as you can.

Excite Truck uses only the Wii-mote, so there is no need to use the nunchuck attachment. The controller is held sideways; tilting the controller left and right steers your truck. The trick is that only a little movement is needed, so the wild over-exaggerated movements you tend to see in Wii ads will only make the game harder to control. Pressing 2 accelerates while 1 is your brake, however it is rare that you’ll ever actually use the brakes, which is typical for an arcade racer. Pressing the D-pad activates boost, giving you a little extra speed. Use it too much, however, and you’ll burn up your engine.

Tilt controls are used for more than steering. While in the air, you can steer around to try and adjust your landing, or tilt forwards and backwards to adjust your trajectory. Jumps are a major part in the game, so learning to properly "steer" in the air is just as important as steering on the ground.

Excite Truck is a great launch game for the Wii. It is fun and shows just what the system is about. The sensitive controls are the only major hurdle to jump and it isn’t a very high one to clear.