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Media: Excitebike: World Rally - Track Montage and Lap Gameplay
November 10, 2009 | 2:58 PM PST
It feels almost as though Excitebike: World Rally popped up from out of nowhere, and it virtually did, as Nintendo only revealed it on the Wii's Nintendo Channel a couple of weeks ago. And now, it's already available for download via the Wii Shop Channel.
Not much media has been available in that short time, but thanks to GameTrailers, a couple of new videos have have been made available following the game's release yesterday. First up is a montage of the different tracks you can race across, ranging from Madrid to Fiji to Canada:
Next up, more racing across some of the game's other courses:
As one might expect, I wasted no time in downloading this last night for the 1,000 Wii Points it costs.
And how to describe it? The best way I can think of is that if one were to consider Excite Truck and/or Excitebots the Super Mario Galaxy of the franchise, then this is definitely the New Super Mario Bros. entry, but without the benefit of being able to get away with a full retail release.
Fans of the original NES Excitebike should have no problems adapting to the new game, which feels like the true sequel we never really got in North America. In addition, you can see the hallmarks of Monster Games' contributions to the series throughout, such as the environments each track is set in and the item blocks on the track which cause the terrain to shift.
It lacks the graphic pizazz of the retail successors to the name, but that's okay; in the case of Excitebike, cartoony kind of works. And it is filled with the sort of little details one might remember adding a certain charm to the NES original, such as the slightly-sparse crowds in the stands and cameramen alongside some of the tracks, following your movement.
As for the controls, I'm still getting used to the tilt controls for the bike, and have so far actually done better with the NES styled configuration, but I imagine more time might be needed; most accounts heavily praise the Wii motion, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to have the controller face up as in Excite Truck, or where it's facing more toward me as in Excitebots and Mario Kart Wii.
Even with the NES controls, however, there is still a little motion fun, specifically when you get thrown from your bike after a crash or a bad landing. Instead of pressing the buttons to get back to your bike faster, you shake the Wii Remote. It's fun, and doesn't detract from the gameplay.
The game introduces various camera angles, with the classic 3/4 down view and one similar, but angled slightly behind the racers. I prefer the former, but unfortunately, you can't adjust the camera during the game's practice segment. Even then, it's not that bad. There is also a much more dynamic camera during replays, which makes them fun to watch.
I haven't tried the track editor or online features yet, but so far, it's a fun game that stands as a worthy sequel to the Excitebike name, adding new features and mechanics without straying too far from the original. Of course, how much joy you get from it would also largely depend on how much you liked the original; if you didn't like that game, odds are you won't swoon over World Rally, either.
On a final, related note, here is an amusing anecdote from 1UP:
With all due respect to Excitebike 64, I couldn't agree more (unless that would have somehow kept us from getting Excite Truck and Excitebots).
Not much media has been available in that short time, but thanks to GameTrailers, a couple of new videos have have been made available following the game's release yesterday. First up is a montage of the different tracks you can race across, ranging from Madrid to Fiji to Canada:
Next up, more racing across some of the game's other courses:
As one might expect, I wasted no time in downloading this last night for the 1,000 Wii Points it costs.
And how to describe it? The best way I can think of is that if one were to consider Excite Truck and/or Excitebots the Super Mario Galaxy of the franchise, then this is definitely the New Super Mario Bros. entry, but without the benefit of being able to get away with a full retail release.
Fans of the original NES Excitebike should have no problems adapting to the new game, which feels like the true sequel we never really got in North America. In addition, you can see the hallmarks of Monster Games' contributions to the series throughout, such as the environments each track is set in and the item blocks on the track which cause the terrain to shift.
It lacks the graphic pizazz of the retail successors to the name, but that's okay; in the case of Excitebike, cartoony kind of works. And it is filled with the sort of little details one might remember adding a certain charm to the NES original, such as the slightly-sparse crowds in the stands and cameramen alongside some of the tracks, following your movement.
As for the controls, I'm still getting used to the tilt controls for the bike, and have so far actually done better with the NES styled configuration, but I imagine more time might be needed; most accounts heavily praise the Wii motion, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to have the controller face up as in Excite Truck, or where it's facing more toward me as in Excitebots and Mario Kart Wii.
Even with the NES controls, however, there is still a little motion fun, specifically when you get thrown from your bike after a crash or a bad landing. Instead of pressing the buttons to get back to your bike faster, you shake the Wii Remote. It's fun, and doesn't detract from the gameplay.
The game introduces various camera angles, with the classic 3/4 down view and one similar, but angled slightly behind the racers. I prefer the former, but unfortunately, you can't adjust the camera during the game's practice segment. Even then, it's not that bad. There is also a much more dynamic camera during replays, which makes them fun to watch.
I haven't tried the track editor or online features yet, but so far, it's a fun game that stands as a worthy sequel to the Excitebike name, adding new features and mechanics without straying too far from the original. Of course, how much joy you get from it would also largely depend on how much you liked the original; if you didn't like that game, odds are you won't swoon over World Rally, either.
On a final, related note, here is an amusing anecdote from 1UP:
...curious to learn more, everyone crowded around the TV to see what it was.
"I wish this had been the N64 Excitebike," said Ray Barnholt as he watched the game in action.
"You want a remake of the N64 game? It was OK, but this is so much better," I said.
"No," he said. "I mean I wish the N64 game had been this."
With all due respect to Excitebike 64, I couldn't agree more (unless that would have somehow kept us from getting Excite Truck and Excitebots).
February 8, 2010
