The WiiWare-exclusive Excitebike: World Challenge takes its place in a franchise spanning more than two decades of turbo-charged racing. Let’s take a look at the history of the series in Europe…
Kicking things off in the ‘80s, the original Excitebike was a big hit on the Nintendo Entertainment System that introduced the core mechanics of the “Excite” series. Some arcades also hosted Vs. Excitebike, which allowed two players to compete simultaneously. The original game was also released for Game Boy Advance as part of the NES Classics range and can still be experienced today on Wii via Virtual Console.
This N64 release took the series into 3D and introduced four-player multiplayer but still required players to perfect their jumping skills as they boosted off muddy ramps, with a perfect landing on the other side required to maintain momentum. Curiously, the “Soccer” mode saw up to four bikers trying to get a massive football into the opposing team’s goal!
This spiritual successor ditched bikes for monster trucks in all shapes and sizes and took the action out of the circuits and into open roads all around the world. Thanks to the Wii Remote, steering and aligning your vehicle was now handled by motion controls, resulting in a highly immersive arcade experience. The thrill of emerging unscathed from a narrow tree-lined path before sending your truck soaring through the sky and landing it on the Great Wall of China is a rush few games can rival.
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