Sound:  
One thing overlooked in the original Excitebike that disappointed me was the lack of music. Sound is all too important in the new Excitebike for the H64. The background music is basically rock music with some slight twists. The soundtrack really gets you pumped up for every powerslide and every wicked jump. The songs are really hardcore especially the track for the Desert Course. It reminds me of a song in The Matrix for some reason, but that's not a bad thing! The sound effects are equally impressive. The bikes sound so realistic that it makes you think if you're actually riding a real dirtbike or just playing a game in your room. The engines have their "rrrr rrrr" sound when you rev it up with the Z button (huge boost) and it sound tremendous. There is also an announcer with voice-overs like, "Tricky Ricky got a soil sample!" and "Sugar Hill is in first place!" etc. It does get a little repetitive but I am still glad Left Field incorporated this because it sounds realistic. Good stuff from Left Field and Nintendo in the sound department.

Control:  
The bikes themselves handle like a dream. To accelerate hold down the A button, but if you want a turbo boost, hold down the Z button like in the original game. But if you hold Z down too long your bike will overheat and you'll almost slow down to a stop. Luckily it refills only after 5 or so seconds. Unlike a lot of racing games, turning in Excitebike 64 is relatively simple. By holding the R button in conjunction with the brake button (B) you will do a really helpful powerslide for mastering the corners. If you didn't know yet, riders can do cool tricks by pressing and holding the C-down button and pressing the appropriate motion on the control stick. Tricks range from Supermans to Heel Clickers and they are all very impressive. An added feature for the tricks is that now you can see your tricks displayed in a little window in the top left portion of the screen. It will show you your trick in all its glory and it looks impressive. Overall, controlling the riders is extremely easy if you take the time to practice how to do powerslides and managing your extra boost speed.

Gameplay:
Unlike the original game, Excitebike 64 takes place in gorgeous 3D environments complete with huge jumps, twisted corners, and wicked scenery. There are six different racers, named accordingly: Sarah 'Sugar' Hill, 'Tricky' Ricky Stern, Nigil 'The Duke' York, 'Jumpin' Jim Rivers, Bobby 'Big Dog' Malone, and Vicky 'The Vixen' Steele. Before each race you can change their bike and uniform color. Each racer also has their own unique brand sponsored by companies such as No Fear, Thor, Fox Racing, etc.

In the Season mode, you'll compete against other dirtbikers in a series of 5 races and if you come in first overall you are able to move on to the next round. Real life cities are used as the basis of the tracks. You'll ride in Kyoto, Madrid, Seattle, etc. In all, there are 20 awesome indoor and outdoor tracks. The tracks increase in difficulty as you move on and you'll need to know how to manage your boost and how to do powerslides with ease. The tracks range from indoor stadiums, jungles, construction yards and even snow-capped tracks. You'll start out in the Novice status, which is quite simple. In the different difficulties, there are three sub sections: Bronze, Silver, and Gold, each with 5 races. After you complete the Novice difficulty you'll be able to move on to the Amateur ranking and you'll race some different tracks. And if you can complete this, it's time for Pro. Pro is really difficult because the other racers are extremely fast and defensive. If you manage to complete the pro difficulty you'll discover some neat secrets which I won't mention...

Hidden deep within the core of Excitebike 64 are the Special Tracks. Ah, what nostalgia it holds. After you successfully complete the Season mode, special tracks start opening up. One of the coolest special tracks is the original Excitebike! Yes, Left Field was granted the right to include Miyamoto's awesome NES racing game. I can remember countless nights of Excitebike goodness and I'm glad I get to play the game Another special track is the Desert track in which racers race on a huge, open desert course which never ends. It's amazing to play this track because you can race forever it seems like. Next, there's a standard Stunt Course where you get limited time to try and get the most points by doing tricks.

Just like the original game, there's a track editor. When you go to the custom track editor, you will see a checkerboard design. You are limited to indoor courses only and the tracks can be any size you want (they have to connect and they have to stay within the boundaries of the checkerboard design). You can add straights, turns, jumps, and user pieces. Each piece has about three different sizes. (ex/ you can make a small jump, a medium, or a high jump). The user piece is really cool because it's one long piece and you can edit it any way you want. When you're done with the track you can switch the dirt type and then give it a name. Feel free to test the track before saving it however. The track editor is a nice feature that gives this game a lot of freedom, but making tracks is a little boring because there's not enough extras. It's a good option nonetheless.

Multiplayer:
Excitebike 64 offers a unique 1-4 player soccer mode where racers hit a humungous soccer ball into the opposing net. It's fun for a little while but it gets repetitive after a few games. A really unique new special track is the Hill Climb. One to two racers compete in an uphill climb in three sections of the hill. There's a catch though. The hill is really steep and any wrong turn can result in a crash and you'll go falling backwards down the hill. The special tracks alone are reason enough to buy this game.

OVERALL:
Excitebike 64 takes what is known as a great 2D sidescroller and boosts it into lushish 3D environments that never get old. With the original Excitebike included who wouldn't buy this game? If that's not enough for you, there's also a huge season mode and a ton of extras such as Hill Climb and the Desert track. So do me a favor and pick this game up if you haven't already. Kudos to Left Field and Nintendo for making Excitebike 64 live up to the Excitebike name.

 

The Lowdown on  Excitebike 64 Aesthetics: Awesome Control: Awesome Gameplay: Awesome Multiplayer: Awesome Sound: Awesome Innovation: 6/6 Lasting Appeal: 5/6 Overall: Awesome! "Top of the Genre"