Excite

Excitebike was the coolest video game of its time. I'm just throwing that out there. Don't get me wrong, there were lots of cool NES games, and you could probably name some of them (Blades of Steel, Contra, Kid Icarus, etc), but Excitebike was hands down the coolest.

NES took motocross and put it in the hands of countless twelve and thirteen year-olds throughout the world. It was that era's Tony Hawk Pro Skater. Sure maybe no motocross rider had achieved world-wide fame and renown, maybe none of those guys were recognized more easily than The Hamburglar, but it was an extreme sport on the fringes of mainstream media, and NES gave it a home.

And why was it so cool? Because you could design YOUR OWN TRACK. The first (that I remember anyway) game that was customizable. Now you can get Madden '06, run the ownership mode, build your own roster, stadium, and even control what concessions get sold. Excitebike was the first step. Hells yeah.

Speaking of video games, there are two items to note:
1. I got MVP Baseball 2005 for Xbox last night. I haven't played (and probably won't until the season is over) but I plan on building a franchise from the ground up and winning the world series. I'm thinking about buying the Kansas City Royals.

2. The Boston Globe online is running a series of fake articles about the greatest video game ever. They've narrowed all the video games in the history of the world down to Punchout and NHL '94. I'd like to hear some thoughts on this. First, which is better? Second, what's really the greatest video game of all time. Third, why wasn't your answer to the previous question "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater for N64"?

Don't knock 'em. Video games promote problem solving skills, increase motor-skills, especially hand-eye coordination, and can help you become a crack shot at resucing hostages (right Ray?). Video games rule.

-t
recommended download:
Transylvania II, Simon's Quest Theme, rock remix