Excitebike arrives on Wii VC

Original NES racer joined by Splatterhouse, Beyond Oasis on downloadable retro game service.

Retro racers, start your engines.

Nintendo's regular Monday-morning update of new releases for the Wii's Virtual Console downloadable game service has gone live, and the new titles include one offering each from the NES, the TurboGrafx-16, and the Sega Genesis.

Leading the pack this week is the NES motorcycle racer Excitebike. Originally released in 1985, Excitebike challenged players to race against a pack of competitors while negotiating jumps, avoiding track hazards, and monitoring engine temperature. It also stood out among early NES titles for its full-featured level editor, which allowed players to design new courses on par with those already found in the game. Excitebike is rated E for Everyone and is available for 500 Wii Points ($5).

For gamers interested in fare that isn't so family friendly, there's the TurboGrafx-16 action game Splatterhouse. As a university student wearing a cursed mask that can't be removed but grants its owner power, players must hack their way through a monster-infested mansion with cleavers, shotguns, and other weapons in order to save a fellow student. One of the gorier games of its day, Splatterhouse has received a rating of T for Teen, and sells for 600 Wii Points ($6).

The last of the new Virtual Console releases also features an ancient relic granting the player supernatural powers. The action role-playing game Beyond Oasis casts players as Prince Ali, bearer of a golden armlet with the ability to summon spirits. The golden armlet has a silver counterpart created for destruction, and Ali must traverse the land of Oasis to keep the silver armlet from being used for evil. Beyond Oasis is rated E for Everyone and is available for 800 Wii Points ($8).

89 Comments

  • cobrax80

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 10:45 pm PT

    looks interesting

  • 02sfraser

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 12:19 pm PT

    I think everyone in gamespot should buy "Sword of Vermillion" Best Mega Drive game EVER!!!!

  • bminns

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 10:31 am PT

    i loved excitebike when i was younger

  • zsc4

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 10:24 am PT

    To be honest I have never heard of this game, but doing some research people seem to say its a good game. Well good on the Wii, but I'll pass.

  • Get_Shorty

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 9:59 am PT

    Yess!! Excitebike I've been waiting for this one!! Now we need Kung-Fu

  • John_of_Fire

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 9:28 am PT

    Some classic games released and a good amount of the posts are complaining. I am shocked that someone called these games obscure. If you haven't liked the last few weeks of releases VC is not for you, go out and buy a new Wii game and quit complaining.

  • Mr_Bodywave

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 8:38 am PT

    Is there any NEW content on the Wii virtual console? Or is everything just old stuff?

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 5:30 am PT

    cools.

  • JBiker51

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 2:44 am PT

    I think I'd be more interested in Splatterhouse than Excitebike.
    EDIT: And seeing as I'm a subscriber to Gametap, I know the symbol is Pac-Man, meaning he IS probably an agent! Isn't there a rule about shamelessly promoting companies that don't give their services out for free?
    ANOTHER EDIT: Fear not, lovers of all things Super and Smash; SSMB is comin' out sometime in June. Give props to my main man Solid Snake!

  • TheSlanger

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 2:37 am PT

    I think Virtual Console is a great initiative and this weeks releases are true classics.

  • FadeToBlack982

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 1:47 am PT

    Beyond Oasis is the best of this week's games. Excitebike was one of the best early NES games. I've never played Splatterhouse so I can't say anything about that one, but it looks interesting.

  • JustQuest

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 1:16 am PT

    old skool, nice one I will definately be sure to check this one out.

  • InfinitySamurai

    Posted Mar 20, 2007 12:12 am PT

    Yeah KSMM I know you're getting paid but that was really shameless advertising.

  • CheddarLimbo

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 10:20 pm PT

    I think theKSMM must work for Gametap...

    I mean Gametap!

    Anyway, Excitebike? Meh. This one hasn't aged particularly well. It would be a nice distraction for a few hours, or maybe to show you kids what gaming was like back in your day, but not one of the V.C.'s better offerings.

  • theKSMM

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 9:48 pm PT

    I find the retro offerings from Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony very valuable for games that I may have missed when they were initially released. I never owned a Sega Genesis, for instance, so some of the great titles from that console escaped me, but now I may have a chance to try them out.

    The problem is selecting which games you want to play. Certainly you're not going to play them all. Even at an average of $7.50 per game, ten games is roughly $75. At that point it's much easier to shop for a compilation. Unfortunately, Nintendo doesn't support compilations, but other old-school greats like Namco, Capcom, and Midway will sell you a $20 disc with 30 games on it--a much better value.

    That's one of the reasons I love GameTap. Sure, it's a subscription service, but I get lots of retro classics without paying for each one. If I only played two or three games per month, it's still cheaper than buying them individually for a console. And many of the hits that are just finding their way to online downloads (like Beyond Oasis) have been on GameTap for months now.

  • R3DN1N3

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 9:27 pm PT

    Can't wait to get this game!

  • death919

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 9:16 pm PT

    Or I could get it free in Animal Crossing...

  • japanesegoth

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 9:10 pm PT

    "$3 for a cartridge you're going to have to blow in for fifteen minutes to start, then worry about it glitching out in the middle of gameplay or $5 for a copy that's sure to work as long as your Wii is in good shape. Yes, the Shop Channel truely owns."

    first of all, blowing on the cartridge makes it worse over time...and second, they work fine if you know how to take proper care of them.

