Game: "Excitebike: World Rally"
System: Wii
Genre: Racing
Published by: Nintendo

Reviewer: -RoG-
Posted: 2/21/2010

Review: How many hours of my youth were spent creating insane levels for Excitebike on the Nintendo Entertainment System? Far more than I'll ever admit. And now the game has been redone for download on Nintendo Wii via WiiWare as Excitebike: World Rally. I'm happy to report that the game is fun and any fans of the original will surely be happy with the result.

The creators of this updated version clearly new what made the original Excitebike work - simple game mechanics, a variety of tracks, and a level builder. It's all still there and, to be honest, there's not much new to the game.

Sure, you can change the camera angles, but if you ask me, that only makes the game harder to play. It may sound interesting to play the game from behind the motorcycles, but I definitely prefer the classic sideview.

Other than that, the only other changes are the ability to race against friends online, which I haven't tried yet, but I'm sure it's fun. That said, I still hate it when companies create games with online multiplayer capability, yet you can't have a local multiplayer game. It's as if game companies are trying to discourage any kind of social interaction amongst gamers. But I digress...

As you complete levels, you do unlock new colors for your bike, but that's nothing too exciting. I would've enjoyed some unlockable characters or different bikes as a reward for completing some of the harder races.

Still, all small complaints aside, it's a genuinely entertaining WiiWare game. The level editor is solid, the new graphics for each area of the world you visit are nicely done, those mini ramps that send your bike skyrocketing into the atmosphere are still there and you'll have a blast using the turbo function while trying to avoid having your engine overheat. So while Excitebike: World Rally may not win any awards or change your life forever, it's still a good game for Wii owners and definitely worth downloading.

Overall rating:
(Scored on a 0.5 - 5 pickles rating: 0.5 being the worst and 5 being the best)