________ __ _ _ ____ _
| ____\ \ / / (_) | | _ \ | | _
| |__ \ V / ___ _| |_ ___| |_) | ___ | |_ ___(_)
| __| > < / __| | __|/ _ \ _ < / _ \| __/ __|
| |____ / . \ (__| | |_| __/ |_) | (_) | |_\__ \_
|______/_/ \_\___|_|\__|\___|____/ \___/ \__|___(_)
_______ _ _ _____ _
|__ __| (_) | | | __ \ (_)
| |_ __ _ ___| | __ | |__) |__ _ ___ _ _ __ __ _
| | '__| |/ __| |/ / | _ // _` |/ __| | '_ \ / _` |
| | | | | (__| < | | \ \ (_| | (__| | | | | (_| |
|_|_| |_|\___|_|\_\ |_| \_\__,_|\___|_|_| |_|\__, |
__/ |
|___/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to my ExciteBots: Trick Racing Bot FAQ! Here, I'll be going through
all 20 of the bots in the game, and highlighting the pros and cons of each
one. So sit back, relax, and... hit home runs while racing at top speeds!
|CONTENTS
|
|0. History
|
|1. Terminology
|-Bot Stats
|-Stars
|-Paint Jobs
|
|2. Bot Types
|-Light
|-Medium
|-Heavy
|
|3. Bots!
|
|4. My Personal Ranking
|
|5. Special Thanks
|
|6. Help Wanted
|
0. HISTORY
-5/3/09: I'm starting to write it now. How exciting.
1. TERMINOLOGY
When describing the attributes of different bots, there are several terms I'll
be using. Here's a brief description of them:
-Bot Stats
Turbo Length: The relative amount of time a bot can sustain a turbo boost
before overheating.
Turbo Power: How effective the turbo is.
Speed: um... speed.
Acceleration: How well a bot is at starting from a standstill.
Width: How wide a bot is. This mainly affects how well a bot can do tree runs,
but also can affect how good a bot is at bot smashes (see below).
Grip: How well the bot grips the ground. This affects its handling.
-Stars (For these, I'll only go over the areas where bots differ in strength)
Air: Stars awarded for length of time spent in the air. Maximum is 5 per
cycle, but there can be more stars if you are in the air for long enough.
Air spins: Stars awarded for amount of spins in the air. Per cycle:
1 spin: 1 star
2 spins: 3 stars
3+ spins: 5 stars
Drift: Stars awarded for amount of time spent drifting. Maximum is 5.
Bot Smashes: Awarded for how hard and fast you smash into another bot. Maximum
is 5.
Tree Runs: Awarded for going through trees without hitting them. Maximum is 5,
but you can often string together multiple tree runs.
Red Bar: A bar that you swing around ten times, which gives you a big boost
if done correctly. Maximum is 10.
-Paint Jobs
Each bot comes with two unique paint jobs. One of these will be unlocked from
the start, and is usually connected with what color the real animal is (for
example, the Ladybug is red). The other one is a special design paint job that
is usually crazy. The Ladybug has little hearts instead of white dots, for
example. These are very tough to unlock, and take a long time to do so.
Otherwise, each of the bots has other, non unique colors that either is
unlocked from the start, or must be bought. These colors are:
Midnight Blue
Lemon Yellow
Berry Red
Forest Green (price: 1,000 stars)
Sunset Orange (price: 1,000 stars)
Electric Blue (price: 2,500 stars)
Speed Green (price: 2,500 stars)
Plum Crazy (price: 2,500 stars)
Vicious Violet (price: 5,000 stars)
Shadow Black (price: 10,000 stars)
As of this writing, I haven't bought color for every bot yet, because it costs
too much. So, I'll use our model, Vanna White- err, the Frog, to show these
colors. Also, for each bot, I'll post its starting and special paint jobs.
Once I do get every paint job, I'll post them all. If there is any specific
paint job you want to see, or if you want a better picture (because the bots
spin around on the select screen, it was hard to get a clear picture), e-mail
me at the address at the bottom of the page.
Midnight Blue:
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/FrogMidnightBlue.jpg
Lemon Yellow:
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/FrogLemonYellow.jpg
Berry Red:
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/FrogBerryRed.jpg
Forest Green:
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/FrogForestGreen.jpg
Sunset Orange:
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/FrogSunsetOrange.jpg
Electric Blue:
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/FrogElectricBlue.jpg
Speed Green:
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/FrogSpeedGreen.jpg
Plum Crazy:
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/FrogPlumCrazy.jpg
Vicious Violet:
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/FrogViciousViolet.jpg
Shadow Black:
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/FrogShadowBlack.jpg
Note that the paint jobs do not transfer over to other bots. For example, if I
buy the forest green paint for the Frog, I'll have to buy it again if I want
it for the Beetle.
2. OVERVIEW OF BOT TYPES
There are three basic types of bots in the game: Light, Medium, and Heavy. All
of them have basic pros and cons attached to them.
-Light
Lightweight bots are generally good in the air, so they'll get a lot of stars
that way. They also do the red bar much faster then other bots. They usually
have good handling, too. However, they usually aren't all that fast on the
ground. Also, because of their weight, they'll be thrown around a lot in bot
smashes.
