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Excitebike
North American boxart
Developer(s)	Nintendo R&D1
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto
Platform(s)	NES/Famicom, NEC PC-8801, Arcade, Game Boy Advance, Virtual Console
Release date(s)	NES JP November 30, 1984 NA October 18, 1985 EU September 1, 1986 Famicom Disk System JP December 9, 1988 Virtual Console EU February 16, 2007 NA March 19, 2007 JP March 13, 2007
Genre(s)	Racing game
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: E (Everyone) (GBA, Wii)
Media	192-kilobit cartridge

A screenshot of the game.

Excitebike (エキサイトバイク, Ekisaitobaiku ^?) is a motocross racing video game franchise made by Nintendo. It first debuted as a game for the Famicom in Japan in 1984 for a price of 5000 yen. It is the first game of the Excite series, succeeded by its sequel Excitebike 64, the spiritual successors Excite Truck and Excitebots: Trick Racing and the WiiWare title Excitebike: World Rally.

Gameplay

Whether the player chooses to race solo or against computer-assisted riders, he/she races against a certain time limit. The goal is to qualify for the Excitebike (the championship) race by coming in at third place or above in the challenge race (preliminary race). The times to beat are located on the stadium walls (for first place) and in the lower left corner (for third place). In any race, the best time is 8 seconds ahead of third place. When the player places first, then they get a message: "It's a new record!" Additional points are earned by beating the previously-set record time.

The player controls the position of the red motorcycle with the Y-axis of the directional pad, and controls acceleration with the A and B buttons. Using B causes greater acceleration, but also increases the motorcycle's temperature shown as a bar at the bottom of the screen. If the temperature exceeds safe limits (the bar becomes full), the player will be immobilized for several seconds while the bike cools down. Driving over an arrow will immediately reduce the bike's temperature.

The pitch of the motorcycle can be modified with the X-axis of the directional pad, left raises the front, while right lowers the front. In the air, this rotates the bike, but can also be used to create wheelies on the ground. The up and down arrows on turn the hand bar left and right, respectively when the bike is on the ground.

At the start of the game, the player can choose one of five tracks he/she wants to race in.

Modes

ExciteBike has three modes of gameplay. In Selection A, the player races solo. In Selection B, CPU players join the player. They act as another obstacle; hitting one from the back will cause the player to fall off the bike, while any CPU riders hitting the player's rear wheel will cause them to fall off.

In Design Mode, the player has the ability to build his or her own racing tracks. The player can choose hills and obstacles of various sizes and place them. The player can also choose where to finish the lap, and how many laps there are (up to nine). After it is finished, the player can race the track in either Selection A or Selection B.

The game allowed saving the custom-designed track to cassette tape, requiring the Famicom Data Recorder peripheral (basically the Famicom equivalent of the C-64's Datassette). Since this peripheral was only available in Japan (intended for use with Nintendo's Family Basic), track saving was effectively unavailable to American and European players (the game's English manual states that "Save and Load menu selections are not operable in this game; they have been programmed in for potential product developments."). Unlike Wrecking Crew, Excitebike was never re-released for the Famicom Disk System in its original form. Courses created using the Virtual Console release can actually be saved to the Wii's internal memory.

Ports and enhanced remakes

Vs. Excitebike

Excitebike was enhanced in two different versions, both titled Vs. Excitebike.

The first version was released for arcades in 1984, some time after the Famicom release. The game was based around the VS. Unisystem unit. It is similar to its NES counterpart, though this version has the Design option gone and in the main game there are three difficulty levels (Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced), and the levels are arranged in a different setup: there are seven tracks that must be played twice, the first time as a challenge race, and the second time as an Excitebike race. Whereas the challenge race has no CPU bikers as obstacles, in the Excitebike race mode they appear. If the player fails to clear the track in 3rd place or more, the game is over.

The second was released for the Famicom Disk System peripheral in 1988. While the graphics and core gameplay are still the same, there are several differences between this version, and both the original and its arcade namesake:

• The game features a versus mode known as "Vs. Excite", in which two players compete for winning. The options include maximum number for rounds for deciding a winner, the track in which the players will race on, and the number of laps for said track.
• The music is completely different and none of the sound tracks from the original game is present in this version.
• The "Original Excite" mode is based actually on the main mode of the arcade version.
• Its rewritable disk format also allows the player to save created tracks.

Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle Stadium

Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle Stadium (エキサイトバイク ぶんぶんマリオバトルスタジアム ^?, also known as Mario Excite Bike, BX Mario Excite Bike, and Excite Bike 2) is a video game for the Satellaview (available only in Japan), and a remake of this game. Unlike the original Excitebike, the human racers have been replaced by Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Wario, Toad, Yoshi, and some of Bowser's Koopa Troopas. The concept of the game was unchanged except for a "SUPER" mode where the player has unlimited turbo, as well as the addition of coins. The coins are spread out on the courses and increase top speed.

Other ports and remakes

The original Excitebike has appeared on a number of gaming platforms since its debut in 1984.

• A version of the game was released for the Japan-only NEC PC-8801 and Sharp X1 by Hudson Soft in 1985.
• Players can unlock the title on the Nintendo 64 sequel game Excitebike 64.
• Players can unlock the title (one of several bonus NES games included) on the GameCube game Animal Crossing.
• In 2003, it was released as a five E-card set game, entitled Excitebike-e, for the now-discontinued e-Reader, a device for the Game Boy Advance used for scanning special "e-Cards" to play games, obtain information, or unlock special content.
• In 2004, it was released as part of the Game Boy Advance Classic NES Series. This version is the first non-Japan version to allow the player to save their tracks, although this port only has one savable track.
• The game was added to the European Virtual Console on February 16, 2007, the same day its spiritual successor, Excite Truck, was released there. The game was added to the North American Virtual Console on March 19, 2007[1].
• The Nintendo DSi includes an Excitebike visualizer that is used while playing music from your SD card on Nintendo DSi Sound.
• Excitebike: World Rally, a new WiiWare game, was released for download on November 9, 2009.

External links

• Excitebike guide at StrategyWiki
• Excitebike at MobyGames
• Excitebike at NinDB

From StrategyWiki, the free strategy guide and walkthrough wiki

Excitebike
Developer(s)	Nintendo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Japanese title	エキサイトバイク
Release date(s)	NES  November 30, 1984  October 18, 1985 Wii Virtual Console  February 16, 2007  February 16, 2007  March 13, 2007  March 19, 2007
Genre(s)	Action
System(s)	NES, Game Boy Advance, e-Reader, Wii Virtual Console
Players	1
Rating(s)	CERO: All ages ESRB: Everyone PEGI: Ages 3+ OFLC: General
Followed by	Excitebike 64
Series	Excite

This is the first game in the Excite series. For other games in the series see the Excite category.

Titlescreen

Wikipedia has an article about:

Excitebike

Excitebike was one of the more popular launch titles for the NES, but its popularity was due in large part to the games presence in arcades. Among all of Nintendo's Vs. arcade titles, Excitebike was one of the most common, appearing more frequently than even Vs. Super Mario Bros. This is largely due to the fact that when arcade owners were given the choice between an easy to understand motorcross racing game or a strange adventure about a plumber who eats mushrooms to grow in size, they went with the concept that made the most sense to them.

Excitebike, though primitive by today's standards, builds its gameplay, and subsequently its popularity, on a pure game design concept. There is no backstory or integral characters to know. The player merely assumes the role of a motorbike racing contestant whose aim is to become the champion. The controls are simple and intuitive, and the experience is fun, as you guide your bike over ramps and jumps, and trip up the competition.

When Excitebike was programmed for the Famicom, it including a track edit mode where players could design and play on their own tracks. These tracks were saved on the Famicom cassette recorder that was also used with Famicom BASIC. It was the fifth best selling Famicom game released during 1983 and 1984, selling approximately 1,570,000 copies in its lifetime. When the game was released outside of Japan, the edit mode remained, but there was no way to physically save the tracks. Vs. Excitebike was released in the arcade shortly after the Famicom release, partially in an attempt to create a demand for the home version in the United States. The Vs. version was later released on the Famicom Disk System with some improved features, including a simultaneous two player mode that the original game lacked, and an improved track save system (the tracks were saved to the writable portion of the disk). The original game was published for the Game Boy Advance e-Reader card system (without the track save feature) as Excitebike-e, and then again as part of the Classic NES/Famicom Mini series of NES games on the Game Boy Advance with the ability to save one track.

The game's lasting legacy led to Nintendo 64 sequel called Excitebike 64 (which included the original game as a minigame), as well as Excite Truck for the Wii.

