************************************ * EXCITEBIKE 64 FAQ/WALKTHROUGH * * By: superstar64 * * a.k.a. Jordan Stopciati * * (js_sstar64@hotmail.com) * * * * VERSION 2.2 * ************************************ As for updates: 2.2 - Modified a question for the Q&A's, and a few more codes. 2.1 - My e-mail address has changed. Please see above. 2.0 - A huge update, there are now track maps for EVERY course (excluding the special courses, which I'm not going to bother doing) and some more useful information. Plus a couple of more Q&A's. Version 3.0 will have suggested times and yet even more stuff, and that'll probably be the last major update. 1.0.1 - Updated the Legal Stuff section...I had to indicate which sites were allowed to have it. It only took two days for two sites to approaching me in asking for it! 1.0 - FAQ is completed way ahead of schedule, I should really get it uploaded now...version 2.0 will contain track maps and maybe even more stuff. But I'll add it if it's backed by popular demand... (July 29, 2000) 0.1 – Turning the preliminary information into a full-fledged FAQ/Walkthrough, which should be done in a few days, if I can squeeze out enough time...besides, my braces are getting tightened tomorrow. And it's not pretty. (July 26, 2000) ----------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS -1.0 - Updates 0.0 – Legal Stuff 1.0 – Formatting 2.0 – Game Synopsis 3.x – How to Play 1 – Controls 2 – Riders 3 – Modes 4.0 – Season Mode 5.0 – Tracks 6.0 – Special Tracks 7.0 – Track Strategies 8.0 – Track Shortcuts 9.0 – Big Tips 10.0 - Q&A 11.0 – Some More Legal Stuff 12.0 – Credits, Self-Promotion, and Everything Else To Close This Off ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.0 – LEGAL STUFF Yes, legal stuff. Please read this before you read this FAQ, this will express your distribution rights with this document. First of all, please DO NOT rip off ANY of this document and express it as your own. If there is any information you wish to use, please, when you write up your stuff, give me credit. You wouldn't want to get your stuff ripped off, would you? Think the golden rule. This document is COPYRIGHTED! The minute I type something original on this computer, it's copyright, and I didn't even fill out a form. Second, this site is ONLY allowed on the following sites: - www.gamefaqs.com (ALWAYS comes first) - www.gamesdomain.co.uk - www.gameadvice.com (my FAQ is listed under the following sites:) - www.gamewinners.com - vgstrategies.about.com It is not allowed to be put on ANY other site at the time being. However, if you ask, I'll let you put it on. Every time I revise the FAQ, I will send it to you. (Note: if you find this FAQ on ANY site other than GameFAQs or the sites above, please contact me and I will deal with it personally.) Third, use this FAQ at your own risk. Most likely, 99.99% of all people reading this FAQ will most likely live a normal life and not have any of the problems shown below. However, there is a small percentage that will have problems. I can not be held responsible for any of the following caused by the usage of this document: - Nintendo 64 or Excitebike 64 Game Pak damage. The cost of such repairs is considered your responsibility. - Injury or death sustained while connected with the use of this Excitebike 64 FAQ/Walkthrough/. This includes everything from bruises to getting electrocuted by a lightning bolt and being pronounced brain dead on the spot. - Extreme frustration, resulting from not being able to beat a game. - Being grounded, arrested, or the victim of some sort of punishment. - All other unsolicited events, including severe events. Therefore, if you have a problem due to this FAQ, don't sue me. There is also an extremely, extremely small possibility that you will star in a sitcom role about talking animals (0.00001%). But if the latter happens, sue anyone you want (but not me). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.0 – FORMATTING Yes, formatting. I order these numbers to cometh and line up with these asterisks... (P.S. "Cometh" is a sort of Shakespearean way of saying "come", don't ask why I'm getting fancy) 1234567890 ********** Do they line up? If they do, then it's okay. But if they don't line up, you are going to have a pretty darn bad time reading this. This FAQ is written in 72-character format in Word 2000 (rich text file, which cuts down file size quite a bit). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.0 – GAME SYNOPSIS You shouldn't always base whether you're going to buy or rent a game on just reviews from web sites, but this is one of the big exceptions. Here are some of the quotes I've seen from various reviews: "This game could surpass Wave Race 64 as the best racing game ever..." "Why yes, this game does kick butt..." "Excitebike 64 came out of nowhere..." Does that tell you anything about this game? If it doesn't, you shouldn't be playing games at all. If you see a game that's rated 10 out of 10 all over the place, don't wait any longer. Beg and grovel to be able to go out to Wal-Mart and put down any price for this game. Excitebike 64 is one of those few games that are deserving of awesome compliments. Let's see what we've got here: six fictional riders, twenty tracks (9 outdoor, 11 indoor), a Season mode, plenty of special tracks, and even the original Excitebike! Ahhh...the original Excitebike – not that I've played it up to now, but when I played it, I found it pretty cool. Now here's the scores I give: - The numeric score: 10 out of 10 - The grade: A+ - The thumbs: Two thumbs up - The buy/rent: Buy!!! Get out there, buy this game, then come back and start your engines! Game Statistics: Name: Excitebike 64 Production: Nintendo Developer: Left Field Size: 128 megabits (16MB) Controller Pak: yes (40 pages for ghost save, 4 for track save) Rumble Pak: yes Expansion Pak: yes (graphic improvements) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.0 – HOW TO PLAY The next section explains the controls, the riders, and modes in the game. 3.1 - CONTROLS Racing = L = turbo (get some extra speed) R = slide, drift, tricks Start = pause game Control Stick < > = turn Control Stick < > + \/ = sharp turn Control Stick \/ /\ = adjust angle while in air Control Stick \/ + Z or L = pop wheelie Control Stick + R = turn in the air C /\ = camera angle C > = on-screen displays (tap to rid of 1 display at a time) C \/ = tricks C < = look behind you Z = turbo B = brake, reverse while stopped A = accelerate Menus = Control Stick = highlight selections, scroll Start = confirm selection B = go back to previous menu A = confirm