Meanwhile the WiiWare title Excitebike: World Rally is the game that follows the original Excitebike formula the closest, for better or worse. It was followed up by the silly sequel Excitebots: Trick Racing, which I own but haven't tried yet, but it never came out in the UK. Excite Truck for the Wii may not seem that similar but it takes the "high jump, correctly-angled landing" mechanic from Excitebike and turns it into a high-speed combo-based racer that's a lot of fun. Excitebike 64 is a well loved game I've always wanted to play. I've always had a soft spot for Excitebike, even though I get bored of it pretty quickly.īesides the variety of Excitebike versions below it's also had a few sequels, though most of them play quite differently.
It's pretty unique for its time, it's fun to play, and there's a level editor.
Since most versions have no multiplayer and there's not many tracks Excitebike won't hold your interest for all that long, but it's surprisingly fun while it lasts. Once in the air you can angle your bike with the hope of getting a smooth landing to keep your speed going (and avoid crashing). The key element of the game is the ramps, which launch you into the air at an angle. You can switch between four lanes to dodge obstacles and avoid other racers. Most NES racing games either had the camera behind the car (with you driving into the distance) or above it (in a top-down or isometric view), but Excitebike put the camera to the side and has you driving left-to-right. Excitebike is a very simple racing game, but it manages to feel pretty unique.