Vimm's Lair: Wii Reviews - ExciteBots: Trick Racing

Wii
ExciteBots: Trick Racing

Graphics:
Sound:
Gameplay:
Overall:
8.91
9.26
9.69
9.49
Votes: 35
Reviews: 1


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Reviewer: FLOWRIDER0 Date: Jul 4, 2023
ExciteBots: Trick Racing somehow lines up just perfectly to create one of the greatest arcade racing games I've played. This game is better experienced than explained, I suggest playing through the tutorial and a few races then coming back here to reflect on what the hell you just went through. A racing game that has you pilot giant transforming animal vehicles where you play bowling and perform gymnastics halfway through a lap seems like a stupid game that doesn't seem like it should work on paper, but in reality, it works and works well.

Graphics: 8
The graphics are nothing special, but the game does have really good graphics in the final racetrack. The overall design of all the vehicles are really well thought out and each have their own charm. They have influenced my own character design by quite a bit.

Sound: 9
The game's soundtrack SLAPS. Enough said. The entire soundtrack is sure to get stuck in your head for at least a week after putting the controller down. The sound effect design is decent. Nothing seems out of place and won't seem jarring during play.

Gameplay: 10
This game is fun as hell. It's super fast paced and the controls are nice and responsive. The goal is not only to be in first place, but to collect as many stars as you can during a race. You get stars for doing almost anything, from kicking a football (both kinds) into a goal, to doing proper dismounts off of a gymnastics bar, though there is a hefty bonus if you manage to get into first place by the end. These stars aren't just for show, at the end of each race you are ranked for how many stars you get from D to A, and if you get enough stars, you can get an S rank. These stars can also be used to buy new vehicles, but due to poor balancing, you will find yourself using the bat over anything else due to it having the best stats in the game and being a part of the first few cars you get at the start. As for the racing itself, it's super hectic and the boost mechanic will make you feel like you're moving at over Mach 3 at all times. If you find that normal mode is too easy, S ranking all of normal mode will unlock hard mode. Hard mode will test your skills to their limits, especially in the crystal nebula.

Overall: 9
The only thing keeping this from a perfect 10/10 is that the game lacks 4 player split screen. You can race a friend in 2 player split screen, but proper 4 player local multiplayer would have been nice. Physical copies of this game go cheap and can be found in a local shovelware bin near you. Don't let this diamond in the rough pass you by and go burn some rubber!

Like I said earlier, this game is easier experienced than explained. I highly suggest trying it out as there are lots of things I've left out.