This Xcites Me!

I remember back when I was four or so, my dad bought a NES and a bunch of games he found for sale at a store that was going out of business. He got some classics that I still love today: Tetris; Punchout; Metroid; the almighty Super Mario Bros. (still one of the best games ever, especially the GBC DX edition). And among all those big names, was one smaller game that I had never heard of: Excitebike.

Intrigued, I popped this little gem into the machine before all others (all of which I had played at least once at a friend's house). I was hooked. Three hours later, I realized I hadn't touched any of the other games. Then I realized I didn't really care.

Although simple, the game was just too addictive. I played until bedtime (my parents actually had to turn it off and drag me kicking and screaming from the machine). I played that game everyday (along with the other classics I now owned) for a long, long, long time. When my NES inevitably broke down, I could only hope that an Excitebike would be released on my shiny, brand-spanking new SNES.

Well, better late than never. Excitebike is finally here, albeit one videogaming generation too late. But it still kicks some major ass. It is better than any dirtbike game ever, whether it be from Acclaim, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, or other.

I also love the fact that you can not only play the original Excitebike (nostalgia overload!), but the updated 3-D version of the same game... PLUS the same version from a 2-D, overhead perspective. I'm 15 now, and all I can say is... THANK YOU NINTENDO!