Excitebike
REDISCOVER RETRO GAMING - CLASSIC 8-BIT NINTENDO NES
NINTENDO NES
Game Title:Excitebike
System:Nintendo NES
Players:1-2 Players
Genre:Racing
Developer(s):Nintendo
Release Date(s):1984 - JAP
1985 - US 1986 - EU |
Excitebike is a motocross racing video game franchise made by Nintendo. It was a launch title for the NES in 1985.
This is 8-Bit raw racing at its very best! The ultimate goal is to qualify for the Excitebike Championship, race by coming in at third place or above in the preliminary challenge race. The times to beat are located on the stadium walls (for first place) and in the lower left corner (for third place). In any race, the best time is 8 seconds ahead of third place. When the player places first, then they get a message: "It's a new record!" Additional points are earned by beating the previously-set record time.
You control the position of the red motorcycle with the Y-axis of the d-pad, and control acceleration with the A and B buttons. Using B causes greater acceleration, but also increases the motorcycle's temperature shown as a bar at the bottom of the screen, just like a modern day boost button. When the temperature exceeds safe limits and the bar becomes full, you will be immobilized for several seconds while the bike cools down. Driving over an arrow will immediately reduce the bike's temperature. The pitch of the motorcycle can be modified with the X-axis of the directional pad: left raises the front, while right lowers the front. In the air, this rotates the bike, but can also be used to create wheelies on the ground. Pushing up or down turns the handlebars left or right, respectively, when the bike is on the ground. If you run into an opponent, land badly from a jump, or crash into a ramp, you will be knocked off the bike and land in the grass. Pushing A and B repeatedly allows your rider to run back to the bike and continue the race, great fun. At the start of the game, you choose one of five tracks on which to race, and various different types of game mode. You can race solo, race against a buddy, race solo against CPU opponents or race with a buddy against CPU opponents. The game also has a create course design mode, where you can build your very own race course, add hills and obstacles of various sizes, you set the length of each lap and how many laps to race. When finished you can then use your track on any available game mode. Loads'a fun! And the Verdict is...
One of the very first NES games made, its one that helped with the launch of the glorious NES console and for that reason alone should be considered a classic. Saying that, this game is brilliant in its own right, with its lovely raw gameplay and track create functions, there's plenty here to keep you playing with a smile on ya face! Great game. |