-Medium
Mediumweight bots are generally balanced. They're usually pretty good in the
air, have average speed, are somewhat fast on red bars, and don't get thrown
around a ton in bot smashes.
-Heavy
Heavyweight bots are generally pretty fast, and crush other in bot smashes
(not literally). On the other side, they are generally bad in the air, so they
can't get many stars off the ground. They also are very slow at the red bar,
taking almost twice as long as the lightweight bots do.
3. Bots!
FROG
Weight Class: Medium
Grip: Medium
Starting Paint Job: Frog Yellow
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/FrogYellow.jpg
Special Paint Job: Magic Act
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/FrogMagicAct.jpg
Turbo Length: 3.5, 11/20 overall
Turbo Power: 3.5, 6/20 overall
Speed: 6/7 for weight class, 16/20 overall
Acceleration: 1/7 for weight class
Width: 6/7 for weight class, 15/20 overall
The Frog is the first bot on the select screen. It's kind of like the Standard
Kart from the Mario Kart series. It's intended to be an all around type of
bot, one that's good at everything but not really great at anything. For the
most part, this is true.
First of all, the Frog has pretty good overall turbo stats. The turbo length
is near the middle of the pack, but it has one of the better turbo powers.
This makes for a decent combo that can work in most situations. However, it's
one of the slowest bots available. It's dead last for the medium weight bots,
and is 16th out of 20 overall. This is somewhat offset by the above average
turbo stats and excellent acceleration, but it isn't completely. This is one
of the Frog's biggest downfalls.
It's also okay at getting air spins. It does take a bit longer then usual to
do red bars, but it isn't that bad. The Frog is also pretty wide. It's the
fifth widest medium weight bot, and is 15th out of 20 overall. This makes it
an okay bot for bot smashes, but also makes it hard to do tree runs. This can
be a big problem on stages with many trees in a small area.
The Frog's biggest advantage is also possibly its biggest problem. The Frog is
one of, if not the, best at getting drift stars. The drifts seem to last
forever, and are easy to start. On the flipside, this also means it is bad at
making sharp turns. This means that on certain stages, it is largely
ineffective, unless you start your turns very early. One that comes to mind is
Gold Scotland, especially with the tight left turn onto the bridge thing
towards the end.
MY RATING: 7.5/10
---
BEETLE
Weight Class: Medium
Grip: Medium
Starting Paint Job: Beetle Black
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/BeetleBlack.jpg
Special Paint Job: Armor
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/BeetleArmor.jpg
Turbo Length: 4.5, t. 2/20 overall
Turbo Power: 2.0, t. 18/20 overall
Speed: 5/7 for weight class, 13/20 overall
Acceleration: 3/7 for weight class
Width: 2/7 for weight class, 5/20 overall
Up next, we have the Beetle. Not to be confused with the Volkswagen Beetle,
this bot is another somewhat all around bot. It is more eccentric in some
stats then the Frog, but overall it's a pretty average bot.
The Beetle has one of the best turbo lengths in the game. However, it is
balanced out by an equally bad turbo power. This means that while you can
turbo for a long time, it won't make much of a difference overall. The
Beetle also has below average speed, ranking 13th overall, and 5th in its
weight class. Its acceleration is third in its weight class, which is decent.
The Beetle is about average for air spins. It doesn't spin terribly fast, but
it's good enough, and probably won't cost you a 3x air spin. It's also average
at red bars. It does seem slightly faster then the Frog, but it won't make
much of a difference. The Beetle has pretty decent handling, so it's good on
courses that have sharp turns.
The Beetle's best asset is its width. It is one of the more narrow bots in the
game, being about half the width of the widest bot in the game. This, combined
with its handling, makes it one of the very best bots at tree runs. You'll
want to get a lot of stars this way when using the Beetle. However, this is
one of the only areas where it excels. It's really an average bot overall.
MY RATING: 7/10
---
LADYBUG
Weight Class: Light
Grip: Medium
Starting Paint Job: Ladybug Red
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/LadybugRed.jpg
Special Paint Job: Hearts
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/LadybugHearts.jpg
Turbo Length: 4.0, t. 7/20 overall
Turbo Power: 2.5, 17/20 overall
Speed: 7/7 for weight class, 20/20 overall
Acceleration: 5/7 for weight class
Width: 2/7 for weight class, 2/20 overall
The Ladybug is not really my favorite bot. It has only one real advantage to
using it, but has several disadvantages to it. It just isn't balanced out.
The Ladybug has an above average turbo length. It is 4.0 out of 5, making it
7th overall. However, the Ladybug has just a 2.5 turbo power, which is one of
the worst in the game. It's just like the Beetle, only worse, because the
turbo doesn't last as long. To make matters worse, it is also the flat out
slowest bot in the game. Add these factors together, and you get a bot that
struggles to be in first nearly every time. Its acceleration isn't great
either.
The Ladybug is at least good at air spins. It is fairly fast at them, and will
get 3x spins pretty commonly. It's okay at the red bar too, but it seems to be
one of the slowest for the lightweight bots. Like the Beetle, the Ladybug has
good handling too. It isn't amazing, but at least it helps lighten the speed
issue.
