Excitebike 3D

For Nintendo 3DS: 3D Classics

           

Pros:	Cons:
Fantastic 3D visuals actually change the game	Track Design Feature boring and not fun to use
Retro NES Graphics suit the 3D well	More content would be appreciated
Gameplay holds up well, controls are great	Terrible Sound Effects

           

            If you are currently carrying around Nintendo’s newest handheld game platform; the Nintendo 3DS, then you’ve probably heard of the Nintendo eShop. This is the premier location to wirelessly download a cheaper selection of games ranging from older Game Boy games to modern Nintendo DSi Ware titles, plus re-makes of old Nintendo favorites known as 3D Classics. The first in the ongoing series of 3D Classics titles is a re-release of an NES favorite; Excitebike. Excitebike has been made readily available in recent years, and it’s usually the same game released over and over again, until now. Enter Excitebike 3D, the first 3D Classic.

            The name “3D Classic” is perfectly suited for this game, as it truly is the classic game you remember, but with a bit of stereoscopic 3D effects added on. Overall, it makes for a better game than even the treasured original can provide, and it all comes at an affordable cost. So what exactly does the 3D do to the game? Well, everything. At first, the game looks just like the original; grand stand at the top of the screen with hundreds of fans, and bikes in the lower and middle parts of the screen, it’s essentially the same exact game. But then the 3D slider goes up to full blast, and the camera angle of the game completely changes to an entirely new perspective. The game comes so much more alive with the newly added depth noticeable between the bikes and the fans, as well as signs and the newly formed sky in the distance. For the first time ever, I can actually say that the 3D visuals change the experience, and for the better. The 3D perfectly suits the graphics as well, the old 8-bit sprites combined with the outstanding stereoscopic 3D creates an exciting, beautiful 8-bit world, where everything comes to life. Although the graphics really look the same as they did on the NES, they hold up quite well even today, but some aspects of the game do not hold up, more specifically one of them.

            Unlike the game’s visuals, the audio in the game does not hold up at all, in fact, it’s by far the game’s worst aspect. Now I can imagine that at the time of release, nobody thought anything about the sound and that only the gameplay was front and center. Well this isn’t the case anymore, the sound is completely distracting as it is an absolute mess. The sound effects themselves are pretty terrible, be it speeding up, slowing down, crashing, and don’t even get me started on overheating. And besides the lackluster sound effects there really isn’t anything else to assess, I don’t even remember hearing any music in the game. So let’s just stop talking about the sound in the game, it’s terrible, whereas other aspects of the game such as the gameplay are much more enjoyable.

            The gameplay of the game is definitely one of the strong areas of the game, along with the graphics. The concept itself isn’t exactly masterful, and the game’s design is extremely simple, but all for the better. The relatively simple gameplay is easy to learn, and fun to play, the goal, like any other racing game, is to be the first racer to complete the course, along the way, you will have to make split second lane changes, fly off ramps, complete difficult landings, and perform different types of tricks, all while avoiding other racers. Performing these actions is also quite simple thanks to the great controls associated with the game. After just a few races, you should have already become accustomed to the simple, yet important control scheme. If there’s anything to complain about, I can admit that the track editor isn’t really all that. It’s not very engaging, and it’s not very much fun, if not boring to use. I would personally rather race on a pre-made track, than attempt at creating one myself. This is only a minor issue but a more friendly interface would’ve been appreciated nonetheless.

            Being a downloadable game I didn’t expect much content, and the three available modes (time trial mode, grand prix mode, and track editor mode) were enough to satisfy, but I can always wish for more. For example the developers could’ve included more tracks, and the new 3D classics version would’ve been fantastic with some sort of online mode, I know these are not really valid complaints as the goal was to simply add 3D to the classic game, but there’s nothing wrong with being wishful for more. Overall though there’s enough content here to pass as a downloadable game.

            In the end, the game’s beautiful visuals, engaging 3D, outstanding gameplay and controls, and amount of content more than make up for the lackluster audio and boring track editor that I’ve been complaining about. The game definitely has a few obvious flaws, but at least remains true to the original only with added 3D effects. I can’t say that I’m looking forward to yet another version of Excitebike anytime soon, but I can say that I am now extremely excited to see more classic games converted into 3D. With Excitebike 3D being the very successful re-release that it is, you can’t look for a better bargain, it’s no masterpiece, but it’s a great game nonetheless, next time you happen to be browsing the Nintendo eShop, do yourself a favor and download this re-mastered classic.

Graphics: Outstanding 3D effects completely change the game, 8-Bit graphics look great      9.5

Audio: Terrible sound effects should’ve been updated, little or no music                                  4.0

Gameplay: Although nothing revolutionary, the gameplay and controls impress                      9.0

Gameplay Amount: With three different modes, there’s just enough to satisfy                     9.0

Overall: Better than the NES classic, a fantastic way to start off the 3D Classics series       8.0