selection and move on 3.2 - RIDERS "Jumpin'" Jim Rivers Age: 25 Hometown: Seattle, WA Specialty: Superman: C \/ + 12 to 6 clockwise Quote: "It's not whether you win or lose, it's about how high you can fly!" Landing: 6/10 Cornering: 6/10 Jumping: 6/10 Turbo: 6/10 Thought: Pretty average rider. Have you noticed that all three attributes are six out of ten? xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx "Tricky" Ricky Stern Age: 14 Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Specialty: Kobe 360: C \/ + 6 to 6 clockwise (before getting airborne) Quote: "Better have extra film in your camera 'cause it's showtime, baby!" Landing: 10/10 Cornering: 8/10 Jumping: 10/10 Turbo: 2/10 Thought: Awesome. Turbo doesn't really matter, because if you're using your speed wisely, you can get up to 75 MPH on some courses with this rider. Still, I've gotten to 80 with other riders. (My best speed is 83 MPH). xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sarah "Sugar" Hill Age: 28 Hometown: Miami, FL Specialty: Cordova: C \/ + R + 12 to 6 counter clockwise Quote: "They call me Sugar, but it's winning that's sweet!" Landing: 8/10 Cornering: 10/10 Jumping: 8/10 Turbo: 4/10 Thought: Her ratings are actually similar to Ricky Stern's. Therefore, this makes her also a good choice. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Bobby "Big Dog" Malone Age: 16 Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA Specialty: Lazyboy: C \/ + 12 to 6 counter clockwise Quote: "The Big Dog's bike is badder than his bark, so I let my riding do the talkin'." Landing: 4/10 Cornering: 4/10 Jumping: 2/10 Turbo: 10/10 Thought: Not the best rider, but does work for special courses like the Hill Climb (see special courses) where landing, cornering, and jumping are less of a concern. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Nigel "The Duke" York Age: 28 Hometown: London, England Specialty: Double Can Can: C \/ + R + Right + Left Quote: "Technique, discipline, and control are the key, and I have all three!" Landing: 2/10 Cornering: 2/10 Jumping: 6/10 Turbo: 10/10 Sort of like Bobby Malone in a way. He's also a good choice for the hill climb, but not for the regular courses. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Vicky "The Vixen" Steele Age: 19 Hometown: Houston, TX Specialty: Fender Grab: C \/ + R + 6 to 12 counter clockwise Quote: "I hope no one gets in my way, 'cause if they do, they're gonna be eatin' my exhaust." Landing: 4/10 Cornering: 6/10 Jumping: 6/10 Turbo: 8/10 She is most likely the best rider. First of all, landing and jumping ratings are good enough, second of all, cornering is so-so, and her turbo is good. She'll get you through the normal courses and the special courses as well. 3.3 – MODES Season: Start with the Novice Season in the Bronze Round and win rounds by placing in races and scoring points (1st - 5 points, 2nd - 3 points, 3rd - 2 points, 4th - 1 point, 5th - 0 points, 6th - 0 points). You don't necessarily have to win all five races in the round to win. You just need to finish the round with the most points (however, it would be good if you could win all the races.) Exhibition Race: Choose a track from any round that you have unlocked in Season Mode and take yourself for a spin on that track. (All indoor courses are three laps, all outdoor courses are two laps.) There is nothing at stake in this race and you will not earn or lose anything. Time Trial: It's just you and the track. If you have a Controller Pak, you can save your "ghost" (i.e. a replica of your run) to the Controller Pak. You need at least 40 pages available, though. Then, if you set a top three time or best lap, you can save it to the Game Pak for posterity. Special Tracks: (see later) After you complete some rounds in Season Mode, you will unlock special tracks. At first, only the Desert and Stunt tracks are available to you. Options: Set your options in the game: volume, stereo/mono sound, hi- res (expansion pak only), credits, etc. Custom Tracks: Create a new track or race on a saved track. You can save one track to the Game Pak or use 4 pages to save up to 16 tracks on your Controller Pak. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.0 - SEASON MODE This section of the FAQ/Walkthrough (typing all this is getting very boring) explains the season mode in detail: everything from the tutorial all the way to everything that's unlocked: here we go. TUTORIAL (Note: I describe new controls like this: CS - Control Stick (L - left, R - right, U - up, D - down) LB - L button RB - R button A - A button B - B button Z - Z button 1a – Acceleration (A), braking (B), turbo (Z), reverse (B stopped) 1b – Turns (CS L and R), sharp turns (CS L and R + CS D) Test 1 – Basics. Goal 12 seconds. 2a – Power slide (CS L and R + RB) 2b – Brake slide (CS L and R + RB + B) Test 2 – Turns. Goal 16 seconds. 3a – Basic jumping and air adjustment (CS U and D) 3b – Speed adjust on jumps (no new controls) Test 3 – Jumps. Goal 15.5 seconds. 4a – Turbo boost over jumps (CS D + Z) 4b – Air turns (CS L and R + RB) 4c – Less speed on jumps (no new controls) Test 4 – Advanced jumps. Goal 21 seconds. 5 – Taking out opponents (clip their front tire with your rear tire, but be careful not to hit their rear tire though - you'll see your rider wave bye-bye if you do it right) FINAL TEST – Goal is 56 seconds. Wheelies (Z + CS D) Stunts (see "Stunt Course" in "Special Tracks") Finish tutorial: unlock NES Excitebike. NOVICE DIFFICULTY (80cc) (Please note: course descriptions don't come until later. I'm just going through the rounds right now. Usually, when you beat a round, you will unlock the next round, but any exceptions are shown below the corresponding round. You start with the Bronze Round in Novice. Once you beat that, you get Silver, beat that, you get Soccer AND Bronze Amateur, and so on...) Bronze Round - Kyoto, Japan (3 laps) - Mountain Quarry (2 laps) - Houston, TX (3 laps) - Lefty's Mill (2 laps) - Orlando, FL (3 laps) Silver Round - Nashville, TN (3 laps) - Canyon Chasm (2 laps) - Long Island, NY (3 laps) - Congo Course (2 laps) - Las Vegas, NV (3 laps) Finish Novice: unlock Soccer and Bronze Intermediate. INTERMEDIATE DIFFICULTY (125cc) (Note: In this difficulty, you're going to see your bike get a little faster, if you can get it to that speed, not to mention that the computer opponents will get more aggressive.) Bronze Round - Kyoto, Japan (3 laps) - Mountain Quarry (2 laps) - Houston, TX (3 laps) - Lefty's Mill (2 laps) - Orlando, FL (3 laps) Silver Round - Nashville, TN (3 laps) - Canyon Chasm (2 laps) - Long Island, NY (3 