First Impressions: Excitebike 64

Nintendo used the Space World show to give gamers a peek at its Excitebike 64, which up until now had only been seen on video (at E3). While the game had looked good on video, I was definitely not prepared for how well it actually played. After I landed a few minutes of playtime, a Nintendo crew member came up to me and asked me a few questions - mainly, he was wondering if I could tell him why I liked the game. To me, it was quite simple - Excite Bike 64 plays a lot like the original Excite Bike, except now it's in 3D.

Excitebike 64 was loads of fun to play - the control was simple, and it was somewhat reminiscent of the original Excitebike. When you jump off of one dirt mound and land on another, you have to use the analog stick to direct how your bike will land. The game also features some top-notch graphics on the Nintendo 64. In fact, if I had to place my finger on the game that most surprised me visually at the Space World show, it might be this one. I also got to try out the two-player mode (there's also a four-player option), and it played great, with no slowdown or other noticeable problems.

Excitebike 64 is currently slated for a February 2000 release. We'll have plenty more on the hot N64 racing title soon.