It's no secret that gamers have become excessively jaded with the lack of entertaining racing games available on the market. To date, the PS2 has a limited library of quality titles, namely Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec and Ridge Racer 5, with close to little or no competition in sight. For the record, Acclaim has attempted to establish a niche with its Extreme Racing series, but has fallen short of the mark, both in gameplay and appeal (I've never had the dubious honor of playing them, but word gets around). Remaining steadfast and focused to revitalize a struggling franchise, Acclaim Cheltam stepped in to introduce, XG3. Gone are the unsatisfying elements in favor of a high-res, visual tour de force, warp speed racer that even chalks up a few cool points for being adqeuaetely challenging and entertaining!
Now, I must be honest. As an aficionado of the Wipeout franchise, I was rather impressed with XG3. However, this is not to say that every gamer who has familiarity with Psygnosis' futuristic racing series will feel the same as I do. Wipeout purists in particular will either scrutinize XG3 to the highest degree, or enjoy it for what its worth. In my opinion, regardless if you're an avid Wipeout fan, or a casual gamer simply looking for a cool arcade racer, Acclaim has got your ticket; time to board XG3. Set in the distant future, the Extreme-G Racing League has become the mainstay of interest for avid sports fans of the era. Six teams (composed of a group of two) have been assembled to get behind the wheel of sophisticated racing bikes in an intense race of speed and survival in a quest for victory.
Live. Earn. Burn. (words to live by if you expect to win.)
XG3 Extreme G Racing features a variety of single player and multiplayer modes to engage which include, Arcade, League, XG Team Career, and Versus Game. It's very likely that you won't become too savvy in your initial gameplay session, so a visit to the Arcade mode (which also serves as an area to practice and become familiar with the tracks) is recommended. Selecting XG Career allows one player to begin a new season and engage the XG racing league. The setup is very straightforward - select a race team, followed by your choice of one of the two members (merely a preference, no special attributes included), and proceed to the first speed class. XG Career features four speed classes in total: 250G, 500G, 750G and 1000G. Advancement can only be achieved by completing the entry class and accumulating credits which will enable you to upgrade your vehicle with new devices, in addition to offensive and defensive weapons. Looking for something beyond an artificial intelligence to enhance the gaming experience? XG3 features two multiplayer modes (Team Career and Versus), which allow for cooperative or competitive play, both which feature all of the onscreen action in split-screen fashion.
The gameplay elements are very solid and more than challenging for casual and veteran race moguls. The control setup makes use of every button included on the analog stick. Face buttons operate your weapons, turbo, thrusters and rear view mirror, while the left and right triggers respectively toggle through your arsenal and activate air brakes for razor sharp turns. The handling is very responsive, but when you've reached top speeds, racing through spirals and loops full of turns, (air brakes included), will take some practice to flawlessly avoid the track borders. Thankfully, collisions result in minimal loss in speed (no crash sequences present, something that would have been a plus) .
The first racing league, known as the Lithium League, composed of three circuts is relatively easy, but naturally increases in difficulty as you advance. While the game's emphasis is on speed, it also revolves around resource management. Turbo boosts are wired into your shield strength, and depletes each time you opt for a occassional burst in speed, be it to leave the competition in the dust, or simply to catch up. Additionally, your weapon can't be used infinitely as it also has a limited energy source, but by driving your vehicle through grids positioned throughout the track, allows you to recharge your weapon and shield strength respectively. Regardless, you can't (well, more like you shouldn't) liberally splurge the use of your weapons or turbo boost if you wish to achieve the best results. Thus there's an exceptional requirement of strategy that must be employed. Unlike most racing games, the AI isn't incredibly dull, so as to bore you to tears, but it's not unreasonably difficult (Mario Kart anyone?) that requires you to be a grandmaster racer. You'll discover the computer opponents are well balanced, and compliments the challenge adequately for both single and multiplayer sessions.
As expressed earlier, the style and presentation resembles a high resmblance to the themes established in the Wipeout series. A variety of familiar elements, such as the menu screens and character design logos, each which are respectively resemble the iconographic calibur designed by The Designers Republic. Contrary to various colleagues in the industry, I wasn't as disturbed by the menu select theme. The music tracks, composed by the Ministry of Sound, certainly fit the game atmosphere, and I enjoyed them. However, the sampling is far too typical for electronica beats. With the level of visual flair, the audio should complement this to the fullest degree, in effect, it should absorb you, and I can't say that I actually developed that feeling. Among the aspects which were adopted, licensing a variety of music from the talents of popular artists such as the Propellerheads, Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers would serve to incite a 'rush' that many like myself have derived from the Wipeout franchise.
To further compliment the futuristic theme, XG3 features 10 challenging circuits and a selection of 12 souped up, weapon-laded motorbikes that can be best described as designs inspired from the classic Akira anime. Each bike features a variety of detailed animations, creating a high-tech essence to the entire experience. Flaps that open and close as you activate turbo boosts to leave your competition in the dust, compartments which host various firepower at your disposal and air brakes which aid in manipulating razor sharp turns as you and your opponents careen throughout death-defying circuits. It's genuine arcade style racing at its finest.
The development team at Cheltam has achieved a well-executed racer on a variety of levels. For starters, the game runs at a blazingly fast 60 frames per second...totally smooth and no traces of slowdown whatsoever. Using a variety of lighting and audio effects, notably in the engine and speed streak effect reminiscent of the light cycles featured in the motion picture Tron, create an ambience of speed and excitement. With a high emphasis of keeping your eyes on the road, it's easy to miss the obvious and subtle elements integrated into the game. Each cycle is intricately detailed, emblazoned with a variety of team logo endorsements, including the Acclaim font face. Throughout the 10 circuits, you'll discover each track contains its own blend of challenge and uniqueness. From the continuous downpour of rain drops hitting the screen in Atradaitoshi, the desert landscapes of Pion 6, to the roller coaster loops and twists bordering the ocean region of Oceania, XG3 is an immersive racer from beginning to finish. Timid players need not apply.
While XG3 is unquestionably fun, there are a few evident areas which detract from it being established as a highly polished, perfect game. Although the game delivers a substantial degree of challenge, it's incredibly short-lived. Due to the limited number of tracks, it cheapens the entire experience and leaves you wanting more. Additionally, I failed to discover any distinction between the race leagues in the areas of speed and handling. The significance of the variety of racers would be warranted, provided that their selections had a noticable effect on your gameplay...and while the level design is nothing short of amazing, both in diversity and uniqueness, XG3 should provide added bonuses and secrets for diligent players. In spite of this, XG3 is an enjoyable title, both in its single and multiplayer capacity that makes for a welcome addition to your PS2 library.
· · · Bahn