Nitrobike
Encyclopedia
Nitrobike is a dirt-bike
racing
video game for the Wii
and PlayStation 2
. It is published by Ubisoft
and was developed by Left Field Productions
, the developer previously responsible for, among other games, Excitebike 64
, MTX Mototrax
and Dave Mirra BMX Challenge
. It began development in October 2006, and was announced by Ubisoft at its E3 2007 press conference in Santa Monica, California
. It was also announced that this would be an exclusive Wii title, and that it would be the first Motocross
game for the Wii.
Nitrobike was released in North America on January 15, 2008 on both the Wii and PlayStation 2.
Nitrobike features gameplay that is somewhat similar to its predecessors Excitebike 64
and Excite Truck
. The controls in this game are similar to Excite Truck, with player holding the Wii Remote
on its side and twisting the remote to the right or left in order to steer. The physics in the game, while still retaining some aspect of realism, have a very arcade-like feel. According to the CEO of Left Field Productions, James Higgins, the game will be about five times as fast as Excitebike 64, and players will be able to perform more impressive jumps than in the game's predecessors. Higgins also noted that by performing tricks while in the air, players will be able to boost longer, which in turn will allow them to finish tracks faster.
Nitrobike features online play allowing up to six players to race against each other simultaneously. Players can compete in random worldwide matches or exchange friend codes to play against friends. The game will keep record of the number of races friends have competed in and the number of first place finishes.
rating of 52% and a Metacritic
score of 51.
Nintendo Power
scored the game a 3.5/10, saying it was a "disappointing, wreck of a Wii game." IGN
claimed the game has decent gameplay, but its presentation lacked "soul". GameSpot
called it a "a slow, clumsy mess". Game Trailers sole praise for the game was for the unlockable "Crash Bowling" minigame, which while "not particularly fun ... keep [the player] from playing the main game".
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
racing
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
video game for 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...
and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. It is published by Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
and was 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...
, the developer previously responsible for, among other games, Excitebike 64
Excitebike 64
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...
, MTX Mototrax
MTX Mototrax
MTX Mototrax is a Motocross videogame made by Left Field Productions and published by Activision for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2004. It was released for the PC later that year. The PC version was developed and published by Aspyr. It was released in 2006 for the PlayStation Portable...
and Dave Mirra BMX Challenge
Dave Mirra BMX Challenge
Dave Mirra BMX Challenge is a video game by Crave Entertainment for the Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation Portable The game is a part of the Dave Mirra franchise of video games that features stunt BMX gameplay.-Gameplay:...
. It began development in October 2006, and was announced by Ubisoft at its E3 2007 press conference in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
. It was also announced that this would be an exclusive Wii title, and that it would be the first Motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
game for the Wii.
Nitrobike was released in North America on January 15, 2008 on both the Wii and PlayStation 2.
Gameplay
Excitebike 64
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...
and Excite Truck
Excite Truck
is a video game published by Nintendo and developed by Monster Games for the Wii video game system. It features malleable environments and tilt-based controls. The game was one of the Wii launch titles in North America. It is a spiritual successor to the Excitebike series...
. The controls in this game are similar to Excite Truck, with player holding the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
on its side and twisting the remote to the right or left in order to steer. The physics in the game, while still retaining some aspect of realism, have a very arcade-like feel. According to the CEO of Left Field Productions, James Higgins, the game will be about five times as fast as Excitebike 64, and players will be able to perform more impressive jumps than in the game's predecessors. Higgins also noted that by performing tricks while in the air, players will be able to boost longer, which in turn will allow them to finish tracks faster.
Nitrobike features online play allowing up to six players to race against each other simultaneously. Players can compete in random worldwide matches or exchange friend codes to play against friends. The game will keep record of the number of races friends have competed in and the number of first place finishes.
Reception
Nitrobike received generally negative reviews. It currently has a Game RankingsGame Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
rating of 52% and a Metacritic
Metacritic
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,...
score of 51.
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
scored the game a 3.5/10, saying it was a "disappointing, wreck of a Wii game." 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...
claimed the game has decent gameplay, but its presentation lacked "soul". 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...
called it a "a slow, clumsy mess". Game Trailers sole praise for the game was for the unlockable "Crash Bowling" minigame, which while "not particularly fun ... keep [the player] from playing the main game".
External links
- Nitrobike E3 2007 trailer
- Nitrobike coverage by 1UP1UP.com1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
- Nitrobike coverage by IGNIGNIGN 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...