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Excitebots: Trick Racing

EMAILPRINTwii

Excitebots: Trick Racing
77
8.7 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 29 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 17 votes
Read user comments
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Game Info

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Monster Games

Genre(s): Racing, Driving

Players: 2

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: April 20, 2009

Summary

High-speed action. Robotic insect and animal racers. Wii Wheel controls. Bowling, poker, clowns - and sandwiches! Add them all together and you get the wild, nonstop fun of Excitebots: Trick Racing. This game takes the big-air thrills and simple pick-up-and-play controls of Excite Truck and ramps up the fun with a constant barrage of funky challenges and mini-games performed at blinding speed. Players shoot goals, throw pies and even play poker in the middle of rowdy races around off-road tracks. Having your vehicles drive, walk or fly around the track quickly is one thing, but it's more important to go around in style. Players earn stars for huge jumps, cool tricks and daring feats at high speed. Six players can race online via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in both Excite Race and Poker Race modes. If friends can't join online, players can exchange ghost data via WiiConnect24 and challenge their friends to outdo their most daring tricks. [Nintendo]

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

91

Gaming Age

Excitebots is intense and wacky racing rolled into one. The game throws conventional wisdom out the window and just focuses on the player having a good time. It’s easily of the best racing games I’ve played and it’s sure to put a smile on anyone who’s fortunate enough to pick it up.

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90

Zentendo

Excitebots won't appeal to anyone wanting a realistic driving simulation, but pretty much anyone else ought to be able to appreciate its refreshing take on the genre: the slick controls, the sense of speed, the microgames...everything adds up to a game that is simply addicting and a blast to play, both online and offline, and enough content to keep you coming back for more.

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90

NintendoWorldReport

A fantastic game. While it hasn't perfected what Excite Truck started, it offers a fresh experience that is unlike anything before. Even fans of Excite Truck will be thrown for a loop when they take on the virtual high-speed obstacle course that is Excitebots.

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90

Nintendo Life

One of the most enjoyable Nintendo Wii titles to date and a game that's almost impossible to put down once you begin playing it. It may not feature the depth of Gran Turismo or Forza, but its a damn sight more entertaining.

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90

GameFocus

If you are a fan of Excitetruck for the Nintendo Wii then this is a no brainer must buy for you and if you are unfamiliar with the Excite series, this is simply the best off road arcade action racing game out there, including those on the other two consoles. If you own a Wii, then you should own this.

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86

Cheat Code Central

It's enjoyable, fast, challenging, and delightfully absurd. It's not a perfect game by any stretch, but it's definitely worthy of a place in any racing fan's library.

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85

Game Informer

Excitebots succeeds where Excite Truck didn’t. Monster Games didn’t just add features, it improved the whole formula.

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85

Da Gameboyz

Excitebots: Trick Racing is a fun and exciting racing game that provides quite an enjoyable experience with some added mini games and crazy stunts thrown into the mix.

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85

Gamervision

Excitebots: Trick Racing may not be the most innovative racing game ever made, but it’s zany, fun, and something I would go back to.

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84

IGN

Excitebots Trick Racing is a great racing experience that I sincerely hope gets more attention and recognition than Excite Trucks ever did. Monster Games' previous effort was fantastic, but this unofficial sequel is better in just about every regard.

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83

1UP

Even though it won't wow you with its inventiveness, ExciteBots succeeds on the st[r]ength of its fun racing that keeps challenging you to one more go without ever getting frustrating.

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83

GameShark

In so many ways, this feels like a return to the simple, all-ages fun that the older Mario Kart games offered. It’s totally satisfying, challenging (though never frustrating) and completely ridiculous in the best way.

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81

Nintendojo

Excitebots has a few dinks and scratches on its surface, especially in the sound department, which is screaming for SD Card soundtrack support. But none of this outer wear-and-tear messes with the overall ride.

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80

GameDaily

It may lack the features in other racing games, but Excitebots will keep your hands glued to the remote.

