XGRA: Extreme G Racing Association

XGRA made some bold promises when it was first announced and while it delivers a fun and challenging racing experience it fails to innovate as much as it promised. The courses are longer and there are more of them. The weapons are more advanced and so is the AI of the other racers, so winning will take strategy and skill.

Knappe Kurven, zahllose Loopings und andere Schikanen werden euch mit Sicherheit für viele Stunden an die Controller fesseln. Was das Streckendesign betrifft, haben die Entwickler wirklich ganze Arbeit geleistet und den Nachfolger auch optisch verbessert. Das intelligente Waffensystem ist obendrein genau das Richtige für alle schießwütigen Speedfreaks. An F-Zero GX rauscht dieser Vertreter sicherlich nicht vorbei, aber wem bei Nintendos Vertreter Waffen fehlen oder wer gar das Spiel bereits durchgezockt hat, sollte sich schleunigst Acclaims abgefahrenen Funracer vorknöpfen.

Overall, the gameplay is a step in the right direction from XGIII, but the lack of depth, especially in the multiplayer (where is the online option?) hurts the title in the long run. Maybe for the next game the developers can add a few more modes (such as in Wipeout Fusion) or a Track Editor (like in HSX).

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.

XGRA is a fun racer, but if you're expecting something that plays like XG3 -- don't. These are two different games. Acclaim's latest offering has a lot going for it still. Tight, if heavy control, a seriously improved weapon system that makes for a lot of fun, and the insane tracks that XG fans have come to expect from the franchise. This is a bigger game -- more courses and a slightly expanded Season Mode, too. No doubt, die-hard racing fans will find a good amount to be happy over here, especially at XGRA's reduced price tag.

XGRA is a fun racer, but if you're expecting something that plays like XG3 -- don't. These are two different games. Acclaim's latest offering has a lot going for it still. Tight, if heavy control, a seriously improved weapon system that makes for a lot of fun, and the insane tracks that XG fans have come to expect from the franchise. This is a bigger game -- more courses and a slightly expanded Season Mode, too. No doubt, die-hard racing fans will find a good amount to be happy over here, especially at XGRA's reduced price tag.

XGRA is a fun racer, but if you're expecting something that plays like XG3 -- don't. These are two different games. Acclaim's latest offering has a lot going for it still. Tight, if heavy control, a seriously improved weapon system that makes for a lot of fun, and the insane tracks that XG fans have come to expect from the franchise. This is a bigger game -- more courses and a slightly expanded Season Mode, too. No doubt, die-hard racing fans will find a good amount to be happy over here, especially at XGRA's reduced price tag.

If you are into future racers, then PS2 and Xbox owners may check this out. However, if you are a Gamecube owner that loves F-Zero GX, you'll have no reason for XGRA unless you really look forward to weapons-based combat. Regardless, with the lack of options, customizations and modes, it should get old in its first month.

If you are into future racers, then PS2 and Xbox owners may check this out. However, if you are a Gamecube owner that loves F-Zero GX, you'll have no reason for XGRA unless you really look forward to weapons-based combat. Regardless, with the lack of options, customizations and modes, it should get old in its first month.

If you are into future racers, then PS2 and Xbox owners may check this out. However, if you are a Gamecube owner that loves F-Zero GX, you'll have no reason for XGRA unless you really look forward to weapons-based combat. Regardless, with the lack of options, customizations and modes, it should get old in its first month.

XGRA will appeal to fans of the genre that have been jonesing for a new worthwhile futuristic racing game and are willing to overlook some of its flaws, but it's flawed enough that it likely won't lure new players into the fold. However, a lot of the potential of XGRA has, in fact, been realized, so unless you're expecting it to raise the bar for this style of game, you ought to get a kick out of it.

XGRA made some bold promises when it was first announced and while it delivers a fun and challenging racing experience it fails to innovate as much as it promised. The courses are longer and there are more of them. The weapons are more advanced and so is the AI of the other racers, so winning will take strategy and skill.

Save for Nintendo's recently revived F-Zero series and Sony's effectively dormant Wipeout series, there have been few futuristic racing games that have really been good enough to leave an impression. Though it wallowed in semi-obscurity on the N64 for a few years, Acclaim's Extreme-G series found its stride with the third installment, which was the most fully realized in the series, and it helped Extreme-G define itself as more than just another Wipeout clone. Though the previous naming convention has been discarded, XGRA marks the fourth game in the Extreme-G series. It's bigger and more ambitious than any of its predecessors, but XGRA is hindered by a few unfortunate technical and design issues.

