Here's an odd fact about me. I love motorcycles...I'd never own one...and I think they're deathtraps, but I still love them. I'm not a big Harley fan...more of a Ducati fan. What most people would call crotch rockets. But not just crotch rockets. I like dirt bikes too. Nope. Wouldn't own one of those either. Have you ever been riding down the road and witnessed two bikers pass by each other. They have this sort of secret handshake...or wave that they do when they pass by each other. I'm always a bit envious when I see that.
I might not ever own a real bike, but it doesn't stop me from playing video games that let me drive them to my heart's content. I've been playing a lot of Trials Fusion lately...and it's a great game...but I've talked about it not all that long ago, so I decided to mention a few other motorcycle games I've thoroughly enjoyed over the years.
Excitebike
Excitebike is a motocross racing video game franchise made by Nintendo. It debuted as a game for the Famicom in Japan in 1984 and as a launch title for the NES in 1985.
Oh, I've logged some hours on Excitebike...one of my all-time favorite motorcycle games. It had a catchy soundtrack, you could ride a wheelie, and there were plenty of jumps and technical transitions to race over. I can still visualize dumping my bike and watching my little guy run back to it as fast as he could. Man, he was so slow. Ah, such a great game.
Tron / Light Cycles
Light cycles are fictional vehicles designed by Syd Mead for the simulated world of the Tron universe. These futuristic two-wheeled vehicles resemble motorcycles and create walls of colored light. Players are in constant motion on a playfield, creating a wall of light behind them as they move. If players hit a wall, they are out of the game; the last player in the game wins.
True story. I used to play Tron just to race the light cycles. It's not a great game if you have slow reflexes, which I do...but that didn't stop me from having a blast trying to cut the competition off and crash them into my light wall. They didn't look exactly like traditional motorcycles, but close enough for me to count them here.
Motocross Madness
Motocross Madness is a motocross racing computer game that was developed by Rainbow Studios and published by Microsoft Games. It was released on August 14, 1998. In the game, one can earn money by utilizing "career mode", but play for fun in Baja, Stunts, Enduro, Supercross, and National levels as well. The game is known for its realism, including terrain, audio, and "bone-chilling" motorcycle wrecks.
I like street bikes more than dirt bikes, but Motocross Madness was a great game for motorcycle enthusiasts because it offered these giant open worlds and the freedom to just drive and do stunts and go crazy. Sure, there were different modes of game play...but just having the freedom to roam and do stunts was always my favorite.
Road Rash
Road Rash is the name of a motorcycle-racing video game series by Electronic Arts in which the player participates in violent, illegal street races. The series started on the Mega Drive and made its way to various other systems over the years. The game's title is based on the slang term for the severe friction burns that can occur in a motorcycle fall where skin comes into contact with the ground at high speed.
Racing on my motorcycles - yes please! Racing on motorcycles with weapons while trying to knock your competitors off their bikes - OH HECK YES! I didn't have a Sega so I never got to play this game as often as I wanted to. But a friend had one and I was always in love with the fact I was on a motorcycle...racing...with weapons. Need I say more.
Watch_Dogs
Watch Dogs is a 2014 open world action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. Set within a fictionalized version of Chicago, Illinois, the single-player story follows a hacker and his efforts to seek revenge after the accidental death of his niece. The open world design lets players freely roam Chicago, which includes the urban city, open countryside, and slums.
Of all the vehicles I could steal in Watch_Dogs, I tend to take more motorcycles than anything. I can be driving a several hundred thousand dollar sports car (stolen, of course)...and stop it on the spot and ditch it, just so I can take a bike. They're more maneuverable and can get away from the police (or bad guys) easier. There's also something about zooming down the highway going a hundred miles an hour and weaving in and out of cars. Yeah, that's fun.
Mario Kart
Mario Kart is a series of go-kart-style racing video games developed and published by Nintendo as spin-offs from its trademark Super Mario series. The first in the series, Super Mario Kart, was launched in 1992 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to critical and commercial success. To date, there have been five Mario Kart games released for home consoles, three portable games, and three Namco co-developed arcade games, for a total of eleven. The latest title in the series, Mario Kart 8, was released on Wii U in May 2014. The series has sold over 100 million copies worldwide to date.
I'm not sure which Mario Kart was the first to offer motorcycles, but I do remember them the most from Mario Kart 7. I have no idea why I liked the motorcycles in this game so much. Something about sliding them through the corners, hitting that perfect turn and pulling off a wheelie as you cross the finish line.
Yep. Love my motorcycles. What about you? Do you have a favorite video game motorcycle?
Cheers.