laps) - Congo Course (2 laps) - Las Vegas, NV (3 laps) Gold Round - Phoenix, AZ (3 laps) - Rainforest Run (2 laps) - Madrid, Spain (3 laps) - The Gravel Pit (2 laps) - Detroit, MI (3 laps) Finish Intermediate: unlock Hill Climb and Bronze Pro. PRO DIFFICULTY (250cc) (Note: THINK HARD before you attempt this. Please know that you may be angry that you are unable to beat a level. However, that is no excuse for having to pay for a dent in a wall, so keep your controller- throwing incidents to a minimum. Patience will be rewarded, however. I have beat it, so why can't you?) Bronze Round - Kyoto, Japan (3 laps) - Mountain Quarry (2 laps) - Houston, TX (3 laps) - Lefty's Mill (2 laps) - Orlando, FL (3 laps) Silver Round - Nashville, TN (3 laps) - Canyon Chasm (2 laps) - Long Island, NY (3 laps) - Congo Course (2 laps) - Las Vegas, NV (3 laps) Gold Round - Phoenix, AZ (3 laps) - Rainforest Run (2 laps) - Madrid, Spain (3 laps) - The Gravel Pit (2 laps) - Detroit, MI (3 laps) (Here's the real tough part. I've got three more rounds to explain, but be warned: these are for real professionals only. You should be excelling at Excitebike 64 by now.) Platinum Round - Goldmine Rush (2 laps) - Los Angeles, CA (3 laps) - Construction Yard (2 laps) - Seattle, WA (3 laps) - Blizzard Blitz (2 laps) Finish Platinum Round, Pro: unlock Challenge Round AND Custom Round Challenge Round (Note: This round is a bit different. Instead of being based on a points system, it's based on a ladder system. You must place first on all five tracks, head to head with another rider, to beat the game. Ready? Here we go. Oh, wait. The riders you face will depend on which rider you selected at the beginning of the round.) - Orlando, FL (1 lap) - Phoenix, AZ (1 lap) - Las Vegas, NV (1 lap) - Nashville, TN (1 lap) - Kyoto, Japan (1 lap) (Note 2: I'm pretty sure that's the order, but I might have gotten Las Vegas and Nashville mixed up. This is coming off the top of my head, so bear with me.) Finish Challenge Pro: unlock Excite 3-D, three-dimensional version of the original Excitebike. Custom Round - This round is just like the Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum rounds, with one exception: you must create your own round. - The Custom Round is not unlocked until you beat Platinum Pro. - When you first go to the round, you must create one. It can be anywhere from one to five tracks. - Tracks can be repeated, and can have anywhere from one to six laps. - Press A to add a track, Z to delete one. Press B to get out of Edit mode, and then select "Play" to play your round. - You don't get anything by winning the round. You do get a pretty darn good lasting appeal, though. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.0 - TRACKS (In version 2.0, I set it up differently so now you have the name of the course, the number of laps, then there will be a suggested time in version 3.0 or so. I'm just a bit lazy now... ^_^ Then there's a course map, where the arrow is the starting line and shows the direction you're going in, and finally a course description, which hasn't changed since version 1.0.) Bronze Round ------------ Kyoto, Japan ********************* 3 LAP RACE ************************* ____________ / <- \ | | | | | | \____________/ This course is pretty much a square. Since you don't really have as much course to use, you're going to have to get ahead early. It's also pretty difficult to squeeze by opponents, because it can be a bit cramped, especially going into the first corner, so try to keep from falling. Other than that, there aren't very many challenges. Mountain Quarry ****************** 2 LAP RACE ************************* _______ / \______ / | | | | | _ | \|/ \_/_\ /\ | <- Shortcut! (The ASCII isn't too good, though) | | \_/ | | |______| This will be the first outdoor course you race. There are plenty of 135-degree (eg |\, where you're coming up the straight line) turns and plenty of jumps. The "whoops" (small jumps) are the toughest. It's not easy to land them without losing speed, so watch yourself. The turns are pretty easy, so you should be able to take them well if you know your power slide. Houston, TX ********************** 3 LAP RACE ************************* _______________ / __________ \ | / | | | / | | | \ | | | \______ | | | \ | | | \ | | | / | | \_________/ /||_| | Houston is a relatively easy track. You will see some 180-degree turns, but they are gentle, and the only switchback that you will see that does have some teeth is the last one. While you're taking it, use the R + B brake turn to get through it. Just don't get yourself all caught up in the bank. You will lose time if you suddenly get stuck in there. Lefty's Mill ********************* 2 LAP RACE ************************* _________ |__ \__ \ ________| \| <- Shortcut! / <- || | _______// | / | | <- Watch logs! \______/ From pavement to dirt to logs to practically every type of thing you can drive on, Left's Mill is quite a unique course. Surprisingly enough, it has very few turns. However, here's the tough part. The jumps are difficult, and so are some of the course textures. Be careful on the logs, first of all. Hitting them at around 50 MPH or so should get you across, no problem. If you start to get down into the 20 MPH range, you'll have a hard time getting across. Orlando, FL ********************** 3 LAP RACE ************************* ________________ / \ | | | | | | | ___ | | / \ | | / \ | /|\ | \ / | | | \ / | | / \ | \____/ \_____/ There is a horseshoe section of the track, started by a left turn and then you go through an uphill left, a level right, and a downhill left. It's the toughest part of the course, so you will see a couple of blind curves coming up. SILVER ROUND ------------ Nashville, TN ******************** 3 LAP RACE ************************* ___________________ / \ | | | ______ | | / \ | | | | | | | | | | | | /|\ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | \_____/ \______/ It's all 90-degree angles, but does it make it easy? No. It's sort of like the Orlando course, with some more jumps, so you should be careful here. Not to mention at the start you need to use an air turn right away before you slam right into the bank and wipe right out. Canyon Chasm ********************* 2 LAP RACE ************************* __ / \\ |\ / \\ <- Several jumps here - remember to land ON THE | \ / \\ BOTTOM SIDE | \_/ \\ | \_ <- Tunnel area | /|\ \__ | | /\_ / | / \_ / | / \ __/ |_/ /|\ |_ / | |_/ Canyon jump This course requires you to ALWAYS land on the bottom side of a jump! It works a lot better than trying to go up the hill. It doesn't work, which