Excitebike 64: The Updating of a Classic

Excitebike 64 blends several parts of Wave Race 64 and the original Excitebike to create this new 64 bit incarnation. But that does not mean this is just a rip off of Wave Race. Oh no, this is quite possibly the best racer for the N64 since Mario Kart 64.

The feel of the game was definitely inspired by Wave Race. Gas is A, and lean into the turns with R. But now with the inclusion of the classic Excitebike Turbo button. The control is flawlessly smooth, and if you can play Wave Race, you'll pick this up like that (snap your fingers by your ear for the full effect).

The graphics and sound are incredible. All the sound effects and music fit very well with the game. And I believe the announcer is the same person that was used in Wave Race. But it's the graphics that are amazing. Everything is so detailed. All the little details on the bikes, and all the big details on the tracks. The outdoor tracks look especially detailed. But this detail is what makes one of the animation mistakes stand out all the more. When you crash your bike it looks like you're one of those motorcycle toys where the rider's arms and legs are locked into place to hold the handlebars. You just fall off the bike and there is no movement from the rider at all. But other than that the graphics are great. This game also features some of the best Rumble Pak support since GoldenEye.

The challenge level is incredibly high, because the game gets progressively harder as you are only allowed to race the lower difficulty levels first. And then more are unlocked as you go. But it was a little weird not to include a two player option in the tournament mode. Yes you can race with three more of your friends in exhibition races, but I like doing that in the tournament races.

But one huge plus for this game is the inclusion of the original Excitebike. Yes, now you can play Excitebike without trying to get that 15 year old NES to work and without all the guilt of emulators. But to play original Excitebike you have to complete the tutorial, which I highly recommend doing anyway, because it will teach you a lot of the ins and outs of the game. And if this isn't enough classic Excitebike action for you, another bonus in this game is the inclusion of a classic Excitebike track in full 3D. But for this to see the light of day, you have to beat the Challenge Round on the Pro difficulty level, not something for the faint of heart or easily frustrated.

Another inclusion from the original Excitebike is the track editor. Yep that's right, you can create your own tracks in total 3D. It works fairly well, but in the end is nothing more than another nice little feature in a game already packed with extras.

So in conclusion all I have to say is "buy this game!"