My 3 year old can play it with no problem. He got the hang of it quickly. One minor warning, and it has nothing to do with this game in particular but with all games that focus on "winning", you have to watch to see how losing a race begins to affect your child. My 3 year old went through a short phase where he got very mad or pouted after not winning. He's a very very competitive child. So I don't know if that was just him or what. Anyway, after some time away from the game, and we taught him simply to say, "Oh man." when he lost, that seemed to do the trick and he just loves playing it. The good thing is that you collect stars throughout the game and you get them whether you win or not. The stars allow you to buy different cars and colors. My boys both love that feature.
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Excitebots: Trick Racing
(2009, Video Games - Racing, Rated E, Play it on: Nintendo Wii)
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Is it age appropriate?
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Not age appropriate for kids under 6, age appropriate for kids over 8; suggested age 8. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
High-octane racing game leaves you charmed and breathless.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 8 and Up
The good stuff
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Educational value:
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Excitebots: Trick Racing was written by Harold Goldberg
Parents need to know that while there is a bit of fantasy violence, it's only of a cartoon nature. Players will whack others to make them crash so that they can get ahead. This game can be played online, a feature that Common Sense Media does not recommend for anyone under the age of 12 unless supervised.
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- Families can talk about what kind of Excitebot racer you are
most like in real life. Are you more like a speedy, hopping frog or a zippy lady bug?
Is there any kind of animal/bot that you'd like to be that isn't in the game? What is it?
More on Excitebots: Trick Racing
What’s the Story?
Nintendo got it right again: EXCITEBOTS: TRICK RACING is indeed exciting, teeth clenchingly, eye-poppingly fun. This new racing game fof the Nintendo Wii takes you through about 50 races from locales around the world as you climb up the ranks from the B-grade bush leagues to a coveted Platinum Cup. The twist? You are controlling zany robotic vehicles that look like animals and far-out insects.
You use the Wiimote or the Wii Wheel to steer through mountains, lakes, and ponds against five other bots. You have turbo boosts and can even do tricks while in the air. If you hook onto a bar and move the Wiimote in a circular motion 10 times to spin your bot like a gymnast on the parallel bars, you can then push it forward to fly through the air like Superman. Sometimes you'll even be able to amble with alacrity on two feet like a human. You'll earn star points as you play, (50 if you come in first) to spend on making your bot cooler looking and more powerful.
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Is It Any Good?
If you liked Mario Kart Wii, you'll enjoy this trick-filled, kooky racing that lets you speed like Sonic through beautifully rendered locales like Kilamanjaro, Egypt, Mexico and more. Each two- or three-minute race (which also can be taken online) affords you thrills galore and the occasional secret route to explore. If you want to be mischievous, you can press the 'A' button to stun your opponents with various items like a hammer, chomping teeth, or a firecracker. Oddly, there's sandwich-making and card-playing as you race, too.
It's not the most innovative game in the world as it's a lot like Mario Kart Wii. And you'll wish steering would be a lot more accurate. You'll also wish the full track would appear on your radar on the left side of the screen instead of only a small portion of it. And you'll wish there was more story for these cute Disney-esque characters to indulge in. Yet with its online capabilities, its booster rocket speed, and the circus-like stunts, there's a lot of replayability in the generally magical Excitebots: Trick Racing.
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Publisher’s Details
Released on 4/20/2009, price $39.99, online enabled
ESRB rating: E (for Mild Fantasy Violence)
ESRB rating: E (for Mild Fantasy Violence)
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- I rate this title on for age 4 and give itMy concerns are:
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Take a chance. I think your little ones will like it.
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I would really like to know why this game is rated 9. I have a 7 year old, and I would like to know if that is OK. For example, why is Lego Batman and Lego Starwars rated: ON for 8+, but this one is ON 9+) If the reason is no, I shouldn't buy this for my 7 year old, I would really appreciate a very detailed and logical answer. If anyone would be so kind as to answer my doubt, I would really appreciate it.
- I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
u should have a user but its hard for everyone to loggin that way..............................................................................................................................................................................................
- I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
I laughed
I like too play games with my friends
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