Excitebike is a side-scrolling released as an NES launch title in North America. This is part of the Excite series that has received several entries, and this game in particular is referenced in numerous games and has seen many re-released on Nintendo consoles via Virtual Console or Nintendo Switch Online, and it has its fans; I'm not one of them
The game has two modes. First is the racing part under Selections A and B. Selection A has five race courses that you must beat the times for to move on to the next track. The objective is to get third place or higher, and any position besides that will result in a game over. Selection B has the same courses as A, but with computer players. The tracks themselves are decently designed and can be fun for a little bit, but the problem is, I don't even know if I'm playing it correctly
The courses are similar to what you see in a motocross stadium, with giant ramps, mud pits, and platforms you get up top are all here. To move, you accelerate with the A button; the B button activates a turbo boost that enhances the bike's speed, but will overheat if it's used for too long. When in the air, landing squarely on both wheels will maintain momentum, but landing unevenly will result in a crash
Now let's get on to the reasoning why I'm not a big fan of this game; it's infuriating and not really fun to play. So when I crash by landing unevenly or didn't pass through the small ramps at the time, it takes forever for the racer to get back on his feet losing so much time, and the same can be said when paying with the CPUs. They are a nuisance to play against whenever I'm behind the biker and touch them, this also results in a crash. I watch a few longplay videos and see how they get through hurdles with minimal crashes, and whenever I do try these tricks out, I fumble it up. I couldn't beat some of these courses without save states, and maybe I can get through them without it, but I was just ready to be done with it
There's also the Design Mode where you can customize your racetrack. I didn’t get much use out of it, and I only made one course, but I guess for 1984-1985 standards, it was probably cool back then, and that's all I have to say for this mode
Excitebike is not my favorite NES launch title. The game is more aggravating than fun, and it probably can be if I was better at the game, but after I cleaned the courses, I was ready to move on
The game has two modes. First is the racing part under Selections A and B. Selection A has five race courses that you must beat the times for to move on to the next track. The objective is to get third place or higher, and any position besides that will result in a game over. Selection B has the same courses as A, but with computer players. The tracks themselves are decently designed and can be fun for a little bit, but the problem is, I don't even know if I'm playing it correctly
The courses are similar to what you see in a motocross stadium, with giant ramps, mud pits, and platforms you get up top are all here. To move, you accelerate with the A button; the B button activates a turbo boost that enhances the bike's speed, but will overheat if it's used for too long. When in the air, landing squarely on both wheels will maintain momentum, but landing unevenly will result in a crash
Now let's get on to the reasoning why I'm not a big fan of this game; it's infuriating and not really fun to play. So when I crash by landing unevenly or didn't pass through the small ramps at the time, it takes forever for the racer to get back on his feet losing so much time, and the same can be said when paying with the CPUs. They are a nuisance to play against whenever I'm behind the biker and touch them, this also results in a crash. I watch a few longplay videos and see how they get through hurdles with minimal crashes, and whenever I do try these tricks out, I fumble it up. I couldn't beat some of these courses without save states, and maybe I can get through them without it, but I was just ready to be done with it
There's also the Design Mode where you can customize your racetrack. I didn’t get much use out of it, and I only made one course, but I guess for 1984-1985 standards, it was probably cool back then, and that's all I have to say for this mode
Excitebike is not my favorite NES launch title. The game is more aggravating than fun, and it probably can be if I was better at the game, but after I cleaned the courses, I was ready to move on