The Excite games are known for being a bit arcadey and a bit silly, but Excitebike 64 takes a different approach, being a much more serious game, complete with sponsorship deals with makers of Motorcycles and motorcycle equipment. That said, the original Excitebike is a very tactical game, as your bike positioning is hugely important, and Excitebike 64 very much keeps like that, using the analogue stick to adjust your bike in mid-air, and timing your turbo to get the most out of big air, which helps you maintain speed while cooling off your engine.

One thing I like about Excitebike 64 are the tracks, with a good amount of tracks, and a mixture between stadium-based dirt tracks and more traditional video game courses in a varied array of environments, with multiple routes, shortcuts, and the like. These courses had some difficult turns (including some on cliffs) and some very big jumps that you need to be going full pelt to make it over.

One place where I think Excitebike 64 shines is the “special tracks”, which sounds like it would be some silly tracks, but are instead different game modes entirely. There’s one in a vast open desert where you have to race to checkpoints, forming your own path through the sand dunes; another is an extremely difficult hill climb, showing off the physics of the game. There’s also a football game and a stunt arena.

One place where I think Excitebike 64 shines is the “special tracks”, which sounds like it would be some silly tracks but are instead different game modes entirely. There’s one in a vast open desert where you have to race to checkpoints, forming your own path through the sand dunes; another is an extremely difficult hill climb, showing off the physics of the game. There’s also a football game and a stunt arena.

Also included is the original Excitebike, as well as a 3D recreation of the original game, which is a lot of fun. Rounding things off is a decent track creator, which gives Excitebike 64 a lot to offer. I do wish that the special tracks and stuff had a bit more to them, to turn them into more fleshed out game modes with some more arenas and tracks, but they’re still a wonderful addition, and give you a lot to do in the game.

Great

So, as we tentatively predicted, Excitebike 64 is something a bit special. Another satisfyingly deep racing game for the N64, and, with Left Field, a developer who’s able to give Nintendo a serious run for their money, with breathtaking results. When you’re buying a game this month: think once, think twice, think bike.

Mark Green, N64 Magazine #43. Review Score: 90%

Remake or remaster?

A sequel in this style would be great. Especially with more fleshed out bonus modes.

Official Ways to get the game

There is no way to buy a new copy of Excitebike 64, the only official way to play is to rent it via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pak.

Re-Releases

2005: iQue

2016: Wii U Virtual Console

2023: Nintendo Switch Online (Subscription Only)