ExciteBots: Trick Racing Review

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(More customer reviews)There is no question about the appeal of racing games on the Nintendo Wii. After the massive success of Mario Kart Wii last year, it has honestly been very difficult to see that if Nintendo can actually top itself again. Well, Nintendo has shown that eagerness again. When the Wii got launched in 2006, one of the introduction titles was Excite Truck. the game did a good job at showing the need for speed onto the Wii. But the game was sadly overlooked in place of other titles like Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and the dynamic Wii Sports, which of course came with the system. Well, Nintendo is going to try the racing series yet again, and this time it is a bit stranger than before.
Excitebots: Trick Racing for the Nintendo Wii, brings in the wild, and honestly a bit weird into the gaming, as you race not cars or trucks, but robotic animals. Yes, robotic animals like Bats, Grasshoppers and Beatles. It might seem akward, but it does bring in a new twist in racing. The gameplay does work as it did before with Excite Truck, the way to score and unlock new races, is to perform outrageous stunts like Ring Jumps, perform tricks, and smash your opponents. The graphics look good, but the gameplay is also interesting. You can control the game like you did before with Excite Truck, by steering the controler like it is a wheel, or you can also use the Wii Wheel, which comes with this package, or if you've bought Mario Kart Wii.
There are a few new things here that make the game a bit strange. One of the things includes the extra bonuses you get during the race, are from racing stunts like throwing and scoring in darts, from trying to score a bowling strike, to tossing a pie in the clowns' face. You can also score stars by performing twirls on hanging bars. This requires a lot of control and especially tight timing. The other new feature is the use to play against other racers online through the Wi-Fi. It makes the games a bit interesting, as you score your way first to the finish line, as you and as many as 5 other racers make your way through tracks around the world from Asia, Africa, and Europe.
While there are a lot of new things here, there sadly is a few faults with the game. The first big disadvantage is the control. It can be very tricky at first, but it takes awhile to get used to. Also, unlike Mario Kart Wii, you cannot use the Gamecube or Wii Classic Controllers either. The game mainly uses the Wii-mote. The second disadvantage is the online gaming. While you can race against other Excitebots online, they could've allowed it to allow more than just 6 racers for a match.
You can buy Excitebots: Trick Racing with, or without the Wii Wheel definitely. But, if you haven't bought Mario Kart Wii, you might want to get the expanded version with the Wii Wheel, for a bit more extreme gameplay. Nevertheless, despite a few faults, Excitebots: Trick Racing definitely brings in a bit of weirdness into gameplay that is sure to knock you off your rockers. If you haven't yet played Excite Truck, than you'll definitely want a new spin on what makes the Wii extreme with Excitebots: Trick Racing.
Graphics: B
Sound: B
Control: B 1/2-
Fun & Enjoyment: B- for solo; B 1/2- for multiplayer
Overall: B-

