Excite

Overview

Excite is a franchise consisting of several racing games published by Nintendo. Most of the games in the franchise have huge jumps, dirt tracks, and overheating engines. The series began in 1984 with Excitebike on the NES, and has since continued with several more games, the latest being Excitebike World Rally.

Excitebike

The first game in the franchise, Excitebike, was released for the NES, NEC PC-8801, arcade, Game Boy Advance, and Virtual Console. The game was developed by Nintendo R&D1 and published by Nintendo. It introduced many of the series' features. Using the D-pad, players must make the bike land correctly, if the bike boosts too much then it overheats, and there are several large jumps. Excitebike also had a track creation system.

BS Excitebike Bun Bun Mario Stadium

A downloadable version of Excitebike with Mario characters was released on the Super Famicom satellite add-on, the Satellaview. BS Excitebike Bun Bun Mario Stadium is essentially a remake of Excitebike, with a few new features. Now, there are Mario characters: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Wario, Toad, Yoshi, and Koopa Troopas. Also, a super mode has been implemented that allows the player to have unlimited turbo.

Excitebike 64

Excitebike 64 was released in 2000 by Nintendo, and developed by Left Field Productions. Excitebike 64 was well-received by critics and fans alike. Excitebike 64 is in 3D, and features six different riders. The game is controlled using the analog stick or D-pad to control movement, A for acceleration, B for brake, R to slide, and a boost activated by Z. The game has 20 tracks in the single-player mode, but more can be unlocked by playing the game. Excitebike 64 also features a track creation mode.

Excite Truck

Excite Truck was released in 2006 by Nintendo, and developed by Monster Games. It was a launch title for the Nintendo Wii. It introduced many new aspects for the franchise, such as the omission of bikes. Excite Truck featured a "star" system, in which players collected stars to win the race, rather than merely placing first. The game is controlled by holding the Wii Remote sideways, like a steering wheel. Excite Truck is the first Excite game to not have at track creation mode.

Excitebots: Trick Racing

Excitebots: Trick Racing was released by Nintendo, and developed by Monster Games. It was released in 2009 for the Nintendo Wii. Excitebots features transforming robotic "animal" vehicles. The game is much more kid-friendly than previous Excite games (specifically, Excite Truck), featuring quick minigames during the race. The game has Nintendo WiFi capabilities with up to six players.