Wikipedia

Excitebike

Excitebike[a]is amotocrossracing video gamedeveloped and published byNintendo.In Japan, it was released for theFamicomin 1984 and then ported to arcades asVS. Excitebikefor theNintendo VS. Systemlater that year. In North America, it was initially released for arcades in 1985 and then as alaunch gamefor theNintendo Entertainment Systemlater that year, becoming one of thebest-selling gameson the console. It is the first game in theExciteseries.

Excitebike
North American artwork
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Shigeru Miyamoto
Producer(s)Shigeru Miyamoto
Designer(s)Shigeru Miyamoto
Programmer(s)Toshihiko Nakago
Composer(s)Akito Nakatsuka
Soyo Oka (FDS)
SeriesExcite
Platform(s)
Release
  • Famicom/NES
    • JP:November 30, 1984[1]
    • NA:October 18, 1985
    • EU:September 1, 1986
    Arcade
    NEC PC-8801
    • JP:October 1985
    Sharp X1
    Famicom Disk System
    • JP:December 9, 1988
    Game Boy Advance
    • JP:February 14, 2004
    • NA:June 2, 2004
    • EU:July 9, 2004
    Nintendo 3DS
    • WW:June 6, 2011
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player,multiplayer
Arcade systemNintendo VS. System

Designed and directed byShigeru Miyamoto,the smoothside-scrollinggame enginehis team developed forExcitebikewas later used to developSuper Mario Bros.(1985), which had the effect ofMariosmoothlyacceleratingfrom a walk to a run, rather than move at a constant speed.

Excitebikewas a critical and commercial success. It spawned several sequels and has been re-released multiple times onto other Nintendo platforms, such theWiiandWii UVirtual Consoles,andNintendo Switch Online.

Gameplay

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The player jumps high above the computer racers.

Excitebikeis aside-scrollingracing gamein which the player takes control of amotocrossracer. The two gameplay modes are Selection A as a solo race run, and Selection B against computer-controlled opponents. The objective of the game is to finish in third place or higher in a preliminary race to qualify for the Excitebike championship race.[4]The A button accelerates the bike, and the B button activates a turbo boost that enhances the bike's speed, but overheats the engine if it is used for too long, forcing an immobile cooldown period.[5]The engine's temperature can be reset by driving over arrows located along the course.[4]The player can use the directional pad to shift between lanes, and to shift the racer's balance midair after a jump.[5]Landing squarely on both wheels allows the racer to maintain momentum, but an uneven landing will result in a loss of speed or a crash.[4]Design Mode allows players to create tracks using 19 types of hurdles,[6]with options to save and load created tracks for theFamicom Data Recordertape drive,which was unreleased outside Japan.[7]

Other releases

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Vs. Excitebike

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There are two enhanced versions, both titledVs. Excitebike.

The first version was released onVS. UniSystemforarcadesin 1984, after the Famicom release. It is similar to its Famicom Disk System counterpart, though this version lacks the Design option, has three difficulty levels, and has other minor differences.

The second was released for theFamicom Disk Systemperipheral in 1988. The graphics and core gameplay are still the same, and the FDS version has several distinctive features that the NES and arcade versions lack:

  • "Vs. Excite" mode puts two players competing against each other. The options include the maximum number of rounds to play, the track, and the number of laps.
  • The music is completely different; none of the songs from the original game are present, and it has a gameplay theme. The music is composed by Soyo Oka.[8]
  • The "Original Excite" mode is based on the main mode of the arcade version, with minor differences such as a different color palette.
  • Its writable disk format can save created tracks.

Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle Stadium

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Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle Stadium,[b]also known asMario Excite BikeorBS Excitebike,is for the Japan-onlySatellaviewperipheral forSuper Famicom.As a remake ofExcitebike,the human racers have been replaced byMario,Luigi,Princess Peach,Wario,Toad,and some ofBowser'sKoopa Troopas.The concept was unchanged except for a "SUPER" mode where the player has unlimited turbo, and coins spread across the courses to increase top speed.

Re-releases

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Excitebikecan be unlocked inExcitebike 64,which was released in 2000 for theNintendo 64.It is also one of several unlockable NES games inAnimal Crossingfor theGameCube,released in 2001. The Nintendo 64 version restores the Save and Load functionality in Design mode, though it is limited to saving one custom track on the Game Pak, while theAnimal Crossingversion can be transferred to theGame Boy Advanceby using alink cable.Excitebikewas also released for theGame Boy Advancein the form ofe-Readercards, and later as a Game Pak for theClassic NES Series.