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Gameplay In ExciteBots: Trick Racing players race around internationally located tracks in the form of their favorite insect, amphibian or mammal themed bot. Each bot has its own special abilities which will serve players well when they find themselves on the right terrain to take advantage of these. As with pretty much any racing game, a major goal is to complete the course at the highest speed possible, but players are also tasked with performing stunts and participating in mini-games. Players win bonus stars for crossing the finish line sooner, but stunts, style and these mini-games are as important as speed. For example: have you ever wished that you could play poker while racing? Think you can toss a dart or roll a bowling ball while leaving the competition in the dust? ExciteBots provides you with your chance. Stars can be traded for a variety of goodies, like new vehicles, tracks, icons and statues. Control Schemes The control scheme of ExciteBots is easy and fun. The game canbe played with just a Wii Remote or via the combinationof a Wii Remote and a Nintendo Wheel accessory/any third party wheel.The 2 Button on the Wii Remote controller is the gas. The + control padgives drivers a speed boost. Players turn the Wii Wheel accessory leftor right to steer, tilt the Wii Wheel in midair to glide or to adjustpitch for perfect landings, swing the Wii Wheel in circular motions aroundboost bars to build up speed and press the A Button to activate itemsor to cash in hands in Poker Mode. Key Features
Special ExciteBots: Trick Racing bundle features included Nintendo Wii Wheel.
The game takes the big-air thrills and simple pick-up-and-play controls of ExciteTruck 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.
2-player multiplayer versus mode featuring split screen display is also available for local play.
Special Moves Just as in ExciteTruck, drivers can hit blocks that morph the terrain before their eyes and create ramps from which players can launch mega-jumps. Players can aim for and swing around boost bars or open presents that unleash a variety of wild items, such as bottle rocket boosts or clacker mouths that chomp on other racers to slow them down. Mini-Games Now what about those mini-games. Do you know of any other game that features high-speed robotic racers combined with bowling, poker, clown faces and sandwich making? Didn't think so, but how do these game work?
Soccer: Drive into the soccer ball and attempt to hit it into the goal.
Bowling: Drive through the pins and attempt to get a strike.
Darts: Line up your bot and let the dart fly. Try to hit bull's-eye in the distance.
Clowns: Hit the clown in the face with a pie by throwing it at just the right angle and speed.
Sandwiches: Drive through the ingredients in the proper order to make a delicious sandwich.
*Note that broadband access is required for online play.

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Boom Blox Review

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(More customer reviews)Boom Blox is the perfect example of what a good Wii game should be. It is innovative, intuitive, and most of all, fun. Gamers and non-gamers alike will be able to pick this game up and start playing within seconds.
First off, I'll get the bad news out of the way. Graphically this game isn't going to wow anyone. The graphics are adequate and never go beyond that. The sound and music is instantly forgettable. The characters are saccharine cute, uninspired and half of them make weird grunting noises like a puppy with a bad case of painful gas. Hardcore gamers will likely dismiss this game as a throw-away cutsie/kiddie title. I wouldn't blame them, but that would be their loss. On a side note, if you're a fan of Happy Tree Friends, the characters bear a striking resemblance... except they are block-shaped.
The good news is that just about everything else in this game is very well designed and fun. To truly grasp how the gameplay works you have to see it in action, but I'll try to describe it as best I can. The premise of this physics-based puzzle game is that each level will have a challenge, such as destroy every gem block or carefully unstack a pile of rectangular blocks much like you would as if you were playing Jenga. Some levels will have you throwing tennis balls, bombs, or bowling balls at to interact with the level while others may have you spraying fire hoses and blasting things with lasers. Some levels encourage you to operate with delicate precision and others encourage reckless, destructive behavior. Overall, the game has a good balance. The gameplay is varied and the use of the Wii controls is very impressive (with one minor exception being the light-gun style mini-games which are very rare). This game really could have been terrible. Too many developers would have slapped some half-baked control scheme onto this game and called it good, but this is one of those rare games where the developer obviously put a lot of thought into the control.
I haven't played multi-player very much, but what I've played is very fun and enjoyable. Single player is addictive, so much so that I was late to a dinner meeting because my friends kept urging me to check out the next level. Most of the levels are clever and leave the player with a great sense of accomplishment when completed. After every five or six levels a new feature or function is opened up, which keeps the gameplay from getting stale. From what I can tell there are hundreds of levels built into the game PLUS the game includes a full featured level editor allows you to modify existing levels and create your own in addition to being able to share your creations with others on the internet.

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BOOM BLOX?, the first game developed in collaboration between EA and director and producer, Steven Spielberg, is a high-energy game featuring over three hundred levels, a variety of activities, a cast of over thirty wacky characters, and an easy-to-use in-game editor that allows players to express their creativity. BOOM BLOX’s visceral gameplay is perfectly suited for the Wii’s interactivity.The action gets going fast and the fun never ends as you throw baseballs, blast lasers, save wacky animal characters, explore cool worlds and more!