Fans of fast and furious futuristic racing games don’t have too many options these days and since beggars can’t be choosers the newest game in the long-running Extreme-G series, XGRA, should come as something of a godsend for PS2 owners. The Wipeout series has grown stagnant, and the new ass kicking F-Zero GX is a GameCube exclusive, so where are PS2-loving adrenaline junkies expected to get their fix? Luckily, Acclaim Studios Cheltenham has answered that question for you. XGRA should be a no-brainer for PS2 owners thirsty for mach-speed racing with a side of competitive combat. But while XGRA is the fourth game in the Extreme-G series, some might be disappointed to discover that little has changed since the original N64 game.

Save for Nintendo's recently revived F-Zero series and Sony's effectively dormant Wipeout series, there have been few futuristic racing games that have really been good enough to leave an impression. Though it wallowed in semi-obscurity on the N64 for a few years, Acclaim's Extreme-G series found its stride with the third installment, which was the most fully realized in the series, and it helped Extreme-G define itself as more than just another Wipeout clone. Though the previous naming convention has been discarded, XGRA marks the fourth game in the Extreme-G series. It's bigger and more ambitious than any of its predecessors, but XGRA is hindered by a few unfortunate technical and design issues.

Overall, XGRA provides a fun futuristic racing title for you Wipeout or Extreme G III (EGIII) fans looking for a little something new to run with. Even though it may be a short ride for a lot of you, the game does improve over the original and has a lot of high speed and damaging weapons to play with to keep you entertained for a while.

Pas ultime, mais tout de même marrant, XGRA plaira à coup sûr aux amateurs de F-Zero et autres Wipeoutreries. D'autant que sa réalisation est très acceptable et que le challenge, de difficulté progressive, comprend des objectifs secondaires pour chaque course.

Pas ultime, mais tout de même marrant, XGRA plaira à coup sûr aux amateurs de F-Zero et autres Wipeoutreries. D'autant que sa réalisation est très acceptable et que le challenge, de difficulté progressive, comprend des objectifs secondaires pour chaque course.

Mind-boggling quick, XGRA is quite possibly the fastest entry in the futuristic racing subgenre?so fast that a lot of time is spent playing knock-hockey against barriers despite tight controls. At least Acclaim revamped the cumbersome weapons system of the game?s prequel, Extreme G3, so that instead of fumbling with your inventory while trying to clear hairpin curves at 600 mph, you snatch weapon-bestowing orbs, freeing you up to concentrate on the race.

As hard as I've been on the game, it does manage to be fun to play, at least for a weekend. There are tons of tracks to choose from, and once you get a handle on the controls, the racing is fun, and the races are generally close. That said, there's no reason to go out and buy this if you've had your fill of Wipeout or the Gamecube's F-Zero. It's worth a rental, but not a purchase, unless you're really a futuristic racing fan.

When Sony unveiled the PlayStation oh so many years ago, there wasn't much that really caught my eye, with one exception. The futuristic racer Wipeout knocked my socks off, and I've been a fan of the genre ever since. Even though there's been little deviation from the original template, regardless of franchise or developer, I still get a kick out of hyper-speed racing, especially when weapons are involved. Now Acclaim has expanded their Extreme G Racing line with XGRA, which boasts a feature set and course selection that should keep biker boys from any timeline bubbling with adrenaline, and it's a pleasant diversion for fans of the genre like me.

You know what? I think I’m done with futuristic racing. Seriously. I mean, it was cool back in the day when F-Zero first came out, and Wipeout was fantastic, but it’s getting harder for me to have any sort of interest in these games anymore. Today, I could play a game like Midnight Club II, which feels faster than XGRA; and also has a huge city to explore, cool shortcuts, and wicked AI competition. I’m sorry, but running around the same old loopy track designs in generic space bikes just isn’t cutting it, and I really think developers need to either totally reinvent this genre or abandon it. Yes, I used to love futuristic racing. But I used to love Def Leppard, too, and I don’t go out and buy their new CDs.

It’s not that XGRA is bad per se, it’s that the game has absolutely no soul. None. Zip. Zero. I have never played a game so devoid of personality. The racers and the commentators deliver their lines like robots, and the tracks go from boost to boost in such a way that you feel more like you are connecting dots than racing at hyperspeed in the future. XGRA does have some moments, but they aren’t frequent enough to make you want to buy this game. If you must play XGRA, please rent it first. You will thank me for it later.

Extreme G Racing has always chugged along rather nicely carving its own two wheeled version of events in 'the future', despite living in the long shadow cast by the WipeOut series and, of course, F-Zero. Amusingly, the press blurb talk of a future motor sport "unlike anything ever experienced". What, absolutely nothing like its rivals in any way? We'd better look into these outlandish claims.