Concept:
The Excitebike you loved in 1985, with some new paint, bells and whistles.
Keep:
The music. Peppy, upbeat and just plain Nintendo. The updated themes from the original are complimented by some great new tunes.
The Excite Truck/ExciteBots influence. The Wii's versions of Excite are criminally underappreciated, (even by Nintendo themselves) and it's great to see Monster Games put their ideas into this updated version of Excitebike. You'll get the option to deform the terrain by collecting a token during the race. Hit the token on a pass and a ramp or a large hill will rise up from the ground giving you a benefit and rocking your unlucky computer opponents.
Online. You'll be able to take on your friends, much like Mario Kart Wii and exchange created track. More online functionality from Nintendo is a good thing, particularly in this small package.
Small tweaks. Monster Games didn't throw the baby out with the bathwater when they made Excitebike: World Rally; you're not getting overhauled gameplay and tons of new editions. Monster made small tweaks to gameplay to update things a bit, but kept all the great Excitebike gameplay intact. This is really an updated version of the NES classic.
Control variety. Motion-controlled wheelies take some getting used to, but it adds something new to the game; if you're not a fan of motion, you can quickly turn it off in favor of NES-styled controls. You'll also get the option to race in classic side-scrolling perspective or a new isometric style that gives you a better view of what obstacles are coming down the track.
