Excitebike 64

Written by Jeff Pear  on June 22, 2000

Review: The only Exciteing motocross game on the N64

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Excitebike began as a game masterminded by none other than Shigeru Miyamoto on the classic 8-bit NES. This simple game won the hearts of millions of Nintendo game players. Now it is the year 2000 and Left Field is looking to bring an 8-bit classic to the N64 how did it turn out? Read on to see for yourself.

The visuals of Excitebike 64 are top notch. With the expansion pak plugged in and your N64 revving its going to be quite a ride. The bikes look great they are modeled after real dirt/motocross bikes and are even licensed by all sorts of dirtbike equipment makers. When you fall off of your bike it looks like it really truly does hurt. There are different fall animations to make this one if not the most realistic motocross game around. Textures are top notch and give the game a realistic look. What I was impressed most by was the amount of detail put into each course and rider. Left Field certainly knows how to take advantage of what the N64 has to offer.

The audio Excitebike left a little to be desired. The bikes sound like real dirtbikes but seem a little on the tinny side. The music is fair but is best turned down below the sound effects so you can hear the announcer, your bike and opponents. The announcer is usually right on, although he tends to repeat himself a lot. For example if you fall off of your bike the announcer is going to say "(riders name) eats dirt!" atleast 2 out of 3 times. However, all in all the sound is adequate if not more than. This is the only part of the game where they could have tried a little harder.

The gameplay in Excitebike 64 is incredible. The controls of Excitebike 64 are quite perfect. Z is the turbo, B is brake, A is regular acceleration, R lets you turn sharply, and the C-buttons let you perform stunts. Tilt your bike to land properly and all of the standard fare. Easy to pick up and easy to enjoy.

Excitebike 64's features are astounding. The amount of courses and modes to play and unlock is simply astounding. There is a Season mode, an Exhibition mode, Time Trials, and Special Courses. For you to unlock there are multiple modes including the 8-bit NES classic fully playable and fixed (remember not being able to save your custom made tracks) for the N64. There is also a randomly generated Desert Track, Soccer where you and an opponent can try to put a gigantic soccer ball into each others goal, Hill Climb where you race up a hill going against gravity, and finally Excite 3D which is an updated version of the 8-bit Excitebike levels. All these modes are quite satisfying, but what would Excitebike be without a Track Editor. All this and more is included in Excitebike 64.

Consider the replay of Excitebike HUGE! You can design your own courses and race them. You have the randomly generated Desert course, which you can ride down at full speed and do amazing stunts and tricks. There are Time Trials for you to keep bettering yourself at. And of course there is the original Excitebike for you to master (yet again).