I'm not quite sure what I think of the newly announced Excitebots: Trick Racing for the Nintendo Wii.  This is a first-party Nintendo-produced game that is sort of a semi-sequel to Excite Truck, but the trucks have been swapped out for bizarre robots that are probably marketable characters in ways that generic trucks could never hope to be.  So right out of the gate I'm feeling cynical.  Then I saw this video of the game in action.

It looks like the game retains the sense of speed seen in Excite Truck, but mixes in some personality and collectible sandwiches.  I'm open minded about it, but I'm not ready to declare that Nintendo-produced games aimed at the core gamer are back in style.  The lifestyle imagery of absurdly smiley people playing a game have never appealed to me (nobody ever has that much fun) and Nintendo's own fact sheet for the game boasts that the game is fun for the whole family, but by now I know all about sifting the marketing fluff away from the actual gameplay content.  I suppose I'm not so much excited about Excitebots right now as I am intrigued.  That seems like as good a place as any to start.  Excitebots will be with us here in North America... next month?  Is that right?  Nintendo really is holding their cards close this generation.

(via Kombo)