If there's one thing the Ladybug is good at, it's tree runs. The Ladybug is
the second narrowest bot out of all, and isn't too far away from first.
Combined with its handling, the Ladybug is one of the better bots in the game
for tree runs. This doesn't effectively counteract its shortcomings however,
and shouldn't be used very often.
MY RATING: 6/10
---
BAT
Weight Class: Light
Grip: High
Starting Paint Job: Bat Purple
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/BatPurple.jpg
Special Paint Job: Dracula
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/BatVampire.jpg
Turbo Length: 4.0, t. 7/20 overall
Turbo Power: 4.5, t. 2/20 overall
Speed: 4/7 for weight class, 14/20 overall
Acceleration: 4/7 for weight class
Width: 7/7 for weight class, 19/20 overall
The Bat is a good bot. The Bat bot is a good bot. The Bot that is a Bat is a
good Bat Bot. Anyway, yeah. It's really good. There's a reason that you see it
on Wi-Fi so much.
The Bat has a good turbo length. It's seventh best overall, with a 4.0 (unlike
my GPA). Normally, when a bot has one good turbo stat, the other is not so
good. However, here the turbo power is even better than the turbo length, with
a 4.5. This makes the Bat hands down the best bot at turbo. Its normal speed
is surprisingly not so great, with it being 14th in the game. Its acceleration
is pretty average, but you should use a long turbo boost at the beginning to
get ahead of the pack.
The Bat gets a lot of air, too. It's one of the very best at air spins, and
you can even sometimes get two 3x air spins on the same jump. The Bat also is
fast at the red bar, but seems slightly slower then some other lightweight
bots. It isn't a big deal, though. The Bat, in addition to everything else,
has some of the best handling around. This gives it improved performance on
many of the tracks, as if it wasn't good enough.
Of course, the Bat has to be bad at something. That something is tree runs.
Because of its wingspan, the Bat is the second widest bot in the game. It's
very hard to get tree runs with it, so you should stay on the road as much
as you can. The wings do make it good at the butterfly rescues, though.
Overall, the Bat is one of the best all around bots, and I have to
recommend it.
MY RATING: 9/10
---
TURTLE
Weight Class: Heavy
Grip: Low
Starting Paint Job: Turtle Blue
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/TurtleBlue.jpg
Special Paint Job: Cowboy
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/TurtleCowboy.jpg
Turbo Length: 5.0, t. 1/20 overall
Turbo Power: 1.5, 20/20 overall
Speed: 6/6 for weight class, 15/20 overall
Acceleration: 3/6 for weight class
Width: 4/6 for weight class, 14/20 overall
The Turtle. Oh god, the Turtle. This is, in my opinion, the absolute worst bot
in the game. It does a lot wrong, little right, and overall just plain stinks.
The Turtle does have the very best turbo length in the game, a perfect 5 out
of 5. However, the positives of this bot end here. It has the worst turbo
power in the game, at just a 1.5. It's like the Ladybug again, but even worse
because the turbo does so little. So go ahead, use turbo all you want, just
don't expect it to do anything. It's also one of the slower bots, clocking in
at 15th out of 20. Its acceleration is around the middle of the pack, though.
The Turtle gets very little air. It is also horrendous at air spins. I'd have
to say that it's the very worst in the game. It takes a million years to
complete one spin, and an additional million to start another one. In
addition, it takes another eternity to do the red bar. To top it off, it
also has very bad handling. It isn't like the frog, where you can at least
get lots of drifts. No, it's so bad that it's hard to take even not so sharp
turns. Ugh.
Do you want more Turtle suckage? (No, not in that way.) Well, here's some.
It's wide. Yeah, it can't even do tree runs well. And here's more. It's
notably bad at butterfly rescues. It doesn't stay in the air too long, and
it's not easy to control. Overall, the Turtle just plain sucks. Stick to other
heavyweight bots.
MY RATING: 3/10
---
GRASSHOPPER
Weight Class: Heavy
Grip: Low
Starting Paint Job: Grasshopper Green
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/GrasshopperGreen.jpg
Special Paint Job: Cow
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/GrasshopperCow.jpg
Turbo Length: 3.0, t. 14/20 overall
Turbo Power: 3.0, t. 11/20 overall
Speed: 1/6 for weight class, 3/20 overall
Acceleration: 2/6 for weight class
Width: 6/6 for weight class, 20/20 overall
I like the Grasshopper. It's pretty fast, accelerates well, and has decent
handling. It's not perfect, but it's a decent bot for most courses.
The Grasshopper has okay turbo stats. Its turbo length is 3.0/5, which puts it
in 14th overall. It also has a turbo power of 3.0, which is eleventh best.
However, the Grasshopper does have the third best speed in the game. The
combination of these three factors makes it one of the faster bots on the
track, usually. It even has good acceleration, which can give you an edge if
you crash.
The Grasshopper gets decent air. It stays up for a while, and is a bit above
average at air spins. It's nothing amazing, but it's good enough. It also has
good handling. Unfortunately, it does take a pretty long time to do the red
bar. It's not quite as bad as the Turtle, but you'll often find yourself
dropping a place or two on the red bar.
