GENRE
	Racing
	DEVELOPER
	Acclaim
	PUBLISHER
	Acclaim
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONTROLLER PAK
	yes
	RUMBLE PAK
	yes
	RAM PAK
	no
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A first for Acclaim, Extreme-G hopefully represents what the future will be for the hurting third-party developer. Extreme-G, an original title, is a futuristic, and fast racing game, which fully sports the N64's power. It takes advantage of the N64's goodies, like 4-player mode, Rumble Pak compatibility, and well-done graphics. But, as we all know, it takes more than good graphics and gimmicks to make a solid title. XG hits the mark for solid gameplay. The controls for the bikes are a little tricky to get used to (remember Turok?), but once you learn 'em, you're good to go.

The game has a simple premise; it's the future, and there's nothing fun left to do, because everyone has everything they need. So, for fun, people race bikes through a simulation, before they can do it for real and try to take over their own planet, or something like that. Alright, let's get to what we came here for : what does the game do?

It's simple - you race a magnetic wheeled bike on metal tracks, competing for first place. There are up to 7 competitors who want you to lose, and it's your job to win. You have weapons at your disposal, turbos, and other tricks to use to your advantage. The game adds a lot of twists to make it competitive, such as the ability to actually do "360's" inside some tunnels, and even the ability to slam your opponents into walls to knock 'em out.

visuals

The graphics are truly approaching second generation. There's no noticable pop-up, and the fog is used intelligently. There ARE worlds WITHOUT fog, but when it's there, it actually adds atmosphere. The framerate is FAST, and I mean fast. Even in four-player split screen mode, the framerate still gives a good sense of motion, and the graphics still move along quickly. Every now and then, in split screen, the graphics will slow down when too many weapons or effects are being executed. The bikes look really good, and the lighting adds yet another sense of reality. In fact, there's the obligitory "sun lens flare" which HAS been beaten to death, but nonetheless, adds to the feel of XG.

audio

As you know, this is my favorite topic, and luckily XG does it well. The explosions sound good, and most importantly, so do the bikes engines. They have an "electrical motor" sound to them, which is appropriate, because in case you forgot, it's magnetic wheels on metal track. And the "high pitched" motor sound is what you should hear when dealing with electrical current engines. The music is techno in nature, but sounds clean and moves along nicely. It has a good assortment of instruments and beats, and is executed very good!

gameplay

The gamplay, simply put, is fast and fun. The game is challenging, with the computer bikes always on your butt! XG gives an amazing sense of competition, and an amazing sense of motion. Your eyes are always peeled on the screen, waiting for the next turn to come up on 'ya, or the next computer opponent to hit you with a weapon.

Extreme-G offers eight game modes:

• Practice Mode: Just you, learning how to control the damn bike!!!
• Time Trials: A simple "get-your-best-time" before completing three laps mode.
• Shoot-Em-Up: See how many enemies you can destroy before completing three laps.
• Extreme Contest: The "main game" - qualify in a certain place to move onto new worlds!
• Head-To-Head: Just you and up to three of your buddies without CPU racers. (multiplayer)
• Flag Game: Capture as many flags as possible before crossing the finish line. (multiplayer)
• Battle Arena: Four unique areas to race around in and have a death-match! Yeah! (multiplayer)
• Cup: Up to >16 people compete, in competition fashion, to see "who's the best". (multiplayer)

Basically, you select a mode, choose which planet you want to race on (there's four), and then select a bike. The bikes have different attributes, which include; acceleration, speed, turns, shield, and weapons. I've learned that you really have to choose a bike, which compliments YOUR controlling skills. All of the controls are customizable, by the way, so if you don't like the accelerator to be "Z", change it!

Once you get into the game, you see a bunch of different meters. On the bottom left, you have your shield and laser/pulse meter. Depending on which bike you use, you get a laser of a pulse cannon. The more you use them, the less you have, hence the gauges. On the top left, you see your position and how many turbo's you have left. On the top right, you see the time elapsed, as well as the lap counter. Finally, on the lower right, you have your MPH counter and your tachometer. Depending on whether or not you are competing against any other bikers, there will be a radar on the top-middle of the screen, too.

During gameplay, you have a whole bunch (and I mean a whole bunch!) of weapons to choose from. The weapons are really rude, and by that, I mean that if you are playing multiplayer, you may get into a fistfight with your competitor! Seriously, how'd you like to be racing, and all of a sudden have your so-called friend drop a "wally warp", and then you fall into it? It's a portal which takes you to the place where the enemy dropped the second part of it. You would get the weapon, place the exit, and then place the entrance. That should hopefully clarify the "rude weapons" description, eh?!

Control Notes: Like I said, the control takes some getting used to, but once you do, it's very effective. Probe used the analog stick quite well. In fact, there was months of tweaking and reprogramming involved to get the controls where they are now. I'm satisfied with them, because when the controls allow me to effectively control the bike, and at scale speeds of 2-300mph, that's not bad, eh?! The Rumble Pak is implemented nicely. It rumbles at the right time, and adds a nice touch. Finally, the practice mode is really nice, and actually allows you to practice alone, against the CPU, and along any track.

multiplayer

A nice little added bonus of Extreme-G is its' multiplayer modes. There is a whole lot of diversity in the modes, too. You have an all-out arena/death match mode, where there are four unique arenas, and basically, you just battle it out, and see who is left standing. There are only four arenas, which get repetitive, but, overall, it's a lot of fun to play. You also have the Flag mode, which is really competitive. There are flags all over the track, and the first person to get the most, before crossing the finish line, wins. All in all, the multiplayer modes are competitive, solid, and fun.

overall

The game has a lot of nice touches, such as the "FMV" looking sequence when you win or lose in the main event. If you lose, a big magnet grabs your bike, and quickly disposes of it in the molten metal pit. It's pretty funny, and nice to look at! :) The game is fast, and the game is competitive. There's not a whole lot wrong with it, at all. The framerate is nice, the gameplay is super-solid, and one thing's for sure, the AI is intelligent. Another bonus, is that if you don't have a memory pak, the game spits out passwords, which you can use to resume where you left off.

XG is a game with a lot of replay value, and a lot of N64 power. It's fast, fun, and competitive. If you like racing games, and multiplayer games, I advice you to check it out. It's one title, you probably want to add to your small, but growing N64 collection!

8.5/10