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ExciteBike: World Rally

-Start Your Engines-
Time Played: About 8 hours
Obtained: Purchased from Wii Shop Channel
Completion: S-Rank on all courses, played at east 2 hours WiFi with friends and strangers each (at least 4 hours total online)
Control Scheme: Played about equaly with both control schemes, tried out the unlockable 3rd control scheme
Notes: Disliked the original ExciteBike

-The Road to Yesterday-
The “Excite” racing franchise has probably seen more action on the Wii than any other console at this point, with three completely separate releases of different kinds. It’s kind of nice to see the aged, forgotten franchise of yesteryear getting some attention these days — even if I had no interest in it myself until this spring with ExciteBots, which is, to date, my favorite racing title besides the Mario Kart series. While that title was a brilliant expansion of the series, World Rally goes back to basics whie mixing in a few of the elements the series has seen since its NES debut.

If you’re unfamiiar with ExciteBikem don’t be shy: this title is more a reimagining of the original NES game than anything else, which isn’t so bad for its $10 price point. It’s tailored for an audience who either missed out on the original entirely or who remembers playing it back in the 80’s. Essentialy, players ride on BMX tracks with some obstacles to overcome on a 2D racing plane with four lanes to shift between. “Excite” games are always about catching air and positioning yourself for a smooth landing. This element returns as the main driving mechanic and it is both easy to comprehend but difficult to truly master.

What’s great about mastering the game is that there are two (three after you unlock it) control schemes to play with, both offering tight controls. The first utilizing simple motion sensing on the remote, where to tilt it horizontally to pull off wheelies, catch air, and position your landing. The Classic scheme is identical to the NES, where your wheelies/aerial controls are mapped to the D-Pad. I played with both about equally and found them both to be enjoyable, though the Wiimote controls are probably easier to master. I only touched on the unlockabe control scheme, which is supposed to feel more like the Wiimote is a set of handlebars. You tilt it horizontally to shift lanes and twist it toward you to do wheelies and tilt it toward or away from your body to position yourself. It was definitely harder to learn than the first two, earning its title of “Pro” control scheme, but I can see myself playing with these controls for a while for some extra playtime.

However you end up deciding to play, the game straddles that fine line between easy and frustrating. It’s extremely intuitive to pick up the controls and start racing with either default setup, and there’s even a brief tutorial section if you’re at a loss. Getting S-Ranks on every course, however, is a very different matter, and requires minimal amounts of error. And since you unlock some extra bike paint jobs and ultimately, a new control scheme, it’s actually worth it to get S-Ranks, which will in turn sharpen your skills to the addictive gameplay.

For starters, races generally only take upwards of two minutes, maybe three on a few courses. That in and of itself is open to “just one more race” gameplay, where a few minutes turns into an hour pretty easily — just ask the people I played online with. Since everything is 2D, there’s not a lot of specific refinement in arcing yourself just the right away around turns — instead, the focus is put on shifting lanes, dealing with other bikers, and the all important element of hitting jumps and landing them. The simplicity of the visuals is a little misleading once you invest some time into the subtleties, however. Now, it’s still very basic, but definitely refines on top of the old formula, and the game evolves into a marathon of split-second reflex-based decisions: wheelie off the hill, position for the landing to loop back up into another jump, land that one, switch lanes, turbo (not too much or you’ll overheat without running over cooldown-strips), sabotage or avoid the other bikers…Because of the 2D nature, you often only have a short amount of time to react (even if you change the camera angel to be more over the shouder) and this is to the game’s benefit as it gives it a unique sense of pacing.