you should know by now. The course can get very tricky, because you're going on sand. When you reach the two forks you find in the course, take the right one, because it's easier to handle. Once you reach the tunnel, hit 70 MPH in the straight section, but stay in the middle of the road. Slamming into a beam will only make you very frustrated. At the sharp turn, try power sliding through it, then quickly aligning and power sliding right to prepare for the next part of the course. Finally, there's the canyon, which is wide enough to make any sane stuntman think "I'm outta here!" But you have to finish a race, so get up to about 65-70 MPH (holding the Control Stick back) and you should get across with no problem. Long Island, NY ****************** 3 LAP RACE ************************* ______ / \ _ | | <- Tunnel area / \ | | / \_/ | | | | ______ / | / \/ | | | \_______________ | \ |___________________/ -> /|\ | Tough start The start is very tough, because you can't get going fast enough to clear the set of small jumps. Since they chew up your speed, you'll have to find a way to get enough speed to clear them AND try to keep your rivals behind you. There are some turns that look like this (see below): ----------\ ________ - \ \ ------ | | | ___| / | / / | / / | / | I guess the bad thing about having to work with ASCII is that your diagrams all look pathetic. With these turns, you'd want to cut through the chicane part of the turn, then power slide through the rest (see the line through the track, that's the path you should follow). It works. There is a part of the course that goes through a tunnel, but it isn't very tough. Just so you know. :) Congo Course ********************* 2 LAP RACE ************************* ____________ / \ | | Jungle -> \ /\_____ Area \ / \ / /___ ___/ <- Shortcut! (The left path) | | \/ | \|/ | | | _/ ______/ _/ / / | \_________/ This is probably one of the more interesting courses: one of my favorites. Anyway, the jumps will be pretty much the same throughout the course, so you shouldn't really have to refine your strategy. One big tip: towards the end, once you reach the jungle area, stay in control. Keep towards the center, because the beams will take you out in a second. As for the final corner, take the right side, but take a bit slower, because you don't want to fly off the lip of the rock. You may be able to speed past a few opponents if you're smart. Las Vegas, NV ******************** 3 LAP RACE ************************* ____________ _ / \ / \ | | | | | | | | | | | | | /|\ | | | | _______|__|_______|_| | / | | | | | | \_/ \_______/ This course is definitely not easy. If you're in the Novice, Amateur, or Pro difficulties, you'll most likely be looking for a win on this course to seal the round up. If you make a mistake, you're pretty much screwed up. So you should be sure you take the jumps right AND watch out for the tire archways. They can take you out in a hurry. GOLD ROUND ---------- Phoenix, AZ ********************** 3 LAP RACE ************************* _ _ _ / \ / \ / \ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | * | <- Start (no room for directional arrow) goes upwards from | | | | | | starting point | | | | | | | \_/ \_/ | | | \_________/ This course is actually not too tough. If you take the jumps right, you might have a chance at a win here. The course doesn't have too much difficulty, except for some jumps with water, but using the turbo boost should get you over. Even the 180-degree switchbacks you should be able to take without a problem. Rainforest Run ******************* 2 LAP RACE ************************* /\____/\_ | \_ /\ | \_ / \ | _| / \_ / / / \ / / | \_/ / | / | / | _______ / | / <- \ / | | \______/ \_/ The start on this course is actually very easy. Hit your turbo, stay centered, and you should be able to get this right. When you start, take the right route and go over the water. On the second lap, take the bridge. Once you go through the castle area, be careful through the bridge, because you really don't have much room. There shouldn't be much else to say, except you should take your jumps wisely. One mistake can really get bog you down, and you might just have to surrender your lead. Try to keep in contact with the ground as much as you can. The course is very long, so you should keep your concentration. Madrid, Spain ******************** 3 LAP RACE ************************* ______ _______ / \ / \ / | | | | | | / | ___|______|______/ | / | | _ | | | | / \ | | \ //|\| | | | \____/ | | | | \______________/ | |____________________/ Two time-saving tips: First of all, for the split section a few corners into the race, where one part of the track has a type of jump and another part of the track has another: take the right side if you can, because it comes right after a 90 degree right turn. Power sliding isn't a good idea there, so try the sharp turn, and hopefully it might work. As for the guardrail splits, take the inside and get into a slide. Some opponents take the outside, but make sure you don't jump right over the guardrail and into the outside lane. The Gravel Pit ******************* 2 LAP RACE ************************* __ _______/\ _____ /\ \ / \/ \ / \ | | / | \\ | | \_ \\ | | | \ / | | \_/ __ | \ / \ | \ /___| / \ / \____________/ \ / -> \/ What a tough course. Yes, I mean it when I say "tough". It may not seem too difficult when you look at the track map, but it can turn into murder. First of all, when you reach the winding canyon part of the track, it's difficult so try to keep yourself on the track. As for other parts of the track, watch that you don't screw up on jumps, but there are two pretty darn good shortcuts. After you reach the "picturesque jump", where you jump really, REALLY high and you can see plenty of the horizon, your speed will be around 75 MPH. Be careful though, because you'll need to use the brake slide to get across the next bend. Detroit, MI ********************** 3 LAP RACE ************************* _ / \ | | _ | | / \ /|\ | | | | | | | | | | | | | ___________/ | | | / \_/ | \_________________|_____ | \ _________________|_____/ / | | | \_________________/ There are plenty of switchbacks at first, so it's not too bad, but all of the skills that you've learned – everything – you will have to put to use right here. Once you reach the red tent area, know you're approaching a portion of the track where the track narrows towards the middle, then widens for the rest of the 180-degree turn. Other than that, good luck. PLATINUM ROUND -------------- Goldmine Rush ******************** 2 LAP RACE ************************* _ / \ <- No barrier! \ \__ _ _/ \_________/ \ <- Canyon area _ / / | \/ / / / \ / \ / |_ / / | / |/_ \ ___________/ \/ /|\ | Ghost town area, two shortcuts The level may not seem so difficult at first, but it's actually very difficult. First of all, there is a log across the track while you're still in the ghost town, so you have to actually go around it. A little farther on, there is an area where you can fall off the track (eg no barrier), and even farther on the track is very narrow, when you go through the canyon after the huge jumps going over seemingly bottomless pits. Just ride wisely and you should be fine. Los Angeles, CA ****************** 3 LAP RACE ************************* _______________ _ / _________| / \ | / | | | | | | _|______|___________|_| /|\ / | | ____ | | | | | / \ | | | ___/ | | | | | / | | | | | | | | | | | \ / | | \_/ \______/ \_/ This track is what motocross SHOULD be! It contains a heck of a lot of switchbacks and turns, plenty of jumps. But you should be able to take the lead if you're smart going into turn one, so hope that you can get it all right. All your skills will need to be utilized here, so you might want to take a few runs through the course before you decide to make the commitment in Season mode. Construction Yard **************** 2 LAP RACE ************************* _____________________ / ______ \ <- Several routes along this path in the | / \ | underground area | | | /\ | | / \ | \ | | \ / | | \____/ X | | / \ | | 4 SHORTCUTS >\ / | / TOTAL X // / \ // \ / / \______/ This is another one of my favorite courses. First of all, the first turn is tricky, because you need to stay right without getting off course, which slows you down dramatically. Then, there's the junction. It crosses over itself twice before the track meets again! And it is tough, because there's plenty of water when you're in the tunnel part of the track. As you learned in the Mountain Quarry, water slows you down, but you can take the jumps and avoid it altogether. There are two or three paths to take in the Construction Yard at any given time (there is usually one path, but it separates quite a bit.) Seattle, WA ********************** 3 LAP RACE ************************* _____ / \ /\ | | || | | |\_______|___ \ | | \ \ | | | | ____|________|___/ | / | | /|\ | \____|________|__|____/ | | / \ __/ \__ / \ | | <- Outside portion of the track \______________/ This course takes up so much room; it can't fit inside the stadium! Literally, I'm not kidding! After turn one, you'll hit this big jump – and it can get a little tricky, because you might have to make an air turn to land it. It takes some finesse to land it right. There are plenty of switchbacks, jumps, and turns to be found, and towards the end the course will run beside the parking lot. Nothing to it – just make sure you adjust your angle of attack and everything all the time when in the air. It is critical that you do so. Blizzard Blitz ******************* 2 LAP RACE ************************* ____________ / | \ | |\ | | \ \__ \ | \ \| | | / |\ |\ / \ | \ \ | | / \| \| | \ \ \ \___________/ This is another interesting course, because it takes place outside in the winter. First of all, the hardpack is actually not a bad texture to race on. But you will find some pretty tough jumps. Once you exit the tunnel, hit your turbo because you're going right across some ice floes. Then, another bridge: if you hit it at 70, you'd better get ready for an air turn. Then comes a tough kink where you have to stay in control. Then, there's the snow. It'll slow you down, and let me tell you: I hate it. There are two junctions on this part of the track, and then finally, the last bridge. Just make sure you're lined up right, and then all you have to do is skid across the ice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.0 - SPECIAL TRACKS Desert ************************** PUT OUT 10 CAMPFIRES **************** This course is probably the neatest concept EVER thought up, next to a track generator. It is literally never-ending and randomly generated, so every race is unique and could call for anything. You have to put out campfires (eg. drive over them). Once you drive over your goal, a yellow arrow in the bottom left of the screen will point you towards your next goal. In essence, it's ten different races: from the start to campfire one, from campfire one to campfire two, and so on... Stunt Course ********************* SCORE AS MANY POINTS AS POSSIBLE *** This small arena contains a bunch of jumps. Time to get all crazy with stunts. You have two minutes to rack up a sick score by performing stunts (the racers' specialty stunts are shown, and you can pull them off by selecting them and using the controls.) However, you can't do anyone else's stunts, but there is a cheat that you can turn on to allow you to. No Hander: C\/ + Down + Up Fender Kiss: C\/ + Up + Down Nothing: C\/ + R + Down + Up Saran Wrap: C\/ + Right + Left Bar Hop: C\/ + 6 to 3 counter clockwise Nac Nac: C\/ + 9 to 6 counter clockwise Heel Clicker: C\/ + 6 to 12 counter clockwise Cliff Hanger: C\/ + R + 6 to 12 counter clockwise Points will range in scores from 500 to 3000 points. However, if you start doing them too often, they will start to decrease in value (not unlike Tony Hawk's Pro Skater), so vary your tricks. If you've got enough air, you can link different stunts together and get mega points. Original Excitebike ************** COMPLETE COURSES IN FASTEST TIME *** Back to 1985, everyone. Unlocked when you complete the tutorial, this will give you some time travel back to the NES days. My friend remembers playing this game – and he did verify that the whole thing was replicated. I'm just going to write up a FAQ in a FAQ about the game: START: selection, pause game. A: acceleration. B: turbo. Up/Down (on ground): switch lanes. Left (on ground): pop a wheelie. Left/Right (in air): adjust bike angle. The last two are a necessity if you want to get by in the later levels. Not to mention that you also have a track editor available to you...here's the controls. Left/Right: selection of items (A-S). B: place item. A: move forward. Select CL to clear something, and END to place the finish line. Then select laps (1-9). What about the modes? Here they are: Selection A: All alone on the track, no one with you. Squeeze by the third-place time to advance. Here are the times. The best time doesn't really matter, but the third-place time is the time you'll have to do better than to advance to the next track. Once you have a time slower than the third place time, you are out. Pass all five tracks and you