Difference between revisions of "Excitebike"
[[Image:Excitebike - NES - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
'''''Excitebike''''', known in Japan as '''''(エキサイトバイク [Ekisaitobaiku])''''' is a side-scrolling dirt bike racing game made by [[Nintendo]] and released for the [[NES]] in 1984, then ported to a several other platforms. A 2-player version was made for the [[Famicom Disk System]] which included the ability to save your custom tracks and times.
'''''Excitebike''''', known in Japan as '''''(エキサイトバイク [Ekisaitobaiku])''''' is a side-scrolling dirt bike racing game made by [[Nintendo]] and released for the [[NES]] on 1984-11-30, then ported to a several other platforms. A 2-player split-screen version was made for the [[Famicom Disk System]] which included the ability to save your custom tracks and times.
I think the very first time I played it was at my babysitter's house in Pontiac (around 1985). I didn't own this game growing up, but several of my friends had the game, and I always enjoyed playing it. What interested me most was the ability to create your own tracks, though I always wished there was a way to save them.
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 088.jpg|The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, part 2.
Official Nintendo Player's Guide - 152.jpg|The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, blurb.
Excitebike - VS - Ad.jpg|Vs. System advertisement.
Excitebike, known in Japan as (エキサイトバイク [Ekisaitobaiku]) is a side-scrolling dirt bike racing game made by Nintendo and released for the NES on 1984-11-30, then ported to a several other platforms. A 2-player split-screen version was made for the Famicom Disk System which included the ability to save your custom tracks and times.
I own this game for the NES, and have come in first place on each track in Mode A.
Best Version: Vs. Excitebike for Famicom Disk System
For awhile at least, the game is a lot of fun.
The Vs. version for the FDS basically makes the game complete. It allows two player competitive split screen, lets you to save your tracks, logs your best times, has more pre-made tracks, and adds more music and cut-scenes.
Requiring the player to not only keep their bike oriented properly, but also manage heat, was a good way to make the game more involved.
I like how the game changes the palette for each new track.
The graphics and music are pretty dull.
The color palette of stage 5 makes it difficult to see the track.
The game is too short. Five stages isn't nearly enough to keep players occupied.
The non-working save and load options that were left in the game were such a tease. The developers should removed them before releasing the game.
The original Japanese release has a sort of vector cartoon style. It gets the message across, but it's rather dull.
The US box art uses the early hideous pixel look Nintendo of America used.
Excitebike - NES - Manual.pdf
The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, part 1.
The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, blurb.
Vs. System advertisement.
Track 1.
The original game doesn't have credits, but NES Virtual Console, official sound tracks, and Vs. high score lists help identify several of the developers.
Hiroshi Yamauchi Executive Producer
Shigeru Miyamoto Director, Producer
Toshihiko Nakago Programmer
Minoru Maeda Graphic Designer
Takashi Tezuka Graphic Designer
Akito Nakatsuka Music Composer
Yukio Kaneoka Audio Programmer
mobygames.com/game/excitebike - MobyGames.
mobygames.com/game/vs-excitebike - MobyGames (Vs. Excitebike).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excitebike - Wikipedia.
vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Excitebike_(NES) - Music.
thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Wiki/index.php?title=Excitebike - NES Hacker Database.
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Famicom Disk Systems Games
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