Retro Profile: Excitebike (NES)

Back in the day, we only needed two things to get kickin’: excitement and dirtbikes. Excitebike melded the two into what could very well be the most retro game ever made. Excitebike was a side scrolling motorcycle racer that threw a slew of obstacles in your path. From oil patches to giant odd-shaped ramps, Excitebike has plenty to offer. Seeing Excitebike not only brings back memories, but it makes new ones too.

Excitebike let you race down an assortment of tracks with or without opponents. Either way, you were racing the clock, and the goal was to land in one of the top three spots. Not only did players have to worry about landing on their wheels after catching off-the-screen air, but players also had to watch out for pile-ups and engine over-heating problems. Excitebike took a simple game and added a surprising amount of 8-bit depth.

Not convinced, Excitebike sealed its position in the hearts of fans with a track editor. No need to look for the perfect track, players could put together any combination of sweet ramps that they wanted. For that matter, players could have five minutes of open road. No worries, it’s retro.

Play or Stay? While this game is bound to bring back some good memories; you might as well stay. Excitebike has seen revitalization in almost every Nintendo product (GBA Classics, E-Reader cards, Animal Crossing GCN in-game game, free Happy Meal hand-outs, etc.) Just be patient, and you’re bound to have it fall in your lap, then you can give it a play.

2 Comments

  1. I remember the fisrt time I saw Excitebike. I was blowned away, I wanted the game, I really did but I was not lucky enought to get it. I think I only pleyed it for a few minutes at the store (I think it was called Woolworths).

  2. Nintendo also made an Excite Bike 64 for N64, which also had a track editor and as I recall was a late title for the N64 console.

    Did it make an apperance on SNES? Cus seeing how there was a console gap between each release, indications would suggest that Nintendo might want to reuse this old franchise for Revolution. 😀

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