Extreme G Racing Association PS2 game

Extreme G Racing Association

2003

Overall rating: 2.5 out of 5

from 58 members

After wipEout made its PlayStation debut in 1995, we came to expect myriad clones of Psygnosis? futuristic anti-gravity racer. Many have come and gone, but Acclaim?s Extreme G has continued to impress since 1997. The fourth and largest instalment of the popular series is now finished, but does it rival the high-speed offerings of Sony?s own racer? Absolutely. The second release in the series for GameCube, and the fourth instalment for Nintendo hardware, XGRA appears at face value to be something of a graphical show-off, sporting vast, rollercoaster-like circuits moving at phenomenally high speeds. And in this respect, it does impress. There are a few glitches, but the GameCube does a respectable job of throwing thousands of polys around the screen in a fast-moving game. But there?s much more to XGRA than a little futuristic eye-candy - there?s even a story. Following the F1 Nurburgring disaster of 2025, the Extreme Gravity Racing Association was founded to regulate the rules of the extreme sport. Within the XGRA now lies a complex community of competitive teams, riders and sponsors, and herein lies the most extensive aspect of Acclaim?s latest release. Similar to a career mode, XGRA encourages players to not only race for victory as a solo sportsman, but to make transfers, grab contracts and make a name for themselves. It?s not a compulsory part of the game, but it?s one that should be explored to its full potential - it adds great depth to the racing experience. Getting around the track and winning races is now more complicated than before. Now there?s fully destructible scenery, a brand new weapons system, the addition of cars and sidecars, and real-time variable weather conditions. This makes the outcome of a race unpredictable. Regardless of how well you know a particular circuit, victory is not guaranteed - get used to that. Technically, XGRA isn?t as polished as the first three games in the wipEout series, and it also has stiff competition from F-Zero GX, but that?s not say it isn?t a worthwhile game. On the contrary, given Sony?s disappointing outing with wipEout Fusion, XGRA is a welcome addition to the Acclaim series.