win. Note: The third place time is always eight seconds slower than the best time. Usually, your times will get five seconds closer to the cut after every race, due to the increased difficulty. Track Best Third 1 1:16.oo 1:24.oo 2 1:24.oo 1:32.oo 3 1:22.oo 1:30.oo 4 1:12.oo 1:20.oo 5 1:04.oo 1:12.oo Selection B: Nearly the same as Selection A, except there are other riders with you. Clip another rider's front tire with your back tire to reset your temperature gauge (you can also hit one of the chevrons on the track). Just don't hit another rider's back tire. Design: Design a track. You can save it to the Game Pak or Controller Pak. That was a long description of the original Excitebike, wasn't it? Check out www.gamefaqs.com for FAQs on the game. Last time I checked, they had two of them. Soccer *************************** OUTSCORE THE OTHER TEAM Unlocked after you beat Novice, this is an awesome multiplayer feature. Two or four players can play soccer with a huge soccer field, a huge soccer ball, and motorbikes. Just ram the ball to get it going. Whoever scores the most goals in two three-minute halves wins the game. If it's a tie after full time, a two-minute overtime period will start...if it's still a tie, the game is a draw. If the tie is broken at the end of the overtime period, that team wins. No tips, really. Just have fun. Bring Super Smash Bros., Mario Party, and/or GoldenEye over and you'll have the perfect multiplayer bash. Hill Climb *********************** GO AS FAST AS POSSIBLE UP THE HILL * The Hill Climb is unlocked after you beat Intermediate. The objective is...to...sweat...and...strain...to...get...up...that... steep...hill. It's difficult, and it's divided into three stages. If you fall, which can happen, you'll have to go back to the start of the stage you were attempting. You start with 2:00.oo on the clock and one minute is added after you reach stage two, and another minute after you reach stage three. Check www.nintendopower.com for movies on how to beat the Hill Climb – it's pretty useful. Other than that, here are some tips: - Try to avoid the edge of the mountain. Don't even try to fly. Even though you might think you can do that, you're going to find out the hard way it's not a hot idea. You'll just wipe out. - Wheelies and turbo are the key to getting it, especially on the first stage. The second stage relies more on skill, and the third is practically 95% skill. Bobby Malone, Nigel York, and Vicky Steele are all suited to this level. - Read the terrain beforehand. Unless you're certain you have enough speed to get up a steep ridge, don't try it. Sometimes, speed isn't the best idea. Slow but steady (especially in the third and final stage) is the way to go. - "You know, it would be fun if we really could do this..." A friend of mine, who shall remain nameless. Excite 3-D *********************** COMPLETE COURSE IN FASTEST TIME **** This level is awesomely cool. Hmmm, "awesomely cool." I don't think I've ever used that phrase before. Okay. You have to beat the Challenge Round of the Pro difficulty to get this. It isn't easy, but the fact that there is only one course stinks. Oh well, you can't have everything...anyway, the same rules from NES Excitebike will apply! Avoid those oil slicks, and do wheelies (you should know how to do them by now). Also a neat feature: tap C-up for an "isometric view". Don't know what that means? It's a side view, sort of like in the original Excitebike. Explanation done, that's all for special courses. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.0 - TRACK STRATEGIES This section of the FAQ/Walkthrough explains the strategies you should use for each of the tracks. BRONZE ROUND - Kyoto, Japan: The jumps are pretty easy, so you shouldn't have any real problems. Just try not to slide into the wall. - Mountain Quarry: Always land on the backside of all the jumps. You should also use wheelies to go through the water, too. It will slow you down to around 25-30 MPH if you decide to plow through it. - Houston, TX: At the final jump before the sharp 180-degree switchback, try not to go too high: yes, you can crash into the lights (!) - Lefty's Mill: Keeping your speed up should get you through the course easily. - Orlando, FL: When the course dips down, keep towards the right side. If you stray too far to the left, you'll fall out of the course. SILVER ROUND - Nashville, TN: Use that Air Turn right away, but look out for the double-tiered jump...and be smart on the jumps. - Canyon Chasm: Take the inside path on the forks. Landing on the downside of jumps is CRITICAL to a win. - Long Island, NY: At the start, if you can get away easily, don't tilt your bike back too far after the first too jumps. You'll fall on the third one. Stay in control at all times. - Congo Course: Watch that river. At the final big jump, land on the downside of the jump before it and make the air turn to get over the river. It's pretty useful. Try to gain position through the jungle area and for the final corner (by taking it easy, not burning it!) - Las Vegas, NV: As long as you don't screw up by burning out your turbo, you should be able to get it right. GOLD ROUND - Phoenix, AZ: Take the jumps in a smart way. You should be able to get it all to stack up. Just don't make a mistake. - Rainforest Run: The course is muddy, so be very, very careful. During the first part of the course, the S-curves shouldn't be too bad. Remember, S stands for straight. The jumps can really screw you up if you make a mistake. - Madrid, Spain: Take the right set of jumps on the split section, and always use the inside of all the guardrail-split curves. - The Gravel Pit: Try jumping off to the side of the big jumps after turn one. There is a narrow road there that will lead you back onto the main track. - Detroit, MI: This course is extremely hard. You will have to stay in control at all times so you don't do anything wrong. PLATINUM ROUND - Goldmine Rush: Be careful around the log and the well while you're in the ghost town area. Then, watch the cliff while you're in the steady right turn, and also watch those two jumps that seem to go over bottomless pits. Over this last section, stay in control: it's very narrow. - Los Angeles, CA: Take the turns as well as you can, and make sure you tap in all of your skills. - Construction Yard: During the first turn, keep to the right so you don't hit an obstacle in the middle of the course. As a matter of fact, there's machinery all over, right where you don't want it. Stay in control. - Seattle, WA: After the first turn, use the air turn to skip the second turn and