Excitebike 64

"The original is older than me! Uhhh...yeah."

Well, well, well. Here's one game I never thought would get a 64-bit update: Excitebike. Some of you might be a bit too young to remember, but for those of us that do, Excitebike was an awesome motorbike game on the Nintendo that provided hours of fun and something very unique at the time: a Track Editor! Okay, history class is over. Onto the review!

Gameplay - Excitebike 64 plays exactly like the old one. Just in 3D. The good ol' tempurature gauge is still there, as are the turbos and wheelies. Now added are powerslides and tricks and the such. Excitebike 64 is one of those games that you can pick up and it just feels right. Left Field did awesome on the controls, they're extremely responsive and very reliable. Everything about this game screams quality. The physics engine, the controls, everything is great. The tricks are easy to pull off, just a push of the C-Down button(and in some cases, the R button) and a quick motion on the stick or pad and you'll be busting out Nac Nacs and Cliffhangers faster than you can say ''Ooh, a hill!'' Or something. Multiplayer is also a blast, and the feeling you get from landing from a jump right in front of someone and cutting them off is truly exhilarating. Wonderful job, Left Field.

Graphics - Equally impressive are the graphics, which are extremely detailed and beautiful to look at. The character animations are also realistic and the stunts look awesome. The framerate hardly drops, even in 2 and 4-player modes. Pop-up is practically non-existant, and this can be evidenced on the Desert Course, which allows you to see miles into the distance. Amazing.

Sound/Music - The sounds in this game are extremely realistic. The sounds of engines revving and tires against dirt sound just like you're in the arena. When you bust on the turbo the occuring whine is really sweet. The announcer, while cool at first, does get a bit repetitive. The music is pretty good in some cases, but for the most part, it's pretty much better sounding elevator music. But it doesn't detract from the game at all.

Buy Or Rent? - If you have ever loved a racing game, have ever loved motocross(or supercross or whatever they're calling it these days) or if you enjoyed the original Excitebike(which is in here, surprise!) then you'll want to pick up this immediately. It's truly one of the best, if not THE best, racing games on the N64.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/03/00, Updated 05/03/00