  • sja28

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 8:07 pm PT

    DEVIL MAY CRY 4 TO XBOX360 OFFICIAL YEAH TAKE THAT SONY FANS

  • GHOSTxDAWG

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 7:14 pm PT

    yea like were are the wii games im losing interest of the wii day by day and not even godfather is going to fix that i want my brawl sooon..

  • mariomusicmaker

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 7:05 pm PT

    WHERE is SMRPG!>?

  • d209999

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 6:46 pm PT

    "Is Nintendo planning on ever releasing any NEW games for the Wii?"

    No.

  • gatsbythepig

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 6:39 pm PT

    This is the first N game I ever owned

  • nocoolnamejim Site moderator

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 6:02 pm PT

    Is Nintendo planning on ever releasing any NEW games for the Wii?

  • gill9221

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 5:25 pm PT

    $3 for a cartridge you're going to have to blow in for fifteen minutes to start, then worry about it glitching out in the middle of gameplay or $5 for a copy that's sure to work as long as your Wii is in good shape. Yes, the Shop Channel truely owns.

  • SpareJesus

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 5:24 pm PT

    Agreed, the prices are fair enough. If you really want to complain that you could legally get them for a lower price, sure, go to a flea market, get them from a pre-owned store, whatever. I know my NES didn't work after 1994, so when I took it apart, I knew I'd not be able to play them again.

    However, I gladly put down money for Splatterhouse.

    ..And as soon as The Story of Thor (Beyond Oasis in the US) comes out here, I'm buying that baby. I still have that Genesis cartridge somewhere..

  • ruttness

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 4:02 pm PT

    oh im playing it now it's awesome

  • Agreb91

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:21 pm PT

    Finally!

  • LexLas

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:19 pm PT

    Oh no they didn't !! They did !!! One of my favorite games growing up again, I played this game day and night when I was a kid, well younger, Ha ! This is a real fun arcade game. Nintendo Rocks ! I am just finding my self so tempted to get a Wii, I've been trying to hold off but dam they just keep busting out the true classics it is so hard to resist that I might just get it when in front of me at the store.

  • japanesegoth

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:17 pm PT

    "$5 is fair for Excite bike, I dont understand how cheap people are."

    well..it depends on where you live...here it'd be much cheaper to buy NES games from a flea market or pawn shop...i could probably get excitebike for lik $3 at most places...but i've already got at least one copy of it anyway...

  • ScreamDream

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:11 pm PT

    One of my favorite old school Nintendo games.

  • bgres077

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:08 pm PT

    Solid lineup. I'm not really interested in this feature, but it's great for other Wii owners.

  • SoralinkGS

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:05 pm PT

    Nintendo, keep it up. at some point, we will have all the classics to choose from!

  • weldingpackage

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:04 pm PT

    Excitebike was a classic...I never get tired of the game or the song.

    Anyone remember a game on the NES called King of Dragons? That was a cool co-op game.

  • wooooode

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 3:04 pm PT

    $5 is fair for Excite bike, I dont understand how cheap people are.

  • murlow12

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:54 pm PT

    NoLimitJay1--you forgot the complaint that I always make: these games are overpriced. I'm not buying Excite Bike for 5 bucks. I'm not even sure I would pay more than 99 cents for it. These VC games are a rip off, and I won't buy any until they drop the price.

  • NoLimitJay1

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:51 pm PT

    Everyone of these VC threads is some variation of either "Who cares, when is (insert game) coming out?" or "Thats cool, but I'll wait until (insert game) comes out". Blah.

  • togo2828

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:46 pm PT

    POKEMON SNAP OR THE STADIUM GAMES PLEASE

  • SEr_803

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:35 pm PT

    its okay mayb next week sumthin a little more bigg

  • mighty_shark

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:29 pm PT

    Ok Nintendo. Now US has got Excitebike (which us lot in Europe have had for a month now) can we FINALLY get A Link To The Past in Europe?

  • wwonka666

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:27 pm PT

    StarFoxCOM Wasn't Excite bike remade for the N64 ...

    Why yes, it was and let's hope that next week we get that released on VC along with DK64 and Starfox 64

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:27 pm PT

    Give me Excitebike 64... which includes the original Excitebike.

  • StarFoxCOM

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:23 pm PT

    Wasn't Excite bike remade for the N64

  • yyr57695

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:17 pm PT

    vaejas
    "Now we can finally compare Excitebike and Excitetruck on equal ground to establish which is better! But can either compare to the Gameboy version? Only DS/GBA downloads for Virtual Console can answer for sure!"

    The GBA version you link to is nothing more than an emulation of the NES version, just like all of the "Classic NES Series" releases. This means it's 100% identical to the one on VC, with the exception of some slightly squished graphics.

  • interpolred

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:10 pm PT

    I've always wanted to play Excitebike!

    Splatterhouse seems interesting too!

    I'll have to check both those games out!

  • Dexmeister

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:06 pm PT

    Black_ice123.........They already have Donkey Kong country out for VC.

  • frostybubbler

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:04 pm PT

    Splatterhouse was just as I remembered it. It's ok for about 15 minutes and then you go back to God of War II.

  • black_ice23

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 2:03 pm PT

    they should get super mario 3, goldeneye and super smash bros 64 and super mario all stars and donkey kong country

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