By far, the Grasshopper's biggest weakness is its width. It just isn't that
great at tree runs. It's the widest bot in the entire game. It's really
annoying when the very edge of the bot slams into a tree, but here it's
practically the whole thing. It is somewhat balanced out by the good handling,
but it's still an issue. This is its only real weakness however, and I would
lean towards recommending it.
MY RATING: 7.5/10
---
The rest of the bots in the game must be either unlocked or purchased.
MOUSE
Weight Class: Light
Grip: Medium
Starting Paint Job: Mouse Gray
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/MouseGray.jpg
Special Paint Job: Ballerina
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/MouseBallerina.jpg
How to Unlock: Pay 2,500 Stars
Turbo Length: 2.0, 19/20 overall
Turbo Power: 3.0, t. 11/20 overall
Speed: 3/7 for weight class, 12/20 overall
Acceleration: 7/7 for weight class
Width: 3/7 for weight class, 4/20 overall
The Mouse isn't all that great. Sure, it does have some advantages, but they
don't make up for the many problems with the Mouse. It isn't the worst, but it
certainly isn't the best.
The Mouse has terrible turbo length. At just 2.0, it's the second worst in the
game. The Mouse's turbo power, a 3.0, is average, but it won't last for long.
Its speed is also slightly below average, as it's the 12th best. The Mouse's
acceleration is one of the worst in the game, as it's last in its weight
class.
The Mouse really shines in the air. It can hang in the air for a long time,
and is really good at air spins. I'd say it's in the top 5 in that category.
The handling for the Mouse is also pretty good, giving you a chance on courses
with lots of tight turns. It's also very fast at the red bar, slightly faster
then the Bat.
The Mouse also is very narrow. It's the fourth narrowest bot in the game. It
isn't as narrow as some of the other lightweight bots like the Ladybug, but it
still does well in that area. Go for lots of tree runs with the Mouse. The
biggest real problem with the Mouse is just its overall speed and turbo. It's
just not that good. At least with the Turtle, it lasts for a long time. Here,
it's just blah. Overall, I don't really like the Mouse. It's okay, but you'll
need to get lots of stars from places other then the first place bonuses.
MY RATING: 7/10
---
MANTIS
Weight Class: Heavy
Grip: High
Starting Paint Job: Mantis Green
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/MantisGreen.jpg
Special Paint Job: Space Mantis
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/MantisSpaceMantis.jpg
How to Unlock: Pay 2,500 Stars
Turbo Length: 3.0, t. 14/20 overall
Turbo Power: 4.0, t. 4/20 overall
Speed: 1/6 for weight class, 2/20 overall
Acceleration: 1/6 for weight class
Width: 4/6 for weight class, 13/20 overall
The Mantis isn't a terrible bot. It certainly isn't the best, but it can win
you a few races. And while it does have one big problem, the other advantages
it has more then make up for it, in my opinion.
The Mantis has some of the best all around speed in the game. Its turbo length
is a 3.0, which isn't too great. It isn't horrible, though. However, its turbo
power is a 4.0, which is one of the best in the game. To top it off, it has
the second best normal speed in the game. These all come together to make a
very fast bot. Even more, it has a very good acceleration stat, too.
The Mantis is fairly forgettable in the air. It isn't bad, but isn't great.
Its air spins are also average. It's decent at the red bar, faster then most
of the heavyweight bots. It obviously isn't as fast as the lightweight bots,
but it's still a bit above average. It isn't too great at tree runs, though.
Now, for the real problem with the Mantis: It has dreadful handling. It's one
of, if not the, worst bots in that category. Also, it's not like the Frog,
where you can rack up drift stars. It just can't take many big turns at all.
It's probably worse than the Turtle in that regard. However, if you can manage
to get past this, it's a pretty good bot. Not the best, but not bad either.
MY RATING: 7.5/10
---
HUMMINGBIRD
Weight Class: Light
Grip: High
Starting Paint Job: Hummingbird Violet
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/HummingbirdViolet.jpg
Special Paint Job: Pilot
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/HummingbirdPilot.jpg
How to Unlock: Pay 2,500 Stars
Turbo Length: 2.5, t. 17/20 overall
Turbo Power: 3.5, t. 6/20 overall
Speed: 5/7 for weight class, 18/20 overall
Acceleration: 1/7 for weight class
Width: 4/7 for weight class, 7/20 overall
The Hummingbird is a pretty good bot, in my opinion. While it does have some
weaknesses, there are other positives that balance them out.
The Hummingbird is pretty slow. It has one of the worst turbo lengths, at a
2.5. The turbo power, a 3.5, is pretty good, but not amazing. Unfortunately,
the speed for the hummingbird is also ranked 17th, so it really won't finish
in first place (time wise) in a lot of races. It's like the Mouse in that
regard, except not quite as bad. This is because it has very good
acceleration, the best of the lightweights. That's saying a lot.
The Hummingbird does the red bar pretty well. It's not as quick as the Mouse,
but it will still gain you a place or two pretty often. It's still one of the
better in that area. It's also good at tree runs, partly due to its width,
which is the seventh best.
