User Rating: 8.7 | Excitebike NES
Excitebike is a classic. One of the first great console racing games, Excitebike offered almost a limitless amount of tracks, since you could create your own from scratch. And while the graphics weren't that great even for an NES game, and the sound could make the impatient gamer throw a hissy fit, the gameplay is what counts, and Excitebike delivers in that area. Keeping an eye on your bikes heat meter was crucial, since, if you overheated, you had to pull over to the side and wait for your bike to cool down. Excitebike also offered 2 different speeds, regular and a turbo speed. Turbo heated your bike up quicker, but, of course, you went faster. Keeping your eye on the heat meter, and making sure your bike doesn't roll over after a wheelie or a jump is really the meat of Excitebike's racing engine, but in actuality, there is much more. You had to watch out for mud puddle's, which would slow your bike down. There were also speed strips that, if you ran over, gave you a boost of speed. Back in the NES days, Excitebike was truly revolutionary. I guarantee that if you ask any developer who has worked on a Gran Turismo game, he'll tell you one of his favorite is Excitebike.
