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15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
 Amazing Game, Great ValueMar 15, 2008
By Douglas A. Brundin Jr.
I'm 33 and an avid video gamer for many years. I bought this for my 5 year old son for his birthday last week. He LOVES this game and, actually, so do I ! This is probably one of my top favorite Wii games so far. I read a lot of reviews online where this game got poor reviews. However, I can tell you that it's a solid, fun game.
The controls are easy to learn. My 5 year old caught on quickly and within a few races took 3rd place in an offroad race (out of 6 trucks). The steering, which was heavily criticized online, I found to be very easy to work and quite realistic feeling. Yes, the steering is a little "loose" and there is a tendency to oversteer but I imagine that it would probably be just what it's really like driving one of these Monster Trucks! I'm sure these trucks don't handle like a Ferrari! There's lots of bouncing, crashing, rolling, smashing and other general mayhem which is also makes it difficult to steer through, but that's also realistic.
The game has LOTS of different play modes which I think is wonderful. You can race on large outdoor dirt tracks with all kinds of fun destructable scenery, race on indoor tracks, perform "freestyle" stadium runs where you just drive around and smash cars and stuff, etc. There is no shortage of content with this game at all. Plus, it's pretty cheap as far as Wii games go.
I've never been a fan of racing games growing up, but this is the type of racing game I've always wanted. A rough and tumble offroad romp! There's pulsing rock music in the background, the roar of the truck engines, crashing sounds....it's just pure FUN!
I HIGHLY recommend this game for gamers of all ages, but especially kids under 10. Of course, I still sneak some racing in even when the kids aren't looking! *laugh. You probably will too!
10 of 11 found the following review helpful:
MONSTER JAMJan 14, 2008
By J. Scarpella
"rockingrandma"
My grandson loves this game; he can play it for hours on end (ages 5+). Even the adults get involved in the action! There are even hidden cars to unlock, which he strives to do. Sometimes the competition is intense, yet fun. It is so realistic and the graphics are incredible! And the commentary during the game is phenemenonal. I would strongly recommend this product to anyone who enjoys a challenge.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Fairly decent and fun game but could be betterJul 18, 2008
By J. Lin
"jodybohdy"
I was happy to see that there was a Monster Jam branded monster truck game since my five year old son is such a huge monster truck fan (and I have to admit, I've gotten into them a bit through my son). Though this game is pretty fun, it does have some major faults, though it represents a pretty good value if you can get it for less than $20.
First of all, the good aspects of the game: For those of you who are into the Monster Jam monster trucks, it really is a thrill to control your favorite monster truck throughout the different venues. And though you do have to unlock quite a few monster trucks, you are able to play some popular monster trucks from the very beginning: Grave Digger, Monster Mutt, Blue Thunder, and King Crunch for example. Supposedly the venues are modeled after the actual stadiums, but I can't really tell -- a monster truck stadium is a monster truck stadium to me. The tracks for the races seem fairly well thought out though some tracks are very frustrating. You not only compete in outdoor races but also in one on one stadium races and freestyle competitions where you do stunts and smash cars. Overall, it's a lot of fun, particularly playing freestyle competition using your favorite monster truck to do stunts and small cars.
Unfortunately, there are several issues that make the game less than perfect.
- First of all is the control. Others have pointed out how easy it is to oversteer, and I have to agree. It seems some trucks are more prone to oversteering than others (Gravedigger to me was the worst). I sure wish they tightened this up a bit. It is possible to get used to it, but it really is touchy. Also, I had a minor issue with button layout. You can rearrange the buttons, but I didn't like how "boost" was set at pressing the direction pad right as sometimes in the heat of playing, I press down which changes the camera view. I wish they used the back "B" button instead.
- Second, during the races, if you bump against another car (as often happens during races), you always always ALWAYS get pushed off track or flip over. The computer cars NEVER seem to be the one pushed off track or spun around, and this seems to happen regardless of which monster truck I use (It would make sense if a truck was heavier than another and tended not to get spun around or bumped off track). In this regard, I wish that there was some way of knowing what differences there were between trucks. For instance, in some racing games, different cars would have different characteristics -- more speed, less acceleration, more weight for example. With this game, you have no idea what the different characteristics of the trucks are if any. It does seem like there are differences, though. When I play with Gravedigger, I seem to be able to achieve higher jumps on Freestyle competitions but then the control is more prone to oversteering.
- Third, it really is a pain to unlock more monster trucks. You unlock trucks by getting points through stunts you do or smashing objects. However, you can only earn points during the "Championship" circuit (as opposed to single events -- a single race or single freestyle event). Additionally, say you play a freestyle event and earn 10000 points. But, because you did not finish in the top three, you don't get to move on to the next event, so you play that freestyle event again. The second time you play, you earn 12000 points. But, you don't earn 12000 points. You only earn 2000 "new" points (because you only earned 2000 more than your highest). So even though in total you earned 22000 points, you only have credit for 12000. Well, when you are trying to earn 75000 points to unlock a new monster truck, this takes a long time. I felt like this was needless. Just add all the points not just "new points"! Come on, guys!
- Finally, sometimes the camera doesn't move fast enough. You usually see from the vantage point of behind the truck. However, if you get spun around the camera starts to rotate around too slowly, even if you recovered, and it's hard to tell which direction you're facing. This is crucial during the races as it wastes time.
Graphics wise, I thought it was ok. I didn't find it awful or distracting. This is the Wii after all, not a Playstation 3. Also for the races, in order to win, you should know that most (if not all) of the tracks have shortcuts in them. Drive around slowly, and you'll see them. Battle mode is fun -- the kids absolutely love crashing into each other.
Overall, this is a very fun game, and like I said, it's a thrill to control your favorite Monster Jam trucks. Too bad the experience is hampered by touching steering and needlessly onerous truck unlocking scheme. A pretty good value for less than $20 (Amazon happened to have it on sale when I bought it). Plus, my five year old just goes nuts over driving his favorite trucks!
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
wii just keeps getting better and betterDec 29, 2007
By Lila Lee Blaess
"chance blaze"
This is an awsome game that feels like you are watching monster jam on t.v. Only you are in control. My seven year old gets lots of exercise on this one. The 2 player mode is up and down and tends to make you a bit sea sick trying to watch both cars.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 EWverything a 10 year old boy could ask for!Feb 23, 2008
By John
My youngest sons and his friends love the game. It is easy to use (works better with steering wheel accessory)and, as he progresses through the game, new monster trucks are "unlocked" for use. This keeps them going back for more.
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based on 25 reviews