This might not seem like the most positive review in the world, but now it'll
get much more so. The Hummingbird absolutely owns the air. It gets air like
there's no tomorrow. It's also amazing at air spins. The Hummingbird is hands
down the best bot in the air. It also has some amazing handling. Again, it's one
of the best in the game for that. So, even though the Hummingbird is pretty
slow, unlike the Mouse, it is completely made up for in other regards. That's
why I think the Hummingbird is so good.
MY RATING: 8/10
---
CENTIPEDE
Weight Class: Heavy
Grip: Medium
Starting Paint Job: Centipede Yellow
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/CentipedeYellow.jpg
Special Paint Job: Dragon
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/CentipedeDragon.jpg
How to Unlock: Pay 5,000 Stars
Turbo Length: 4.0, t. 7/20 overall
Turbo Power: 3.5, t. 6/20 overall
Speed: 4/6 for weight class, 6/20 overall
Acceleration: 5/6 for weight class
Width: 3/6 for weight class, 12/20 overall
The Centipede is another bot that I like. There's a lot going for it, and it
doesn't have too many major weaknesses. It's another good choice for a bot.
The Centipede is pretty fast. It has a good turbo length, at 4.0 out of 5. The
turbo power is a 3.5, which is sixth best. This makes it one of the more
balanced bots for turbos. It's also the sixth fastest bot in the game. All of
this means that you'll often blaze by the competition with the Centipede. The
acceleration isn't that good, but it's still okay.
The Centipede is okay in the air. It stays in the air for an average amount of
time, and it does air spins at an average speed. Unfortunately, the Centipede
is slow on the red bar. It takes about as long as the Turtle does, so you'll
often have to play catch up after the bars. It's not great at tree runs
either, but it's passable.
The Centipede's biggest problem, and also a big asset, is its handling. It's
really not that great, and it can't corner well. Luckily, like the Frog, this
means that you'll get lots of drift stars. It's not quite as good as the Frog
here though, so don't expect those kinds of star amounts. Overall though, it's
a pretty good bot. I'd recommend it.
MY RATING: 8/10
---
SPIDER
Weight Class: Medium
Grip: High
Starting Paint Job: Spider Purple
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/SpiderPurple.jpg
Special Paint Job: Punk Rocker
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/SpiderPunkRocker.jpg
How to Unlock: Pay 5,000 stars
Turbo Length: 3.0, t. 14/20 overall
Turbo Power: 4.5, t. 2/20 overall
Speed: 1/7 for weight class, 1/20 overall
Acceleration: 4/7 for weight class
Width: 5/7 for weight class, 17/20 overall
I love the Spider. It's great at almost everything, but it isn't really
terrible at anything. This makes the Spider a force to be reckoned with. I
wouldn't want to face one of these guys.
The Spider doesn't have that great turbo length. It's a 3.0, which makes it
ranked 14th in the game. However, it has a great turbo power of 4.5, which is
the second best in the game. On top of that, it has the flat out fastest speed
out of every bot. This bot can, and often will, leave its competition in the
dust. Its acceleration is average, but overall the Spider is a speed demon.
The Spider is decent in the air. It's better then most other Mediumweight
bots, and it's pretty good at getting air spins, too. It's not the greatest
at it, but it's probably in the top eight or so in that category. It's pretty
average at red bars, but it still does seem to be faster then some other
Mediumweight bots.
The Spider handles fairly well. It's better at taking tight turns then the
Frog, but not enough so as to get a large amount of drift stars. However,
the Spider is pretty bad at tree runs, since it is one of the widest bots
in the game. It's made somewhat better with the decent handling, but it is
the Spider's only real bad point. The Spider is arguably the best bot in
the game, and it's recommended for pretty much every course in the game.
MY RATING: 9/10
---
CRAB
Weight Class: Heavy
Grip: High
Starting Paint Job: Crab Red
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/CrabRed.jpg
Special Paint Job: Boxer
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/CrabBoxer.jpg
How to Unlock: Pay 10,000 Stars
Turbo Length: 4.5, t. 3/20 overall
Turbo Power: 2.0, t. 18/20 overall
Speed: 3/6 for weight class, 4/20 overall
Acceleration: 6/6 for weight class
Width: 1/6 for weight class, 6/20 overall
The Crab is an okay bot. It is pretty average in most areas, but it doesn't
really add up to anything special. It's not really a bot that you'll want to
use too often.
The Crab has pretty good speed. It has some great turbo length. It's 4.5,
which is the third best in the game. However, again like the Beetle, the Crab
only has a 2.0 turbo power, which is very bad. In fact, the entire Crab is
kind of like a heavyweight version of the Beetle. For speed, the Crab is
really good. It's fourth best in the game. Acceleration wise, the Crab just
fails. Fails worse than Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing. Well, maybe not that
bad.
The Crab isn't too amazing in the air, however. It is pretty good at air
spins. It's very fast for a heavyweight. However, the Crab doesn't stay in the
air for that long. It's definitely in the bottom half of the spectrum there.
It is also pretty bad at red bars. It's not the worst heavyweight at them, but
it definitely takes a longer time then most other bots do. You can drop a few
places on them. It's decent at tree runs.
By far, the biggest problem with the Crab is its handling. It just isn't that
good. Again, it's not the worst for handling, but it isn't at all good. The
biggest problem with the handling is its drifting. Or should I say, its lack
of drifting. It is by far the worst overall bot for drifting. It's nearly
impossible to get off a Super Drift. The Crab would have been a better bot,
but its inability to get drifts makes it much worse.
