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| Excitebike Reviewed by Pirate Yoshi Over-view: While very rarely talked about today, one of Nintendo's better racers (during its early years) was Excitebike, a nifty little bike-racing game in which the goal was not shifting gears or dodging riders as much as it was avoiding obstacles and using jumps. The game was quite revolutionary for its time, and Nintendo later played to the small audience who remembered by releasing Excitebike 64, for Nintendo 64. While the sequel was much less appreciated, it proved a valuable lesson for those still unsure: even a game you might never have heard of from ten years earlier might be worthy of your attention still. Graphics: 7.6/10 While not its strongest suit, graphics were definately no hurting point for Excitebike. Though the bike and rider you controlled were rather weak, the courses were actually three-dimensional and well crafted to present a great view of every move you make. Cudos to Nintendo, even in a time when graphics were 8-bit! Sound: 2.6/10 Aaaand, how about a healthy boo for the sound catagory? Unfortunately, not only were the sound effects lame and annoying (the motor is like a buzzer going off, and the signal that you're over heating or have just completed a lap sounds like an alarm clock going off at 2 in the morning....), but so was the tiny quantity of music in this game! I was thoroughly disappointed that more sound wasn't emphasized here; the few tunes you do hear are when you complete a race and receive your ranking (these little songs are pretty nifty, though). Nintendo has since realized the importance of sound, even in racing games. Controls: 9.7/10 The controls for Excitebike are set up carefully to ensure lots of control where most necessary--namely, the jumping and landing. By tilting on the control pad, you can focus your position to match the landscape you're falling onto and try and keep your balance; poorly matching the angle will result in your rider taking a tumble and wasting precious time. While the controls are mainly flawless, I might point out that some of the landing is tough to gauge and might've been tweaked a bit further to make this process a bit easier and more newbie/expert friendly in both respects. Replay: 9/10 Considering that this is an early racing game, it's surprising to see it receive such a high ranking for replay, but I credit this to one major factor: COURSE EDITOR! As advanced as it seems, Excitebike actually contained a fairly comparable course editor, one that could compete against some course editors even in existance today! The editor allowed for a user-designed track that could feature any assortment of the used obstacles in the game, and it also allowed for a tweaking of laps, to fit the player's need. Besides course editoring, players could continually practice the tracks (which was good for trying to improve), and playing against other CPU bikers is a riot--you can wipe them out easily by shifting lanes right in front of them and knocking out their front tires! This game was a gas fifteen years ago, and it still is today...just in a different way... Gameplay: 9/10 Honestly, this was a fun game, but the word that comes to mind is this: short. The whole game really wasn't very long, consisting of--what, five tracks, I believe? Five tracks, with or without other riders, and a course editor. Bingo, that's it. That's your game. Now, I'm not saying that the level design was poor, or the lack of maybe boss tracks or something, but rather that there wasn't enough of it all there. What was there was great, but it left me kinda hungry for more, like the second course had already been eaten, then the bones of it carried out to me on a platter. But, alas, let me steer back to praises: solid racing action, clever obstacles, fun course design, and exciting races versus other computer players make for some fine entertainment. **Story: 0/1 This game has no story. **Multiplayer: 0/1 This game does not support multiplayer...sadly... Graphics: 7.6/10 Sound: 2.6/10 Controls: 9.7/5 Replay: 9/10 Gameplay: 9/10 **Story: 0/1 **Multiplayer: 0/1 Total Calculated Score: 7.58 Total Assigned Score: 7.9 Final Score: 7.74 Last Words: Excitebike is still heralded as a classic among old-school NES games, but we've come a long way since. Still, it's varied assortment of tracks, and the ability to create your own, are oustanding additions, and the addition of other riders to the race really livens up an otherwise basic run. Rent, Buy, or Pass: Um...a little late for this catagory? I highly suggest picking this title up for your NES if you find it for cheap, however! Pros: Track designer, the ability to take out computer riders, and the assortment of clever track traps and obstacles. Cons: No multiplayer, not much replayability, majorly repetitive after a short amount of time. Needed: An updated on-line version in 3D, but with the same track perspective! |
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