go back on the course. You have to be really smart to pull it off. It takes a few tries to master. - Blizzard Blitz: Have quite a bit of speed going into the snow area. Your speed really gets chewed up. Not to mention you should go all out over the ice floes and the bridges. SPECIAL TRACKS - Desert: Hit your turbo in the flat areas of the desert. Some of the low-turbo riders will not be able to post good times on this course, so use a high-turbo rider. When approaching a campfire on a hill, approach it slowly, so you don't miss it. - Stunt Course: Two minutes to rack up sick points. Get LOTS of speed going into big jumps, so you can score big points by linking plenty of stunts together. Give yourself enough time to pull it off, though. If you aren't able to pull the stunt(s) off before you hit the ground, you don't get any points, and you say hello to the dirt in a very touching way. Just like Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA's stunt mode. - Original Excitebike: Hit the chevrons to lower your temperature gauge instantly (and in Selection B, clip a rider's front tire with your rear tire). Also adjust your bike so it matches your landing slope. If you screw up, you'll lose time. - Soccer: Have fun. Who cares about strategy? You decide. Oh, all right: just go for the darn ball. In two-on-two, try having someone guard the net on each team and of course the other two fighting for the ball. - Hill Climb: Try not to keep your front wheel up. Don't even try it. If you put on a little more throttle while you're going slow, you'll flip. Here's a stage-by-stage guide: Stage 1 - Just go all out. I've completed this stage in 12 seconds. Jam your turbo big-time. Stage 2 - In the second stage, go all out at first, then ease up on speed. Keep to the right, then cut across to the left (where the course "juts" out) and push the control stick forward. Then, hit your turbo again and stay to the left. You should get to the third stage. Stage 3 - Get some speed up, then over the first jump, get up there and stay to the left while keeping the control stick upwards. With a bit of help from turbo, you should be able to become king of the hill. - Excite 3-D: Land on the bottom side of jumps. Also, the same rules that applied to the NES Excitebike apply here. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.0 - TRACK SHORTCUTS, SECRETS, CODES First, I'll go with codes. I didn't discover these, but these codes are ALL on n64cc.com. SHOWOFF - Stunt bonus. Temperature gauge resets when you pull off a stunt. BLAHBLAH - Big head mode. Riders have big heads. INVISRIDER - Invisible rider mode. Riders cannot be seen on their bikes. MIDNIGHT - Night mode. The horizon is made black and visibility is reduced. YADAYADA - Mirror mode. Courses are flip-flopped (mirrored). And so is your rider. Good thing the controls aren't reversed. TRICKSTER - All stunts. You can perform any rider's specialty and the normal stunts. PATWELLS - Beat This! mode. Makes the game more difficult. UGLYMUGS - Superimposes a picture of the developers over the rider movie during the credits. PINHEAD - Small head mode. Riders have small heads. MOWER - Invincibility mode. You can go through other riders and not even crash. XLURIVER - Transparent rider. Makes you transparent. IMGOINGNOW - Debug mode. Puts the debug numbers on the top left corner of the screen. Useless unless you're getting into video game programming. ROTCOLS - Weird colour mode. Changes all the colours in the game so it looks freaky. Now, for shortcuts on the courses: (NOTE: I was not the first one to find these shortcuts, but they do exist. Trust me. I went through all of the shortcuts.) - Mountain Quarry: On the long straightaway with the big jumps, look for a tunnel on the left side. Duck into it. You'll go into a tunnel. It's not much, but you get to skip a corner and shave off a little time. - Lefty's Mill: Once you reach the tabletop jump before the mill, stay left and go onto the grass. Then, go up the path. If you have enough speed (30 MPH) you'll go off the ramp and onto the roof of the mill. If you goof up, you can bail out, because there is a doorway just beyond the ramp. - Congo Course: When you reach what looks like a junction on the map, go through the pile of logs that cover up a hidden road. It is a little bit tricky to navigate, but it does save time! - The Gravel Pit #1: On the first lap, a ramp will be blocked off towards the middle of the course. On the second lap, the barrier will be gone. Build your speed up to 60-65 MPH while taking the outside track and rocket up to a shortcut! - The Gravel Pit #2: Towards the end of the lap, you will see a road branch off at the end of the set of whoops. Enter the road, build your speed up to 50 MPH, and fly over the set of train tracks. This shortcut rejoins the normal track just before the finish line. - Construction Yard #1: At the turn just before the fork, you will see some pylons on the right, then a narrow branch-off. Take it. You will go onto a dirt path, then come back to the normal track. You'll have shaved off a few seconds. - Construction Yard #2: Once you reach the fork, go straight ahead: between the middle and right signs. If you have hit it at around 50 MPH, you'll go onto a platform. Hit the next jump at 50 MPH or so and you'll go onto a road between the first junction and second junction. Then, if you hit the next jump on this road at the same speed, you'll reach another road. Go onto it and rejoin the race with the construction truck ahead. (Thanks to www.nintendo.com) - Construction Yard #3a, #3b: Take the right fork where shortcut #2 for this course starts, then follow it. Once you reach the final junction, build up your speed. You'll go onto a beam, and make a left to rejoin the track at the set of jumps. If you miss it, you can go through the truck (below it). - Construction Yard #4: YOU CAN LINK THE ABOVE THREE SHORTCUTS TOGETHER!!! Now that's a real deal! - Construction Yard #5: Before you reach the underground tunnel, keep straight. Go through the jumps, and when you see the Fox Racing sign, go through it. It will smash up and you will uncover a secret tunnel... - Goldmine Rush #1: There are two shortcuts on this course, but you can only take one per lap. The first one appears after the starting line. Hit your turbo, get to around 70 MPH, and go over a house to rejoin the track. - Goldmine Rush #2: When you see a break in the gate on your right, then go for it. Hit your turbo when you're lined up, go for the ramp and fly over to the track! - Blizzard Blitz: Before you reach the road inside the tunnel, keep right and build your speed up. Jump to a ledge to the right, then follow the path you see. (At the jump, keep right, so you go to the next level. You will rejoin the race after the ice floes.