The Turbo system is crucial to mastering the game, and it’s interesting in its risk-reward system. The best of players will need to be turboing at almost every opportunity, but in doing so, players will also need to be looking out for where the cool-down strips are located, or trying to knock down other racers — which, for whatever reason, resets the heat gauge. Doesn’t make one bit of sense (neither does rocket fuel burning out of your bike just because you land straight), but it’s a great gameplay mechanic since it adds more risk-reward to the proceedings and doesn’t encourage you to simply avoid other bikers outright. Speaking of which, it IS odd that there are extra bikers on the track at all times — ones not even participating in the race, just there to serve as obstacles. However, it kind of serves a similar element to items in Mario Kart: another object to hinder someone from gaining too far a lead, leaving you on your edge even if you’re in first, but can also be used to further your lead if you can cooldown your engines by hitting them — kind of like extending your lead by leaving shells and bananas behind. Obviously, I’m extrapolating, but I’m sure you get the idea I’m grasping at here. The racing feels very balanced and tight overall, and leaves you on-edge at all times because one mistake can make or break things, just like in a real race, but it doesn’t come down to luck here. The addition of the track-altering “!” balls from the recent Wii titles is nice little touch, too.

That said, there is one big issue I experienced with ExciteBike: World Rally. It’s kind of unforgiving if you don’t learn how it works. Often times, making one mistake and crashing leads to another right after because the fact of the matter is that you need momentum to get up hills, which you can’t get if you crash on one. It’s probably the game’s biggest flaw, which is why I highly recommend players try to master the game’s mechanics before racing online. And onine is something you’ll totally be checking out, since it’s probably the game’s main selling point and biggest addition, especially for a WiiWare game. And it’s quite enjoyable, the simplistic but fast-paced gameplay making for a nice blend of casual play and competitive spirit. It’s very easy to hop online and race strangers and friends alike — yes, friends codes are back, but at least you can connect with friends of friends with no toruble at all. I added one or two people to my friends list but was able to join players added on their friends list through the same lobby. Now, why you can’t race friends in person is a major oversight, but you could always compare race times, I suppose. Isn’t it strange that a lower profile game like this gets online but no local multiplayer while AAA title New Super Mario Bros. Wii does the reverse? Just an odd thing there. I’m not sure why this game couldn’t have pulled off two-player like the original, honestly, but if I’m being honest it hasn’t hurt my playtime with it at all. In either case, the online is definitely enjoyable and addicting, and you’ll even unlock specia paint jobs by playing lots of online matches against friends or strangers to brag. The onine is definitely what gives this game legs.

The Track Editor is something I personally didn’t really get into. I fiddled with it, and it’s extremely simple and easy, and you can not only race on your custom tracks online but you can of course share them. It’s not a huge deal but it’s nice that it’s there and I can definitely see those who get into the game really utilizing it and playing their own tracks online with friends. The game has 12 tracks built it, which is a little low, but it’s enough given the structure and more tracks can always be made. That said, it’s hard to really feel like World Rally has a lot of content, because it really doesn’t. Its presentation is pretty straightforward — music is kind of catchy and fun, visuals are simple but effective, menus are a little on the plain side, but nothing really stands out. It’s definitely a case where the gameplay is what keeps the game standing with its fast-paced and addictive nature.

-Exciting Enough-
ExciteBike: World Rally is a fun trip down memory lane for some, but the refined version of the NES game with subtle revisions and online play help it feel fresh. ExciteBots is a much more original and engaging experience, but for $10, ExciteBike is a compact and solid WiiWare purchase with casual appeal and core depth. Lack of splitscreen is baffling here, but ultimately doesn’t hurt the experience too much. Your mileage here will vary depending on whether you’re interested in mastering the gameplay and racing online, as well as scoring S-Ranks and getting the hang of al three control schemes. Its production values may not be impressive, but the bite-sized gameplay is a great fit for the platform. Do be wary that the physical content is kind of low, but it’s definitely a game that’s all about mastering what’s there.

-Score-
8/10

(Yes, another 8. I dunno, it’s just a fitting score for my enjoyment of this game compared to other WiiWare games on the platform. I honestly wasn’t expecting to like this game as much as I did! Maybe if there weren’t so many great Wii games out there this season I wouldn’t be handing out so many high scores!)

Excerpted from:
GoNintendo ‘End of Day’ thoughts – ExciteBike: World Rally review by D3stiny_Sm4sher