Nintendo Entertainment System

Game Boy Advance Classic NES

Game Boy Advance Famicom Mini

e-Reader cards wrapper

Controls

• : Move to a higher race lane.
• : Move to a lower race lane.
• : When in the air, push right to lower the front wheel. This causes the bike to fly lower and longer.
• : When in the air, push left to raise the front wheel. This causes the bike to fly higher and shorter. When on the ground, push left to do a wheelie. If you push left for too long, you will fall off the bike.
• : Normal acceleration. This will only heat your engine up to a certain extent.
• : Turbo acceleration. This will continue to heat your engine up to the point where it can over heat. If you over heat, you will be forced to move to the side of the track until your engine cools down enough for you to continue. Drive over Turbo Strips to cool the engine down.
• +: When knocked off the bike, tap the two buttons rapidly to run faster.
• : Pauses the game.
• : No function.

Game modes

Excitebike

• Selection A: In this mode, you must complete two solo laps on each track.
• Selection B: In this mode, you must complete two laps with competition on each track.
• Design: You can construct a track of your own design, and race on it.

Vs. Excitebike

• Original Excite: The arcade mode of play where you must complete one lap solo, and two laps with competition on each track.
• VS Excite: A two player competitive mode where you can choose between battle or free race. You race on custom or pre-edited tracks.
• VS Edit: You can construct a track of your own design, race on it, and save it to one of four available custom track slots.

Racing Tips

• In order to take first place, you must beat the record score that scrolls by on the wall behind the track. In order to qualify for the next race (3rd place in Excitebike, 5th place in Vs. Excitebike) you must at least beat the time indicated in the lower left corner of the screen.
• The most important thing to consider while racing is the orientation of your bike in the air. You will lose a considerable amount of time if you don't land with both wheels on the ground at the same time. Always orient your bike parallel to the ground before you touch down for the fastest times.
• Judge whether you want your bike to travel high and short, or low and long when you go off a jump. Most of the time, low and long will help you travel farther faster, but some jumps require that you jump high to avoid crashing in to the next ramp.
• Use the turbo acceleration off the start line and just before going over jumps. Let go of when you are on straightaways and already in the air. Holding too long can cause your engine to over heat. If it does, you will be forced to wait for your engine to cool down, losing precious seconds. In addition to watching the temperature gauge at the bottom of the screen, listen for the engine sound to change from a hum to a whine as an indication of over heating.
• Look for Turbo Strips on the bottom or (more commonly) on the top of the track. They instantly reduce the heat of your engine, allowing you to hold down without penalty.
• If you hit the rear wheel of another racer or land improperly, you will fall down and have to run to your bike. Tap and as fast as you can to speed up your recovery.
• However, if you can get your rear wheel in front of an opponent's bike, you will trip your opponent and send them off to the other side of the track, taking them out of competition for a short while. Even if a competitor is removed, you still have to beat the time posted.
• You must perform a wheelie to cross the small bumps in the road that are no higher than your front tire. Try to avoid driving on the grass, or driving through mud as they both slow your bike down considerably.

External links

• Maps of tracks for the Nintendo (NES) version of Excitebike at NESMaps

From Wikia Gaming, your source for walkthroughs, games, guides, and more!

Portal: Sports and Racing		Excitebike at Nintendopedia

Excitebike
Developer(s)	Nintendo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Release date	Famicom: November 30, 1984 (JP) NES: October 18, 1985 (NA) September 6, 1986 (EU)
Genre	Racing
Mode(s)	Single player
Age rating(s)	N/A NES
Platform(s)	Famicom Nintendo Entertainment System
Media	192 Kilobit Cartridge NES
Input	NES Controller
Credits | Soundtrack | Codes | Walkthrough

Excitebike is game released for the Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was a launch title for the North American Nintendo Entertainment System.

Gameplay

The game resembles motorcross, with players competing against several computer controlled racers through various hills, jumps and puddles. A Turbo can be used while racing, but using it for too long will cause the player's engine to overheat, costing the player valuable seconds. Oddly enough, the player doesn't win by passing a set amount of opponents, but by completing a course in a set amount of time.

A rarely seen feature, at the time, was included in Excitebike, which was the ability to edit and save one's own custom courses. Although loading often took quite a while, the save system was effective for what it was. There has been recent talk that the save system stored information through sound frequencies. Adding to this theory; if one listens closely to a speaker while a course is loading, they can hear small "blips" and other sounds.

Other Appearences

The Excitebikers appear as an Assist Trophy in the game, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in their 8-bit forms.

Gallery

Famicom Boxart

NES Boxart

NES European Boxart

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