XGRA: Extreme-G Racing Association – PS2 – Review

In the future there is no
gravity.  Or if gravity exists, you can "defy" it.  That’s the premise of every
futuristic racer out there.  Does anyone really care?  When the race starts and
your brain is fixated on the gameplay, it becomes difficult to think about
anything else.

The same is true with the
fourth game in the Extreme G series: XGRA.  XGRA stands for the Extreme G Racing
Association.  Why the name change?  It probably has something to do with the
future of the series, and how unattractive Extreme G 10 would sound.

Enough with the name game
though.  When it comes down to it, it doesn’t matter what the game is titled so
long as it delivers a compelling gameplay experience.  XGRA is compelling, but
not to the extent of XGIII (Extreme G III).  As you will soon discover, the game
is very much a sequel, but attempts to reinvent itself with a couple of gameplay
changes.

XGRA’s game mode
selection is small but effective.  Included are racing staples like

Arcade,
Time Trial and a two-player split-screen mode.  The main single-player mode is
Season 2080 (remember, this game is set in the not-too-distant future).  In
Season 2080, you must prove yourself as a professional racer in order to be
accepted into SiNN Global championship.  Assuming you’re successful, you’ll be
given the option to join a racing team.  Each team has its own stats – some are
better at handling or regeneration, while others are superior at speed and
acceleration.  Your bikes can be damaged by ramming the sides of the track, by
ramming into other racers, or by being shot in the back, so while speed is the
key to success, it’s also important to stay alive.  That’s why the teams with
higher regeneration stats are beneficial.

XGRA’s courses are worth
both praise and confusion.  Half of the courses take on a an exciting corkscrew
shape, giving the player one thrill after the other.  As you climb the top of a
perfectly steep road, the reality of it doesn’t set in as deeply as it has
before.  Acclaim has somehow managed to make the surroundings even more
believable, thus increasing the game’s realism.  Do not confuse "surroundings"
with "graphics."  What I mean by surroundings is all that you see – any trees,
buildings or billboards, anything at all that exists in the background.

Much to the joy of any
speed freak, XGRA is a little bit faster than XGIII.  It’s not always easy to
spot the speed differences, but when you’re flying down that steep road you’ve
just climbed, believe me, you’ll feel it.

Upon reaching the bottom
of that road you’ll find yourself going through a fast, turbo boost-filled
loop.  Or you’ll fly up and down another steep hill, go through various tunnels,
and continue down the road to victory without ever having a moment of boredom. 
This is the essence of the game, the thing that will keep players from ejecting
the game and moving onto something else.

However, while the
essence is certainly what makes the game great, it’s not the only thing there. 
One of the game’s more damaging flaws was intended to improve it: an increased
emphasis on weapon combat.  It sounds great in theory.  Everyone loves to race,
and everyone loves to shoot.  Why not put ’em together?  It worked for WipeOut,
so it has to work here, right?

It nearly did.  The
problem is, in trying to concentrate on taking out the bikes in front of you,
the game loses something.  It’s more psychological than physical, but to put it
plainly, it isn’t as exciting to fight the in-game opponents as it is to race
them.  XGRA encourages your desire to burn rubber, not ammunition!  But the
requirements force players to do both.  This, coupled with the fact that not
every course is a roller coaster thrill-ride, causes the game to miss the photo
finish it was so close to achieving.

It’s not easy choosing
which games to buy, especially when one as attractive as XGRA retails for only
$30.  Because of that low price (and the possibility of getting it cheaper on
sale), you really can’t complain much.  XGRA is far superior to the other
"bargain" titles out there, so much that I am surprised that Acclaim would let
the game sell for a lower price than [enter horrible, $40 game here].  It has
its flaws, especially in the vehicular combat department, but that doesn’t make
it a bad game by any means.


Reviewer’s Scoring Details


Gameplay: 7.8
Extreme-G first
appeared on the PlayStation 2 during its second season of gaming goodness.  Two
years later the series is back for more, ready to take you for another spin and
then some.  This is one ride worth taking, especially if you love the series. 
The game uses a new cinematic graphic effect that’s intended to simulate
"extreme" speed, and while it doesn’t make you feel like you’re going any
faster, it is a really cool effect.

 


Internet rumors suggested that the game would be slowed down a tad in order to
increase its functionality.  In actuality, XGRA moves slightly faster than XGIII
(if the titles are confusing, XGRA is the fourth game in the series).  Despite
the speed increase (which is very appreciated – no one wants a slow racer!),
XGRA’s racers are very easy to control.  Even if you’re inexperienced, it won’t
be too hard for you to grasp the game and figure out that they key to winning is
perseverance.

Graphics: 8
This game looks
pretty cool, and is without any noticeable frame rate issues, but graphically it
is only a few notches above XGIII.  There are no extremely obvious flaws, but it
still won’t dazzle your eyes that much, especially if you’ve grown accustomed to
PlayStation 2’s finer titles.

Sound: 5.5
Two licensed
soundtracks of unheard of music.  Unheard of as in bands you don’t know and
probably don’t care about.  There’s also the addition of annoying voice-overs
from characters who like to talk trash.  Not cool.


Difficulty: Easy
Most of the
season mode tiers are easy to conquer, and if you fail, no biggie — you’ll
still move onto the next.  You might not be able to complete the game, but if
you’ve played through everything once by not succeeding, what will make you want
to play through it a second time around?

Concept: 6.7
Xtreme G RehAsh? 
Not quite, but it wouldn’t be hard to mistake this for XGIII.  This is a good
sequel, but it’s also the fourth game in the series.  If it had come 12 months
after XGIII it would have been much more acceptable.  But after 24 months it’s
only natural that gamers would expect something more than more of the same.

Multiplayer: 6.9
Split-screen
action for only two players?  It’s fun at times, but it isn’t packed with nearly
as much replay value as WipeOut or F-Zero.

Overall: 7.6
With so many
futuristic racers out there, it’s hard to welcome one with open arms that
doesn’t go above and beyond the rest.  XGRA is a really good, entertaining game,
but it’s a standard sequel.  Not a whole lot has changed since the last game. 
You’ve got new, exciting courses, but then you’ve also got a few courses that
aren’t very exciting at all.

What it all comes down to
is how much of this experience you’ve had.  If you’re new to futuristic racers,
or if F-Zero is the only one you’ve experienced, then XGRA will be a nice
diversion from that style of play.  On the other hand, if you’ve played through
WipeOut or any of the previous games in the Extreme-G series, XGRA will seem
more like an extension of those titles, not an entirely new game.  If you can
deal with that, then take a gander at the price tag.  XGRA retails for as low as
thirty bucks.  You can’t beat that.