MY RATING: 7/10
---
SCORPION
Weight Class: Light
Grip: High
Starting Paint Job: Scorpion Navy
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/ScorpionNavy.jpg
Special Paint Job: Wizard
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/ScorpionWizard.jpg
How to Unlock: Super Excite, reach lifetime star requirement, pay 10,000 Stars
Turbo Length: 1.0, 20/20 overall
Turbo Power: 5.0, 1/20 overall
Speed: 1/7 for weight class, 10/20 overall
Acceleration: 3/7 for weight class
Width: 1/7 for weight class, 1/20 overall
The Scorpion is almost the exact opposite of the Turtle. That is a very good
thing. It won't always get a ton of stars, but it's still a pretty good bot.
The Scorpion has very diverse stats for speed. The turbo length is a measly
1.0, which is the absolute worst in the game. At the same time, the turbo
power is a massive 5.0, which is the best in the game. I like this better than
the high length-low power type of turbo, because at least you get a lot out of
it. The speed is ranked tenth overall. So for speed, it's best, worst, and in
the middle. Hm. The acceleration is pretty good, though. It's third for its
weight class.
The Scorpion can get some great air. It stays up for a pretty long time, and
is one of the faster in terms of air spins. It's slower then most of the other
lightweight bots, but that isn't necessarily bad. The Scorpion is by far the
worst lightweight bot at the red bar. It's obviously faster then the heavy
bots, but it's right around the middle overall.
As if the speed and air wasn't enough, the Scorpion has pretty good handling.
It's not the best of the lightweight bots, but it's still pretty good. You may
think that the good handling and narrowest width in the game would make it
unstoppable at tree runs, but that's not quite the case. Because its turbo is
so fast, it can get out of control pretty quickly if you're doing a tree run.
It's still very good at them, but it could be better. All of that said, the
Scorpion is one of the better bots in the game. However, only try to use it
on stages with lots of water, so you can cool off your turbo.
MY RATING: 8/10
---
HORNET
Weight Class: Light
Grip: Medium
Starting Paint Job: Hornet Orange
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/HornetOrange.jpg
Special Paint Job: Chicken (yes, somewhere under there is a Hornet)
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/HornetChicken.jpg
How to Unlock: Super Excite, reach lifetime star requirement, pay 10,000 Stars
Turbo Length: 3.5, t. 11/20 overall
Turbo Power: 3.0, t. 11/20 overall
Speed: 6/7 for weight class, 19/20 overall
Acceleration: 2/7 for weight class
Width: 6/7 for weight class, 18/20 overall
The Hornet is just... meh. Not bad, not good, there's really not too much to
say about it. It just isn't that great.
The Hornet is pretty slow. The turbo length is a 3.5, which puts it at 11th in
the game. It's average. No more, no less. The turbo power is 3.0, which is
also eleventh best. It defines average with its turbo stats. This is where
this review starts to get more negative. It's the second slowest bot in the
game, only beating out the Ladybug. This drags its speed as a whole to the
realms of below average. Its acceleration is pretty good, however.
The Hornet has decent handling. It can take corners pretty well, although
there are others that can do it far better. It is also good at the red bar,
although it's slow for a lightweight bot in that category. It's bad at tree
runs, because of its width. The decent handling does help a bit, but not
that much.
If there's one place where the Hornet is anywhere above average, it would
have to be in the air. It does get a great amount of air, and is good at
air spins. Not Bat good, but still good. Because of its wings, it's also
pretty good at butterfly rescues. All in all however, the Hornet is like
the Hummingbird Lite. That's not really a good thing.
MY RATING: 6.5/10
---
LOBSTER
Weight Class: Medium
Grip: High
Starting Paint Job: Lobster Red
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/LobsterRed.jpg
Special Paint Job: Chef
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/LobsterChef.jpg
How to Unlock: Super Excite, reach lifetime rank requirement, pay 10,000 stars
Turbo Length: 5.0, t. 1/20 overall
Turbo Power: 3.0, t. 11/20 overall
Speed: 4/6 for weight class, 9/20 overall
Acceleration: 5/7 for weight class
Width: 1/7 for weight class, 3/20 overall
The Lobster. This is the only bot, in my opinion, that gives the Turtle a run
for its money. Sure, those stats might look pretty good, but its problems
can't be expressed by numbers.
The Lobster does have pretty good overall speed. Its turbo length is a
whopping 5.0, which ties it with the Turtle for the best in the game. However,
unlike the Turtle, it has a turbo power of 3.0, which is average. Its speed
is also average. This does make for a very good combo, unlike the rest of the
bot. Its acceleration is below average, but it isn't horrible.
The Lobster is not that good at doing the red bar. It's pretty slow, and you
can lose a place or two on it. It's definitely the worst for mediumweight
bots. Even though it is narrow, it really isn't all that great at tree runs.
The reason for this will be explained in the next paragraph.
The Lobster's handling is atrocious. It's downright horrible. If you can go
one entire race without crashing once while using the Lobster, I salute you.
