3D Classics: Excitebike (Nintendo 3DS) Review

Featured on the main menu screen are three different options of gameplay. Selection A has you trying to set the fastest time on each of the five courses the game offers, while Selection B pits you in races against other motorcyclists, ranking you based on course completion time. The final option is Design, where you can let loose and create your own courses.

3D Classics: Excitebike may sound and look basic at first glance, and to a certain degree, it is; but there is some uniqueness to the way it’s played though that separates it from other racers. The idea is simple - dodge obstacles and get the fastest time - but there’s also some depth to how the game is played. Getting the fastest time doesn’t just revolve around holding the accelerator down and hoping for the best - in fact, holding down the turbo button will cause you to overheat and is actually detrimental if used extensively - but carefully making sure you head onto jumps and land them at the right angle. Doing so ensures that you don’t fall off your bike, forced to the side of the course as you recover by tapping the A button as rapidly as possible. Once you’ve conquered those tricky jumps, you’re also met with dirt and grass patches, which can slow you down if you head right through them. These elements add a more strategic approach to the gameplay, and without them 3D Classics: Excitebike would be much less interesting to play. Even with these strategic features, though, at the core of the experience you’re left with very little variety and it starts to become mundane very quickly.

Whilst trying to set times can be enjoyable, the lack of a real racing mode, where you race against other motorcyclists for position, rather than position being awarded based on race time alone, would have been a nice addition to this 3DS version; it certainly would have given it more lasting appeal. Designing your own course doesn’t give you much variety either, with only a set number of jumps and obstacles pieces to put down. The course colour can be changed, but that’s the most you can do to make it look significantly different. When considering how old the game is though, it’s fair to say this feature would have been impressive back in the day and with the ability to now save up to 32 of your created courses, it is an improvement over the original. The inability to share courses or race friends, either online or through local wireless, smacks of missed opportunity.

3D Classics: Excitebike’s major difference over the original is the use of 3DS’ 3D capabilities. This is by far the most impressive feature of the game and seeing a 2D game shift into the third dimension is startling, with the stadium stretching back and more sky being revealed as you push up the 3D slider. Having the 3D effect on doesn’t really influence any change in the gameplay, but because the 3DS features a 16:9 ratio screen you can now see further ahead on the track even when playing in 2D, which does make it easier to prepare for jumps and other obstacles coming into view. This improvement is a welcome upgrade, since Nintendo have been known to port their older games to their digital services without any changes.