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 9.0 - BIG TIPS Don't try to pull off any Tony Hawk style grinds on the barriers. It doesn't count as part of the track. You'll just fall off your bike. Tip for taking corners smart: Take the brake slide only on the sharp 180-degree switchbacks where you need to kill your speed. You can also do it on the 90-degree turns, but it's not recommended. It all depends on the sharpness of the turn. You can actually hold a wheelie as long as you want. As long as you keep the control stick held back halfway, you'll stay on forever. You can even make turns! This tip has no use in racing, but it's neat. Try to keep your bike's temperature in the yellow zone at all times. Keeping it in the red is not a good idea, so use your turbo judiciously. More tips to come... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 10.0 - Q&A GAME QUESTIONS Q: When was this game released? A: June of 2000. Q: Will I like this game for multiplayer? A: This probably might be a nominee for the fourth Grand Slam of Multiplayer spot (over Mario Party, GoldenEye 007, and Smash Bros.) So, yes. Q: Is this the best motocross game ever? A: Probably. Look out Jeremy McGrath. Q: Are there any secret riders or tracks? A: Not that I know of. But trust me, if it gets found out, it will come up here. Q: Should I buy or rent? A: Hahahahaha! RTF (Read the FAQ)! Q: Why are there no GameShark codes? A: I checked that out, and there are no GameShark codes. Most likely in a future update there will be, or there may never be GameShark codes. Q: Excitebike 64 sucks. A: That's not a question. And Excitebike 64 does not suck. Next question! Q: Why does the Expansion Pak put black spaces above and below my playing window? A: UPDATE: I got an Expansion Pak a month ago and I've managed to play with it. The answer is, it's supposed to be that way. I suppose all they did to make it a high-res mode was put it into letterbox format. But I personally think it's a waste, because the framerate sucks in hi- res mode. If you really are getting annoyed with it, turn hi-res mode off from the options menu. MORE "PERSONAL" QUESTIONS Q: Why do you have so few questions? A: This FAQ is new. If there is a question that comes up commonly posed to me, I will put it up here. Q: Where can I contact you? A: Take a look at the top of the FAQ. My e-mail address is there. Just look at the final part of this FAQ for what you should send to me. Q: A/S/L? (Your age, your gender, and where you live?) A: All three of the above are none of your beeswax. Besides, I don't think you need to know. Q: You know, I'd really like to have your FAQ on my site, so what do I do? A: Send me an e-mail requesting which FAQ you want and what sites it will be put on. Also enclose an e-mail address which actually works. Twice I have encountered this problem. If you don't send me a valid e- mail, I can't get my FAQs to you. It's as simple as that. Q: Are you affiliated with Left Field, Nintendo, or any other associated company? A: Yes, somewhat. I am a member of proud video game fans all around the world. (You know, that was witty.) And I did subscribe to Nintendo Power, but the subscription expired and I didn't pay for the next twelve months. It'll probably be all Gamecube anyway. Q: Can I use your ASCII art (maps)? A: No. The minimum IQ required to make ASCII art is only 50. I'm assuming you don't have an IQ lower than that. Make your own. It's not too hard. Q: You changed your e-mail address? A: Yup. I wanted to keep personal stuff and GameFAQs stuff separate. So send all your e-mail there. Most of your questions will be answered one-on-one, but if there's a question that I feel many others will ask, I will put it up here. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 11.0 - SOME MORE LEGAL STUFF I'm boring you to death with all the legal talk, right? I have to say it! This document is copyrighted and may not be sold, used as your own (a.k.a. taking this document and changing the name and e-mail address to your own) or anything of the like. If you violate ANY of these, I will find out and you can be sued. Hey, how much did you pay to read this? Nothing (ummm...Internet fees don't count. Get unlimited access. They even have free Internet access now.) You are not allowed to copy this to your hard drive. Period. If you need it as reference, print it out. If your dog eats it, well, too bad. This FAQ is only for the use of reference and I do not want it to be used for any other reason. More stuff can be found in the legal rights above. What about e-mail? Here's the stuff I WILL and WILL NOT accept: *** STUFF I WILL ACCEPT *** - Suggestions. Just don't stuff the box. (I will do my best to implement the better ones.) - A useful tip or some sort of information I missed. (This FAQ should be perfect, because I'm trying to provide you with good info here!) - Compliments. (I need those.) - A question that isn't answered here. (I'll do my best to answer.) - Asking if you can have this FAQ on your web site. (Assuming that it's polite.) *** STUFF I WILL NOT ACCEPT AND WILL DELETE WITHOUT RESPONSE *** - Hate mail (it wastes my inbox) - E-mail that is in ALL CAPS (you don't need to do that) - Silly questions (the answer is obvious) - Chain letters (I don't want that kind of stuff) - Something else you know will p____ me off (it p_____es me off, I refuse to use dirty language) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 12.0 - CREDITS, SELF-PROMOTION... First, let me just thank the following: Myself, for taking the time out of summer vacation to write this complete FAQ up. Nintendo and Left Field. I could not possibly have had the opportunity to write this up without them. Thank you so much. Jeff "CJayC" Veasey, the webmaster of GameFAQs. Anyone else I could have missed. As for self-promotion, this is my VERY FIRST FAQ TO GO ON THE INTERNET!!! What a milestone! I also have others, shown below. However, I have several reviews on the GameFAQs website, currently I am going to expand them to contain more information for more games (45, as a matter of fact)! FAQs for Nintendo 64: - Excitebike 64 (this) - Super Mario 64 Coming soon: - Mario Party (N64) - Mario Party 2 (N64) - F-Zero X (N64) - F-1 World Grand Prix (N64) - Need for Speed Special Edition (PC) Thanks for reading! Hope it was useful. --- This document is copyright (C) 2000 Jordan Stopciati. --- *** END DOCUMENT ***