Original Release: Nintendo, 2009, Wii
This revival of the original NES Excitebike sticks with the fundamental gameplay but adds 3D graphics and the ability to change camera angles
Excitebike: World Rally (Wii, Nintendo, 2009)
Where to Buy: No longer officially available, may be found on an old Wii hard drive
How to Emulate: Wii Emulation Guide
Review by: C. M0use
Meant to be a nostalgia fest for 80s kids, World Rally just reminded me why I never really got into Excitebike in its day.
First of all, I feel like the original Excitebike had at least decent gameplay, and this entry is a downgrade: slower than the original, the physics feel less like an actual dirt bike, and it’s more finicky about needing to land exactly right or you’ll be spun out into a race-stopping crash.
The track is also too cluttered with extra racers who have no purpose in life but to troll you and get in your way. In the original game you could stick with Mode A, which emptied the track out for you, here you’re stuck in constant Mode B.
The best thing about it is the online connectivity, which allows you to play other people and share tracks you create (or at least did during the Wii heyday, not sure if you can hook that up now with emulators or somesuch). The second best thing is that it is the rare game to 100% use the Classic Controller, there are some optional motion things but nothing is required.
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