It's so bad, I've crashed almost ten times in just one race before. To top it
off, the Lobster is also really bad in the air. It takes a million years to
get off one air spin, and it doesn't even stay up for that long. Overall, I
have to say that the Lobster is the second worst bot in the game. Stay far,
far away.
MY RATING: 5/10
---
ANT
Weight Class: Medium
Grip: Low
Starting Paint Job: Ant Brown
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/AntBrown.jpg
Special Paint Job: Army Ant
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/AntArmyAnt.jpg
How to Unlock: Super Excite, reach lifetime rank requirement, pay 10,000 stars
Turbo Length: 4.5, t. 3/20 overall
Turbo Power: 3.0, t. 11/20 overall
Speed: 3/6 for weight class, 8/20 overall
Acceleration: 3/7 for weight class
Width: 5/7 for weight class, 11/20 overall
The Ant is okay. It doesn't have too many major strengths or weaknesses. There
isn't a ton to say about it, really.
The Ant has above average turbo. The turbo length is a 4.5, which puts it at
third best. The turbo power is a 3.0, which is plain average. Its overall
speed is pretty good though; it's the eighth best in the game. The Ant's
acceleration is also pretty average, as it's the third best in its weight
class.
The Ant has pretty good handling. It isn't perfect, but it is good enough.
That statement pretty much represents the whole bot, to be honest. It is okay
at tree runs. It does have an average width, with slightly above average
handling, so it is just average. It's also okay at the red bar.
In the air, the Ant is, once again, average. It doesn't get the most air, but
it is decent at air spins. It's decent at butterfly rescues, but that isn't
really enough to bring the Ant up from the average. Like I mentioned, there
isn't a whole lot to talk about for the Ant. It's, as I've said numerous times
in this review, average.
MY RATING: 7/10
---
ROACH
Weight Class: Light
Grip: Low
Starting Paint Job: Roach Brown
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/RoachRed.jpg
Special Paint Job: King
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/RoachKing.jpg
How to Unlock: Super Excite, reach lifetime rank requirement, pay 10,000 stars
Turbo Length: 4.0, t. 7/20 overall
Turbo Power: 3.5, t. 6/20 overall
Speed: 2/7 for weight class, 11/20 overall
Acceleration: 6/7 for weight class
Width: 5/7 for weight class, 16/20 overall
The Roach is a pretty difficult bot to use. It takes a large amount of time to
get it "under control". However, once you do, it does make for a pretty good
lightweight bot.
The Roach has very good all around turbo. Its turbo length is a 4.0, making it
the seventh best in the game. The turbo power is a 3.5, which is the sixth
best in the game. This makes it a very good bot for turbo, one of the best. It
has average speed, clocking in at eleventh best. For acceleration, it's not
too great. It's only 6 out of 7 for its weight class. Overall though, the
Roach is a pretty good bot in terms of speed.
The Roach is very good in the air. Not only will it stay up for a long time,
it doesn't take any time to do an air spin. You should easily be able to get a
3x air spin with the Roach. It's also pretty fast on the red bar. It isn't
great at tree runs, but oh well.
The reason why I said that it's hard to bring it under control in the
introduction is because of its sharp handling. It's really good. So good in
fact, that it might be a little too sensitive. You definitely will have to get
used to not turning the Wii Remote/Wheel too much. This certainly isn't a bad
thing, but it does take practice. If you can however, the Roach is definitely
a good option for a bot. I recommend it.
MY RATING: 8/10
---
LIZARD
Weight Class: Medium
Grip: High
Starting Paint Job: Lizard Green
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/LizardGreen.jpg
Special Paint Job: Diver
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/LizardDiver.jpg
How to Unlock: Super Excite, reach lifetime rank requirement, pay 10,000 stars
Turbo Length: 2.5, t. 17/20 overall
Turbo Power: 4.0, t. 4/20 overall
Speed: 2/7 for weight class, 5/20 overall
Acceleration: 6/6 for weight class
Width: 3/7 for weight class, 8/20 overall
The Lizard is an odd bot. It doesn't look all that great when you just look at
the stats. It would seem to be average. However, once you actually race as it,
you'll be blown away by how many Stars you get.
The Lizard has good all around speed. Its turbo length is bad, as it's one of
the worst in the game. The turbo power however is a different story. It ties
for fourth best in the game. Again, I like this setup over high length-low
power.
Its overall speed is fifth best. Unfortunately, the Lizard's
acceleration is really bad. It's still a good bot for speed though, all in
all.
The Lizard gets surprisingly good air. Not only is it very good at air spins,
it gets more air then some of the lightweight bots. You will be very surprised
once you use it. It also has very good handling, some of the best in the game,
and easily best of the middleweights. It can even do tree runs well too.
(Well, lizards do usually live in trees.)
Now, the Lizard has to be bad at something, right? Correct. That something is
the red bar. It's so slow, I could probably finish the bag of pretzels I'm
eating right now before it finishes. It takes FOREVER. It's about as bad as
the Turtle and the Crab in that regard. This isn't the biggest problem in the
world, but it sure is annoying. With that said though, the Lizard is a good
bot. Just beware the red bars of doom.
