NINTENDO
Published by Nintendo
Review by Dale Weir of GameCritics.com
on 7/18/00
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First
Impressions:
If
there's one thing that Nintendo has in its corner, it's the huge
collection of franchises that it can go to time and again when in
need. With the Nintendo 64 needing to prove itself to the masses,
Nintendo tapped Super Mario to showcase the system in the form of
Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Kart 64. As things became more dire,
Star Fox 64 and Legend of Zelda 64 appeared in all their 64-bit
glory to quiet the naysayers. But now as the console reaches the
end of its lifecycle, Nintendo seems to be tapping even more of
its properties lately. Donkey Kong saw some action last year, and
this year Nintendo picked its ancient racing classic that hasn't
seen the light of day since the 8-bit NES console was in the talk
of the town. I'm talking about Excitebike, the high-flying, 2-D,
motoracing title that was a hit in the '80s, but is back in full
3D under the name Excitebike 64.
The original Excitebike became an instant classic soon after its
release. It was an arcade racer with deceptive strategic elements
implemented in such a crafty way that it went unnoticed to most
gamers. The objective appeared to be quite simple: Victory meant
getting to the finish line before all the other racers while navigating
over, around and jumping off the many hills and obstacles scattered
about the tracks. However, after only one race, it would become
apparent that there was more care that needed to be taken by the
gamer in order to win consistently. The multitudinous jumps of varying
heights and lengths had to be negotiated cautiously; although they
often resulted in (then) amazingly high jumps, the positioning of
the landings could be so important that it often meant the difference
between victory and defeat.
Nintendo threw in a couple of curves such as limiting the amount
of "turbo" that could be used during a race. As you would expect
when you used turbo you got a great boost in speed, unfortunately,
if it was used too much the bike would overheat and stall -- on
the NES the bike would literally crash -- so you had to pick and
choose the right opportunities to use it. The final ingredient to
the gameplay bonanza was that as in real-life, when racers brushed
against each other, wipeouts were the result. That meant there were
constant considerations of positioning on jumps, spacing while in
the middle of the pack and use of resources -- all these elements
made the already accessible gameplay that much deeper and helped
endear the game in the hearts of the NES-owning public.
Graphics:
The
fact that the gameplay that relied on the 2-D side-scrolling format
was ported so flawlessly to the 3-D world, is an accomplishment
in and of itself. But Excitebike 64 also benefited from above
average visual and aural upgrades as well. The graphics are a
far cry from the blocky pixel bikers racing over flat monochrome
plains of old. The racers are now realistically rendered and animate
fluidly (even when tumbling off their motorbikes). For that matter,
the 3-D environments are spacious and full of towering peaks and
valleys to race through. Admittedly, the graphics are not mind-blowing
overall even with the high-resolution mode available, but they
are certainly not hard on the eyes.
Sound/Music:
Excitebike
64 does slip a bit when it comes to the music and sounds. While
the roar of the engines and the surprisingly unannoying game announcer
are well done, there really isn't anything that stands out. As
soundtracks go, everything is pretty forgettable with the exception
of opening intro music -- that too manages to wear thin, as it
seems to be played at every opportunity.
Gameplay:
Needless
to say, porting all of this into a 3-D world would be an accomplishment,
especially when such a key game element like the high jumps seemed
so engrained in the 2-D world of the initial game. Thankfully,
Left Field Productions managed to port all the great things about
the original onto the Nintendo 64 game pak while upgrading the
visuals and adding a few surprises for fans like me. The biggest
accomplishment though was in how approachable the game is in all
areas. Yes, the high jumps are still a key part of the gameplay,
and on top of that they are literally taken to new heights in
full 3D, but other nuances are added to the game. For instance,
I found that I could get far in the game with moderate use of
the acceleration and braking buttons, as well as the analog control
stick. However, as with the original, if I wanted to excel in
the game, I needed to learn to the ins and outs. The R shoulder
button was used to lean into turns and when used in conjunction
with the brake I could pull off sharp turns with ease. Another
technique was to hit the turbo button at the top of jumps for
some added hangtime. These and many other techniques are readily
available, so it is my advice that you go through the game's easy,
but thorough, tutorial. That is the only way you will grasp all
the moves and techniques available in the game.
Excitebike 64 faced a problem with one racing game element that
had also given trouble to other 3D racing games of its type. I
refer of course to turns. Anyone who has played such games as
San Francisco RUSH or Hydro Thunder will know that while the jumps
are great to perform and look at, once turns pop-up you can be
in for a world of hurt. I was unceremoniously reacquainted with
this in Excitebike 64, and while I got the hang of it most of
the time, it is certainly something that I had to keep an eye
out for. Speaking of jumps, as with real-life motorcross racing,
racers are encouraged to make use of all the time they spend soaring
through the air. With a few button-pressing combinations, I was
pulling off some very cool aerial tricks that not only looked
great, but also scored me more some much needed points during
races. Another welcome convention was the taking out of other
racers. With a well-positioned back tire during a sharp turn,
I could knock an opponent right off his bike causing him or her
to crash. This gave me precious seconds with which to gain a lead.
It may sound underhanded, but doing this also miraculously cooled
down my bike so I quickly learned to check my ethics at the door
before playing. It's also a testament to the talents of the developer
that these and other gameplay elements were so easily integrated
into the game while being such fun at the same time.
Enjoyment:
As
if I weren't having enough fun with the great controls and tracks,
I found out there was even more to be enjoyed thanks to the extra
goodies hidden on the cart. Aside from the standard racing modes
like Time Trials, Championship and multiplayer modes, Left Field
managed to cram two versions of the original 8-Bit NES hit onto
the game pak. The first is the 2-D classic in all its outdated
glory, but if the graphics are too hard on the eyes, there is
actually a 3-D version of the original available as well. And
finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Track Editor
that is available. It's not quite as complex as the editors some
of the Mod fans would like, but the editor is extremely functional
and easy to use. That was a big deal with the original game and
with the ease of use of this new editor, it could be déjà vu all
over again with this game. These bonuses made an already entertaining
game all the better.
Multiplayer:
Excitebike
64s multiplayer modes are a blast. They come with the standard
racing track modes, but my favorite has to be its variation on
the soccer theme. In this mode, the bikes are used to guide a
giant soccer ball into the opposing teams net. I will confess
that the controls took some getting used to, but like everything
else in the game, with a little practice, it became second nature
in no time. There is nothing like taking on a friend or two or
three in multiplayer action with a game as good as Excitebike
64. It was great fun from beginning to end.
Overall
Impression:
A
little known fact about the development history of Excitebike
64 is that Left Field spent a year turning it into a racing simulation
on the level of Gran Turismo, but a "suggestion" from gaming guru,
Shigeru Miyamoto, made them reverse course. That is remarkable
because the game doesn't seem to have been hurt by such a drastic
change in its makeup. In fact, it seems to have benefited greatly
from such duality. The game isn't perfect -- I would have liked
even more tracks to race on as well as a few more racers -- but
there is no arguing the excellent gameplay. If Nintendo's future
releases are this much fun, I don't see them encountering any
problems with their upcoming hardware, and the N64 can exit the
stage with its head held high.
Marketing
Efforts Towards Women:
I
can't say that there is a marketing push towards women as it's
really an arcade racing game. There are female racers in the game
to choose from of course, but as with the male riders they are
just there for selections. It's apparent from beginning to end
that Nintendo just wanted a game that anyone, male or female,
could sit down with and enjoy.
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