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Sonic Free Riders Review

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(More customer reviews)Let me introduce Sonic, master of the most grueling thigh workout on the Kinect. You probably thought you'd need to buy an exercise title featuring a screaming trainer to get a good workout. Well, it turns out this little racer will bring you to your knees as you use your whole body to twist, turn and jump your hoverboard through 16 tracks.
You can upgrade your board gear temporarily with energy pickups like a soda rocket or fully to extreme gear, which is available in both board and bike formats. The hoverboard reacts like a snowboard on steroids. Maneuvering requires your whole body:
*Cornering involves bending your body forward at the waist or backwards to steer;
*Jumping is self-explanatory but power jumping requires you to crouch down for a few seconds before leaping into the air;
*A kick dash is completed using a kick gesture using your back foot with a good follow-through;
*Braking requires squaring your shoulders toward the screen; and
*Your hands are kept busy to catch rings, grab horizontal bars, wipe away foggy screens and to cling to the bottom of trains (?!).
The game provides an extensive tutorial along with a host named Omochao, who also serves as the game commentator. I highly recommend casual gamers take the time to go through the tutorials. This isn't a bowling game you can simply step up and play.
I completed two racetracks and slumped into the couch. A trickle of sweat ran along my spine, my legs trembling. Brain synapse fired in all directions and soon I was hearing Robert Klein wailing on the harmonica and singing "I can't stop my leg."
The gameplay is not as extensive as the granddaddy of kart racers, Mario Kart DS. However, what Sonic Free Riders lacks in depth is more than made up with by the physical racing experience that comes from using the Kinect system. Even my 8-year old son stopped after competing in four consecutive races to catch his breath and get a drink of water.
So, what are the negatives?
*The controls are not perfect. Don't let early frustration turn you away. The game doesn't respond as smoothly as it would if we were gripping steering wheels. We found it helped to recalibrate the Kinect for this game and widen our playing area a couple feet to allow side-by-side racing.
*The menus are maddening. I'm tired of sweeping options left and right. Game designers need to hold back their Kinect zeal. Keep the menus basic, like a simple drop-down menu format, and save the wild moves for the game itself.
*The online features aren't that attractive. Fortunately for us, with four in our family, there's plenty of competition at home.
In summary, if you are willing to invest practice time, this is a fun, family game that also delivers a good full-body workout, too. With the initial library of Kinect games including dogs like Game Party: In Motion, "Sonic Free Riders" is a good value, especially for kids. Rating: Four stars.
Hey, look. My leg stopped.

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GripShift Review

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(More customer reviews)First thing you must know, this game is not a racer. Everyone knows the PSP has enough racers, and this isn't in that category. It has some racing in it, but its so much more. Its been said before, but its a combination racer, platformer, and puzzle game.
The game play is addictive and a lot of fun. Its one of those games where you want to play it for "just a few more minutes" and end up spending hours with it.
The game is broken up between Challenges (puzzle courses), Races, and Mini Games. Challenges are bulk of the game and are a blast (and challenging, go figure). For each Challenge there are 3 tasks, you need to try to get a Gold Medal by beating a set time, collect all the stars, and find the hidden icon. These tracks are increasingly difficult as you progress, but are rewarding when you complete them.
As you progress through the game you have a choice of a large number of cars (that are unlockable) that all have different handling characteristics.
The Mini-games are a blast. Penguin bowling is addictive, Pool is a fun, and there are 4 or 5 other games. All of them are original and fun, including Snake which is a play on Trons bikes.
There is a lot of gameplay and things to do in this game. If you don't want to do Challenges, then try the races (with powerups and weapons), or try the Mini-games. And if you are still looking for something to do included is a robust track editor. You can build and trade tracks with your friends, or other people online. You are limited only by your imagination. I've spent hours designing tracks already. I've had this game less than a week, spent about 15-20 hours with it and have only completed 20%.
Anyways, I stink at writing reviews, i just know this is a fantastic game that everyone should try. I have over a dozen games for the PSP and this one is by far my favorite. The originality and replayability is the biggest selling point for me.


