GENRE
	Racing
	DEVELOPER
	Acclaim
	PUBLISHER
	Acclaim
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONTROLLER PAK
	yes
	RUMBLE PAK
	yes
	RAM PAK
	no
	BUY NOW AT

Extreme G is what more games should strive to be, a game that is just plain fun to play. I don't know what it is about this game that makes it so great, maybe it's the fact that the control is very precise and perfect, maybe it's the sheer thrill you get from going straight downhill at 400 miles per hour on a sleek, electric, rotary engined crotch rocket, or maybe, just maybe, it's the thumping bass beat that makes speeding even more fun. I don't know, maybe it's just everything about the game. Acclaim has really lived up to their promises to basically not suck anymore, and they have quickly become one of my favorite 3rd parties. If they keep cranking out games like this, I'll be one happy camper.

visuals

Great visuals are always a nice bonus and XG delivers very impressive graphics. The first thing that needs to be said goes out to all the complainers out there, STOP BITCHING! I don't know what other people are seeing, but as far as I am concerned the textures are hardly blurred and are wonderfully drawn an very detailed. The bikes all have kick ass artwork on them and each one has it's own distinct shape and attitude. The Grimace bike looks very mean and aggressive, while the Mooga bike looks large, bulky, and heavily armored. The bike select screen is very neat in that the quality of the rendering is lowered to make it look like you are viewing a hologram of your bike. You can even see the redraw lines every once in awhile, this was a very futuristic touch. When racing the wheels actually turn as you speed up and slow down.

The tracks are the most amazing graphical feat though. Whether you are racing through old cities, mining shafts, desert landscapes, or space stations, there is plenty to please the eye. For example: The tracks that race through the cities have old, dilapidated buildings, broken bridges, large burning trash heaps, and old streets complete with street lamps. Lighting also plays an integral role in making XG look fantastic, there is total 100% real-time lighting on the cars. Pass a green light, and your bike will show a slight green glow. Look directly into the sun, you get a real-time lens flare. Lens flaring also occurs whenever there are any explosions, and I have even seen the game process 4 or 5 lens flares at the same time with a few bikes on screen WITHOUT any slow-down

Of course there is fogging, but I will state again that it is better then pop-up (anything is better than that), and it does add to the atmosphere. The fog is pretty far off, and you can see plenty in front of you. Having played the game extensively in wireframe mode, the fog seems very unavoidable. Why? Well, first the game has to race 7 other cars in real-time. XG's AI is very smart and the enemy bikes not only fight against you, but against each other, there are no favorites here. Plus the game supports all 8 bikes on screen at a time, that's a lot of geometry to draw, given the bubble shaped shields, weapon robots, and detailed scenery. Overall though, these are some of the best damn graphics you will ever see on a 149 dollar machine. Period.

audio

There have been many different opinions here, but I am very impressed by the music. The music is very lively, upbeat, and fast paced and it will really get you into the game. It's very Tetrisphere like The music sounds very lively and the sample quality is excellent. What I like most is that the music is bass driven, so there is always a nice beat in the background. This is a definite improvement over past titles, as I was disappointed by the music in TGR.

The sound is unbelievable. Every single sound retains the futuristic environment that is XG. can't really say much more than that. The best sounds belong to the engines, which are probably electric powered rotary engines. Some engineers here at my school are working on one, and the bikes in the game sound a lot like it. Upon the start of a race the engine starts out slowly (obviously), but the whine goes up in pitch as you race. The best is taking your bike down a hill, through a twist, or any other high speed area. Listening to your engine racing at about a billion revolutions per second and screaming loud enough to wake the dead as you accelerate past 400 mph gives me the same thrill of red-lining my Hyundai Tiburon. Just thinking about that sound makes me want to play. The explosions are also very loud and well done, and all sampled clearly. About the only thing that I could have hoped for is some kind of screeching sound when you take tough curves, but besides that, I am in love.

gameplay

Well you all know what the game is about from other reviews so I won't go on with that, but XG delivers more bang for the buck at run-time than most games released today. The most impressive thing about this game is speed, pure speed. Strap-in your stomach, grab some cotton for your nose cause it's gonna bleed. This game is that fast. The analog control is perfect in every way, and is based on a logarithmic progression for better control. Although it takes a little getting used to (most games use linear progression, and most are used to that) once you master it you really feel like you can "be one with the bike". And if the game just isn't fast enough for you, then try the fisheye code. This will make the game seem to move at the speed of light (or very close to it).

multiplayer

See Gameplay above.

overall

Overall this title is miles above Wipeout XL, which everyone has been comparing XG to, and playing theme side by side at home you can really see, hear and feel the difference. This game shows what the N64 can really do, and what you can produce with a little hard work, effort, and ingenuity.

9.9/10