Excitebike 64
Encyclopedia
is a video game published by Nintendo
and developed by Left Field Productions
. It was initally released in North America on April 30, 2000 for the Nintendo 64
video game console. It is the second installment in the Excitebike series, but is the first 3D
game in the series. It is the sequel to the acclaimed Nintendo Entertainment System
game Excitebike
. It was later succeeded by the Wii
game Excitebike: World Rally
.
that teaches players how to play through the 17 different tracks. There are a variety of exhibitions and time trial modes that lets players do more activities other than the main game. A major feature is the track editor, where players can create their own fully functional track and save it into the game. The announcer, Limua, shouts out the tricks and crashes throughout the race. Also featured is the original Exitebike.
to the public at the pre-E3 conference on May 12, 1999. The game was later shown playable the next day.
. IGN
commended the game for its "fantastic 3D engine, delightfully realistic physics, intuitive control, brilliantly detailed graphics, ingenious subtleties and tons of options." Game Fan stated "In addition to the superb animation, the game sounds awesome... Its dirt bikes actually sound like the real thing--none of that high-pitched tin squeal you'll find in other sub-par racers." TotalGames.net stated "The tracks are stunning and the physics engine manages to feel realistic, but also work perfectly as a game." CheckOut stated that Excitebike 64 is "A near flawless game that never tries to get too fancy for its own good. It's simple and simply awesome." Electric Playground stated "Added bonuses like the inclusion of the original side-scrolling turbo-cooling itty-bitty-bit masterpiece plus a tremendous hybrid of classic and new with 3D-ified straight and narrow, linear and delineated track design adds great gobs of icing to the cake."
While the game received high praise, certain publications voiced complaints. Gaming Maxx commented that there's "a small drawback if you're coming to this game for the music." Game Critics stated that "The game isn't perfect—I would have liked even more tracks to race on as well as a few more racers." GameSpot
stated that "Some will cry about the frame rate, and some will wish the game featured real riders." GameShark stated that "The control isn't the easiest to get the hang of, there were times I thought about snapping that little analog stick right off the controller!"
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
and developed by Left Field Productions
Left Field Productions
Left Field Productions is an independent video game development studio located in Ventura, California, USA. Founded in 1994 by industry veterans John Brandwood, Jeff Godfrey and Mike Lamb, Left Field is probably best known for their time spent as a Nintendo third-party developer, during which they...
. It was initally released in North America on April 30, 2000 for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
video game console. It is the second installment in the Excitebike series, but is the first 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
game in the series. It is the sequel to the acclaimed Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
game Excitebike
Excitebike
is a motocross racing video game franchise made by Nintendo. It first debuted as a game for the Famicom in Japan in 1984 and as a launch title for the NES in 1985. It is the first game of the Excite series, succeeded by its direct sequel Excitebike 64, its spiritual successors Excite Truck and...
. It was later succeeded by the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
game Excitebike: World Rally
Excitebike: World Rally
Excitebike: World Rally received mixed to positive reviews, which the game hold's a score of 72% on Game Rankings and a score of 70/100 on Metacritic...
.
Gameplay
Players can choose from one of six riders, each with his own pre-set handling attributes. Players control the bike by using either the control stick or D-pad. They can use the gamepad to accelerate, brake, slide, and use turbo boost. Like in the original, holding down gives the player more air on jumps, while holding up aims the front wheel forward to enable landing on slopes. It chooses to follow the original in giving "extreme" jumps and physics.Features
The main game features a 20-track season mode. Completing races unlocks more tracks and features. There is a tutorialTutorial
A tutorial is one method of transferring knowledge and may be used as a part of a learning process. More interactive and specific than a book or a lecture; a tutorial seeks to teach by example and supply the information to complete a certain task....
that teaches players how to play through the 17 different tracks. There are a variety of exhibitions and time trial modes that lets players do more activities other than the main game. A major feature is the track editor, where players can create their own fully functional track and save it into the game. The announcer, Limua, shouts out the tricks and crashes throughout the race. Also featured is the original Exitebike.
Development
The game was revealed by NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
to the public at the pre-E3 conference on May 12, 1999. The game was later shown playable the next day.
Reception
Critical reception was generally positive. The game received an average 88 out of 100 from the review compilation site MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
commended the game for its "fantastic 3D engine, delightfully realistic physics, intuitive control, brilliantly detailed graphics, ingenious subtleties and tons of options." Game Fan stated "In addition to the superb animation, the game sounds awesome... Its dirt bikes actually sound like the real thing--none of that high-pitched tin squeal you'll find in other sub-par racers." TotalGames.net stated "The tracks are stunning and the physics engine manages to feel realistic, but also work perfectly as a game." CheckOut stated that Excitebike 64 is "A near flawless game that never tries to get too fancy for its own good. It's simple and simply awesome." Electric Playground stated "Added bonuses like the inclusion of the original side-scrolling turbo-cooling itty-bitty-bit masterpiece plus a tremendous hybrid of classic and new with 3D-ified straight and narrow, linear and delineated track design adds great gobs of icing to the cake."
While the game received high praise, certain publications voiced complaints. Gaming Maxx commented that there's "a small drawback if you're coming to this game for the music." Game Critics stated that "The game isn't perfect—I would have liked even more tracks to race on as well as a few more racers." GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
stated that "Some will cry about the frame rate, and some will wish the game featured real riders." GameShark stated that "The control isn't the easiest to get the hang of, there were times I thought about snapping that little analog stick right off the controller!"