Nitrobike review

Racing rocket-propelled bikes is no fun when the controls are unreliable

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Explosive

  • +

    non-complex racing

  • +

    Twenty tracks

  • +

    a dozen bikes

  • +

    Online multiplayer for six

Cons

  • -

    Fighting the controls

  • -

    Sluggish

  • -

    blurry graphics

  • -

    Generic engine noise and music

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Nitrobike is the sort of outrageous racing game that you desperately want to like. In every race, you're mashing the turbo button, performing death-defying tricks, and literally destroying the track as you try to beat the other riders to the finish line. Unfortunately, you're also fighting the Wii remote every step of the way just to stay pointed in the right direction, which quickly transforms what ought to be a lovey-dovey relationship into a trip to Brokenheartsville.

As the title says, what we have here are bikes with rockets strapped to them. Performing tricks gives you more nitro, pressing the boost button makes you go faster, and going faster lets you get crazy hang time off of hills and ramps. Bumping into decorations during your flight will often cause pieces of those signs and structures to break away and fall onto the track, turning them into obstacles that the other riders must avoid. A race sure becomes more interesting when you look ahead and see a burning airplane wing sitting there.

More info

GenreRacing
DescriptionBouncing over hills and watching the mud fly should be fun, but the unreliable controls suck most of the joy out of this motorbike racer.
Platform"Wii"
US censor rating"Everyone 10+"
UK censor rating""
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
More
CATEGORIES
Latest in Racing
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Nintendo knows you're waiting for Mario Kart 9, but it still wants you to run a million laps in Mario Kart 8 first
Wheel World
The spirit of Burnout Paradise lives on in this fabulous bicycle racing game from the makers of my favorite indie fighting game – a true Steam Next Fest gem
Sonic Racing CrossWorlds
Sonic Racing CrossWorlds announcement trailer proves Sega is coming for Mario Kart 9's throne with transforming cars and a closed beta this month
Need For Speed Unbound
The Need For Speed series is pumping the brakes as "Criterion are joining their colleagues working on Battlefield" instead of tuning more cars
Forza Horizon 5 the real deal reasonably priced car seasonal championship volvo 850 R racing
Forza Horizon 5 is the latest Xbox game to make the leap to PS5, and it's launching this spring with all of the same content and DLC
Tokyo Xtreme Racer
Cult classic racing series returns 18 years after its once-final entry on Xbox 360 to 95% overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews
Latest in Reviews
Lenovo Legion Go S with FlyKnight gameplay on screen featuring player character holding bow and arrow with enemy ant in backdrop.
Lenovo Legion Go S Windows 11 review: “my heart aches for this mixed up handheld”
Talisman 5th Edition game components
Talisman 5th Edition review: "The characterful imperfections of the original game remain clear to see "
WWE 2K25
WWE 2K25 review: "A colossal package even if you never go anywhere near Virtual Currency"
Altered: Trial by Frost booster box and packs on a playmat
Altered: Trial by Frost review - "Satisfying enough to offer highly varied gameplay"
Three SteelSeries QcK Performance mouse pads on a wooden desk
I didn't expect to prefer a coarser mouse pad, but SteelSeries' new QcK Performance range has changed my mind
Boro and Alta sit on a bench together in Wanderstop
Wanderstop review: "Exalting the transformative power of tea"