Excitebikewas added to the EuropeanWii Virtual Consoleon February 16, 2007, the same day its spiritual successor,Excite Truck,was released there. The game was later added to the North AmericanVirtual Consoleon March 19.[9]It was re-released in North America for theWii U Virtual Consoleon April 26, 2013.[10]3D Classics: Excitebikewas released on theNintendo 3DSas alaunch gamefor the Nintendo eShop inAmerica,JapanandEurope;the game was initially offered for free for a period but then was sold at £5.40 / €6.00 for European markets[11]and $5.99 in the US.[12]It features 3D stereoscopic support and analog control support. This release was featured among other games from theNintendo Entertainment SystemandSuper NESto be released for the 3DS on a tech demo calledClassic GamesatE3 2010.[13][14]It allows the player to save up to 32 custom created tracks that can be played in either 2D or 3D.[15]

Excitebikeis one of the 30 games available on theNES Classic Edition,released by Nintendo on November 11, 2016.[16]Excitebikewas released on theNintendo Switchin theNintendo eShopin September 2018, byHamster Corporationas part of theArcade Archivesseries.[17]

Reception

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In Japan,Game MachinelistedVS. Excitebikeon its January 15, 1985, issue as the fifth most-successful table arcade unit of the month.[30]In North America, the game was number 13 on theRePlayarcade software charts in December 1985.[31]It ended the year as America's second highest-grossingarcade systemgame of 1985, below Nintendo'sHogan's Alley.[32]

The game has received generally positive reviews.AllgamegaveExcitebikeits highest possible rating of five stars. The review referred to the game as a "staple of any NES collection", praising its graphics as cute and its control as simple that still require strategy to apply properly. The review noted the design mode, as "the first of its kind in a console game, and greatly extends the life of the title by featuring 19 different components you can piece together to build your own course".[20]IGNpraised the NES version in 2007, as "ridiculously addictive" and that it "proves video games don't need to have flashy graphics or complex AI to actually be fun. Sure, there are other racing games out there today, hundreds of them. This one may not necessarily be better than the recent stuff, but it's unique, addictive, and demonstrates what gaming is really about".[25]IGNrankedExcitebikeas the 14th best NES game.[33]GamesRadarranked it as the 12th best game on the NES Classic Edition, saying that it has aged well with "a great sense of speed while driving and an excellent sense of balance while jumping and landing".[34]Game Informerranked the game 44 on its top 100 games of all time.[35]

KotakueditorJason Schreierranked it as the worst game on theNES Classic Edition,calling it "a truly awful video game" but with no explanation.[36]

Legacy

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Theside-scrollinggameplay ofExcitebikewas key to the development ofSuper Mario Bros.(1985). The same Miyamoto-led team that developedExcitebikewent on to develop a 1985 NES port of side-scrollingbeat 'em uparcade gameKung-Fu Master(1984) calledKung Fu.Miyamoto's team used the technical knowledge they had gained from working on both side-scrollers to further advance the platforming "athletic game"genre they had created withDonkey Kong(1981) and were key steps towards Miyamoto's vision of an expansive side-scrolling platformer.[37][38]While working onExcitebikeandKung Fu,he devised the concept of a platformer in which the player can "strategize while scrolling sideways" over long distances, and has colorful backgrounds rather than black.[39]Super Mario Bros.utilized the fast scrollinggame engineMiyamoto's team had originally developed forExcitebike,which allowedMarioto smoothlyacceleratefrom a walk to a run, rather than move at a constant speed like in earlier platformers.[40]

Excitebikespawned several sequels, includingExcitebike 64(2000),Excite Truck(2006),Excitebots: Trick Racing(2009), and theWiiWaregameExcitebike: World Rally(2009). AnExcitebike-themed track isdownloadable contentinMario Kart 8and is available by default inMario Kart 8 Deluxe.[7]A group of Excitebike racers cameo as an Assist Trophy inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl.

Notes

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  1. ^Japanese:エキサイトバイク,Hepburn:Ekisaitobaiku
  2. ^Japanese:エキサイトバイク ぶんぶんマリオバトルスタジアム,Hepburn:Ekisaito Baiku: Bunbun Mario Batoru Sutajiamu

References

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  1. ^"Archived copy".Archivedfrom the original on July 25, 2024.RetrievedJuly 25,2024.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^Akagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006).アーケードTVゲームリスト quốc nội • hải ngoại biên (1971-2005)[Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 128.ISBN978-4990251215.
  3. ^Akagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006).アーケードTVゲームリスト quốc nội • hải ngoại biên (1971-2005)[Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 57.ISBN978-4990251215.
  4. ^abcNintendo 1985,pp. 5–9.
  5. ^abNintendo 1985,pp. 3–4.
  6. ^Nintendo 1985,pp. 9–12.
  7. ^abScullion, Chris (2019).The NES Encyclopedia.Pen & Sword Books. p. 72.ISBN9781526737809.Archivedfrom the original on December 3, 2023.RetrievedMarch 19,2023.
  8. ^Oka, Soyo (March 2011). Greening, Chris (ed.)."Game Music:: Interview with Soyo Oka (March 2011)"(Interview). Interviewed by Chris Greening, Dave Harris. Trans. & local. Ben Schweitzer, Shota Nakama.Archivedfrom the original on April 3, 2011.RetrievedNovember 3,2018.
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  20. ^abMiller, Skyler."Excitebike - Review".AllGame. Archived fromthe originalon November 14, 2014.RetrievedJune 13,2014.
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  25. ^abBirnbaum, Mark (March 21, 2007)."Excitebike Review".IGN.RetrievedMay 6,2015.
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Bibliography

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