MY RATING: 8.5/10
---
SQUID
Weight Class: Heavy
Grip: Low
Starting Paint Job: Squid Pink
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/SquidPink.jpg
Special Paint Job: Pirate
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/SquidPirate.jpg
How to Unlock: Super Excite, reach lifetime rank requirement, pay 10,000 stars
Turbo Length: 4.5, t. 3/20 overall
Turbo Power: 3.0, t. 11/20 overall
Speed: 5/6 for weight class, 7/20 overall
Acceleration: 4/6 for weight class
Width: 2/6 for weight class, 9/20 overall
The Squid is another bot where the statistics can be deceiving. Sure it may
look pretty decent, but you only need to use the Squid once to see its flaws
on the track.
The Squid is pretty fast. It has one of the best turbo lengths in the game.
It's 4.5, putting it behind only the turtle and lobster. The Squid's turbo
power is average. It does have pretty good speed, ranking in at seventh best
overall. Its acceleration is a bit below average, but oh well. It's not as if
it ruins a good bot or anything.
For some reason, the Squid is really good at bot smashes. It seems like bot
smashes with the Squid count a little extra then with other bots. And now that
I've gotten the good parts out of the way, let's move on to the bad parts. To
start, it's terrible in the air. It takes years to do air spins, even if you
do manage to stay in the air long enough to even possibly get one. It's
almost, if not as, bad as the Turtle and Lobster.
Worse, the Squid has some pathetic handling. Again, it rivals the Turtle and
Lobster. Those aren't bots you want to be your idols. (Wow, am I really giving
virtual robot sea creatures on wheels idols?) Because of this, it's difficult
to get many tree runs as well. To top it off, it is very slow on the red bar.
All of this said, stay away from the Squid. You'll be glad you did. (Hey, that
rhymed.)
MY RATING: 5.5/10
---
BOULDER
Weight Class: Medium
Grip: Medium
Starting Paint Job: Victory Red
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/BoulderVictoryRed.jpg
Special Paint Job: Extreme
http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu11/ExciteBotsFAQ/BoulderExtreme.jpg
How to Unlock: Get S ranks on all of Excite, Super Excite, and Mirror Excite
Turbo Length: 3.5, t. 11/20 overall (may be wrong; read second paragraph)
Turbo Power: 3.5, t. 6/20 overall
Speed: 7/7 for weight class, 17/20 overall
Acceleration: 2/7 for weight class
Width: 4/7 for weight class, 10/20 overall
Finally, we've come to the last, and hardest to unlock bot, the Boulder. You
can only get this bot after getting S ranks on every track in every mode. So
it seems somewhat ironic that the last bot you get is probably more like the
first bot, the Frog, then any other.
The Boulder (which is a truck from Excite Truck, not an actual boulder) has
the same turbo stats as the Frog. It has a turbo length of 3.5, which is
eleventh best overall. Or at least, that's what it says on the select screen.
However, when you start playing, you'll notice that it has pretty bad turbo
length. Maybe a 2 or 2.5. It needs more testing, but it's very odd. The turbo
power is once again a 3.5, which is sixth best in the game. Pretty good.
However, it has bad speed, coming in at 17th overall. It does have good
acceleration. Overall, the Boulder has okay turbo stats.
The Boulder is decent at red bars. I would put it around seventh best overall.
It's very good at air spins too, better than the Frog for sure. It is right
in the middle for width, so it's okay at tree runs. Here on out, this review
will look like a copy/paste from the Frog section.
The Boulder's greatest strength is also its biggest problem, depending on the
situation. It gets tons of drift stars, loads of them. It's as good at them as
the Crab is bad at them. It's just slightly worse than the Frog. On the flip
side, this does make it very bad at cornering. Don't expect to make sharp
turns well when using the Boulder. Overall, I'd say that the Boulder is really
the exact same as the Frog. It's maybe slightly worse, but just barely so.
MY RATING: 7.5/10
4. MY PERSONAL RANKING
It's tough to try to put all of the bots in an order from best to worst. Some
of them are very close, and there's many different styles of play. Keep in
mind that this list may not be the same as your list. There's also not much
of a difference between some of them. But for me, here's all the bots, from
top to bottom.
1. SPIDER
2. BAT
3. LIZARD
4. CENTIPEDE
5. ROACH
6. HUMMINGBIRD
7. SCORPION
8. MANTIS
9. GRASSHOPPER
10. FROG
11. BOULDER
12. ANT
13. BEETLE
14. CRAB
15. MOUSE
16. HORNET
17. LADYBUG
18. SQUID
19. LOBSTER
20. TURTLE
This is subject to change.
5. SPECIAL THANKS
Huge thanks to GameFAQS users JamesStock and GoDsSon770, who calculated
all of the stats. I checked the stats again myself, and found that they
were right on nearly everything. You can check out James' website on
http://mariokartwiistats.com/excitebots. Also, thanks to user Gnik, who gave
me some suggestions for this FAQ on the message boards.
6. HELP WANTED
Find something that you want fixed? Suggestions, complaints, concerns? E-Mail
this account:
E_x_c_i_t_e_b_o_t_s_F_A_Q_@_g_m_a_i_l_._c_o_m (just remove the _'s).
Thanks for reading!
Copyright 2009 James Fagan
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