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80

GameSpot

Excitebots takes speedy racing and injects it with crazy stunts and wacky minigames. The result is riotously fun.

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80

Games Radar (in-house)

Excitebots is a step up from its four-wheeled cousin and possibly just bizarre enough to hold your attention for far longer.

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80

Giant Bomb

As time passes, it gets harder and harder to find games that can actually offer a surprise, so I found the ways in which Excitebots managed to catch me off-guard to be quite pleasing. Even amongst its arcade-style ilk, Excitebots isn't a very nuanced racing game, but it's loud, ridiculous, and crazy enough to be plenty of fun anyway.

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80

Nintendo Power

The game's motion controls work great with either the Wii Remote or the Wii Wheel, and are a little more forgiving than in Excite Truck. [May 2009, p.87]

80

GameZone

Excitebots will make you glad you bought that circular piece of plastic known as the Wii Wheel.

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80

games(TM)

It manages to make the act of perseverance a relentlessly fun experience at all times. Yet for all its hardcore credentials, it also remains an instantly accessible racer as fun for non-gamers as it is for the elite. [July 2009, p.127]

80

Eurogamer Italy

ExciteBots is a genuine and funny game, absolutely fresh and unusual in its nature of half racing game and half hardcore party game. The choice of Nintendo of not supporting such a particular product makes Nintendo itself double guilty, thinking about the sad destiny of ths great game. Lovers of arcade can't appreciate something special, because of marketing strategies and missing logic. Nintendo of Europe, let us hear your voice!

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76

GameTrailers

It's a little light on features, but it delivers where it really counts. The racing is fast and with enough peripheral elements to keep it interesting, and its crazier side makes it unique.

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75

Destructoid

Just a hair less satisfying than the best of racing games, but compensates well for its shortcomings with nearly endless amounts of peculiar, one-of-a-kind tricks.

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75

Hardcore Gamer Magazine

Wii owners waiting for the next big game will not find it in Excitebots: Trick Racing. It suffers from some over-responsive controls and lacks the depth of contemporaries like Mario Kart Wii.

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70

GamePro

It tries everything, and is maybe a bit too crazy for its own good, but it's definitely unforgettable. Your mileage will vary in accordance with your sanity.

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68

NGamer UK

There's certainly lots of it, just not that much to it. [July 2009, p.68]

67

Game Revolution

For cheap thrills, ExciteBots gets the job done. The transforming creepy crawly machines are so much fun to watch in action that it seems unfair to judge this game too harshly. Unfortunately, it’s also hard not to feel that with a bit more time and care, the core idea could have been expanded into a brilliant kart-style racer.

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60

Teletext GameCentral

Despite all the effort to seem wacky and surreal this is an oddly un-engaging follow-up to Excite Truck.

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40

Edge Magazine

It's the Excitebots themselves that disappoint most, so drearily conceived that they make the predecessor's humble trucks look like flaming DeLoreans. [July 2009, p.100]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

James S gave it a10:
Super fun. Surprisingly deep. The only things it is missing are common shortcomings on Wii games: no voice chat in multiplayer, no global leaderboards, no community support from the publisher, etc.

Quint S gave it a9:
Pretty good, still think Mario Kart has more replay with the online... but a SOLID second game to turn to for fast, over the top racing.... good online too.

Matt S gave it a9:
A worthy successor to Excite Truck - more of the same, plus crazy new features. Still a great racer.

Jeff W gave it a9:
Great game! Highly addictive, great online component, "faster" than Mario Kart, but unlike MK Wii - the Wheel is ACTUALLY accurate. Plus it's a "budget" title ($40 US retail). Do yourself & your Wii a favor - get Excitebots.....NOW!!!

Terry J gave it a10:
Incredible game, if you enjoyed Excite Truck, there's no doubt whatsoever that you'll absolutely love Excitebots. The game still contains the fast crazy fun as its predecessor, yet is better in almost every regard. On top of this, online play is seemless and even better then Mario Kart. 10/10.

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