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GripShift is a PSP game that combines high-flying stunt driving and unique puzzle-solving action in an all-out, pedal-to-the-metal racing experience. Play as one of six unique characters in a customizable vehicles preforming stunts through twisting levels while collecting power-ups, avoiding traps, beating the clock and challenging friends. Featuring more than 100 levels of puzzle-like challenges in fun, vibrant environments, and additional bonus games, players can race solo or with up to three other players via the PSP system's built-in wireless feature. GripShift is a stunt racing game with puzzle challenges and more than 100 levels. Also featuring enhanced aerial physics with an intuitive control system, players will perform awesome aerial jumps for massive hang time in puzzle-like driving challenges with multiple routes, short-cuts, loops, jumps and power ups. Compete in single player race mode against the CPU, or enjoy multiplayer action with your friends in head-to-head wireless multiplayer. Create and design custom levels to share with your friends or play in one of eight bonus games for outrageous fun. It's an original break-thru combination of stunt driving, platform action and puzzle solving, designed exclusively for the PSP system.Wireless Multiplayer Gameplay -Multiplayer action for up to 4 players through the PSP system's wireless feature Customizable Levels -Create custom levels with the in-game Track Editor and share them wirelessly Six Playable Characters -Play as one of 6 playable characters and customize vehicles for a unique look

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Super Monkey Ball Review

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(More customer reviews)I just bought a GC less than a week ago and this was one of the first games I purchased. This game is flat out fun, no other word to describe it. I read some inaccuracies in the official review and in some other reviews on here. You don't tilt the floor in this game, you are actually in control of the monkey in the transparent ball and you move them around in the ball to get through the board. Sometimes the board tilts and gives the illusion that you are controlling the board as opposed to the monkey but that's not the case. You have a time limit to get to the goal without falling off of the board. There are four unique monkeys to choose from, and more than one person can use the same character, they'll just be a different color. Along the way, you can collect bananas and like Mario or Donkey Kong games, when you collect 100, you get a 1up.
Anyway, if you play one player mode, you must have patience. There are three difficulty levels: Beginner, Advanced, and Expert. Each has 10, 30, and 50 levels, respectively. Beginner is pretty easy, I finished all 10 levels without losing any monkeys. Getting to board 30 on Advanced is a trip and I still haven't been able to pass it, but half of the fun was getting there. Expert is really hard and of the 50 levels, I've probably seen 10. When you play in one player mode, you earn Play Points. Play Points allow you to unlock the Mini Games (Monkey Billiards, Monkey Bowling, and Monkey Golf). It kind of reminds me of Mario Party in that respect. So far, I've unlocked Bowling and Billiards, both of which are fun.
The cool thing about this game is that every mode can be played in multiplayer. (Just remember, you can only earn Play Points in one player mode.) Whether you want four people to play the regular floor-to-floor game, or Monkey Fight (knock your opponent off the platform with a boxing glove, a little like a minigame in Mario Party), or Monkey Race (a lot like Mario Kart with the items), or the Target game (a lot like P-Wings, I love this mode, a whole lot of fun). In addition, all of the minigames can be played by up to four people. Bowling is very straight forward, pick the angle, then the power, then the spin you want to put on the ball. Billiards is 9-ball. Haven't seen Golf yet.
Half of the fun is watching. My friends and I, a 24, 25, 26 and 29 year-old were playing this for a couple of hours, and we all go for different types of games. The monkeys are so entertaining that you find yourself laughing at them constantly. Trying not to fall off in the Normal Mode will ruin your nerves. It keeps you on the edge of your seat when you're watching someone manuever through a tough spot. It's one of those games that makes it fun to be a spectator.
Simply put, I love this game. There is enough variety that everyone should be able to find something they like about it. The fact that the four of us found any one game great was amazing. This is a must buy for Gamecube.

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In Super Monkey Ball, you're in control of a cute little monkey trapped inside a transparent ball. The objective of the game is deceptively simple: tilt the floor with your analog stick so that your monkey ball rolls towards the goal. Your success is all in the thumb: the more you tilt, the faster the ball rolls. Just be sure not to fall off the edges! You can play with up to four others to see who can master the tilt and get their monkeys to the finish line ahead of the pack.

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