Even after scoping out the upcoming stuff for Xbox 360 and PS3, I was convinced that Excite Truck embodied the true essence of the "next generation." New gameplay dynamics met vast dynamically changing terrain that stretched beyond what we had grown accustomed to.
So when Disney Interactive showed their new ATV racer, Pure, with vertiginous jumps, wild tricks, and expansive vistas, I thought I was looking at the spiritual successor to one of my favorite Wii launch titles, but a Wii version was not in the cards. At least we have a PC version to hack together a GlovePIE script for and give it the Excite Truck treatment.
Pure's off-road racing action is so similar to Excite Truck, you may not even realize at first that you're racing on quads instead of trucks. It's an easy mistake to make when the lush scenery draws in your attention as you're boosting off the crest of a sky-high hill and looking down upon the course being rendered for miles before you.The interaction between the quad and its rider will be of increasing importance as you get a feel for the game. Lean your rider back and the quad will pop a wheelie, which can give you a slight boost. You'll need to get used to leaning your rider every which way to jump, pull off tricks, and also land, whereas in Excite Truck, you only needed to (unrealistically) tilt your truck to land and gain a boost.
I decided to build this script around PPJoy in order to emulate analog controls for the most responsive steering and leaning.
W = Wiimote.Two //Accelerate
S = Wiimote.One //Decelerate, reverse
One = Wiimote.Up //Basic trick
Two = Wiimote.Left //Intermediate trick
Three = Wiimote.Down //Expert trick
Space and Ctrl = Wiimote.Right //Boost
Q = Wiimote.A //Trick special
A = Wiimote.B //Trick tweak
Escape = Wiimote.Minus //Menu back
Enter = Wiimote.Plus //Menu enter
If abs(Wiimote.SmoothPitch) > 5 //10-degree deadzone for pitch
PPJoy.Analog0 = maprange(Wiimote.SmoothPitch,-75,75,-1,1)
EndIf
If abs(Wiimote.SmoothRoll) > 5 //10-degree deadzone for roll
PPJoy.Analog1 = maprange(Wiimote.SmoothRoll,-50,50,-1,1)
EndIf
Shift + P + I + E = Any.Home //Stop script running
I've never been keen on Excite Truck's gesture-based trick system. It requires more precision and coordination than I am usually able to muster in the heat of a race. Adapting Pure to use Excite Truck's controls will have you tilting the controller back and forth to lean your rider on his quad. Tilting back before a jump preloads the quad's shocks, and then tilting forward springs you into a jump, and that essentially constitutes a gesture. But the trick controls are mapped to the D-pad and A button. If you launch with enough height, you can pull off a trick (or series of them), and then must attempt to level out your wheels to land the trick. Before it was a chore to trick, but now tricking is a treat!
Nintendo has often been called the "Disney of video games," so is there any good reason why the real Disney of video games shouldn't support Nintendo's finest console? Until Pure is announced for the Wii, I urge you to try out this script. With greater depth and better controls, this turned out to be just what I needed to scratch my Excite Truck 2 itch.
Every other week, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.
Did you know Pure is also available for the PS3? Using the SIXAXIS controller might seem like the next best thing to a Wiimote for anyone hungering for a little Excite-ment, but so far very few PS3 games have made motion control feel as integral to gameplay as it is in our favorite Wii titles. Revolutionary: Controller Showdown, Round 2 for a little insight as to why the waggle works better with the Wiimote.
