Larry Ragland's 4x4 Challenge
Description
Are you ready for high speed offroad competition in the only game endorsed by Larry Ragland, winner of 5 Baja 1000 races? Race on 8 different short tracks designed by offroad pros in 15 different high-powered 4x4's, for 3 different championships. The races are long, the competition is fast, and the outlook is grim. All you got is your skills and unerring faith in your machine. Are you ready for Larry Ragland's 4x4 Challenge?
Larry Ragland's 4x4 Challenge (LRC from now on) is basically an arcade racer in a short-track offroad setting. Usually set inside a stadium or such, it features some unknown-make vehicles (no adjustments allowed) each with slightly different ratings in handlings, acceleration, and more. The courses are very reminiscent of the ones in LEADFOOT (by Ratbag Interactive).
The tracks are your typical supercross type-tracks... Lots of curves, jumps, and a few straights with switchbacks and more switchbacks. The tracks are different enough as some are longer with higher speed whereas some are low-speed with lots of switchbacks.
You get an arcade mode where you're supposed to keep up with the clock, or you can play the championship, where you race a field of 5 other AI drivers across a series of events on the various tracks. When you win one championship, you unlock the next one, which is longer and features a couple new tracks. There are a total of 3 championships across 8 different tracks, up to 6 laps each.
The vehicles in LRC are pretty tough, but they are NOT indestructible. This game actually models damage to your vehicle. There are four components you can damage: front tires/suspension, engine, transmission, and rear tires/suspension. The usual cause for damage is smacking into walls too hard, though hard collisions with another vehicle will do damage. Damaged cars don't run quite as fast and generates black smoke. The parts go from green to yellow to red, and if you're really bad... black.
Multiplayer is only supported as 2-player split-screen, or 6-player LAN. Internet play is not supported.
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 52% (based on 5 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.5 out of 5 (based on 1 ratings)
Arcade racer all the way, not much of 4x4 at all
The Good
The action is fast and furious. You can go fast on the twists, slow down for the turns, slide through the switchbacks, etc. While the wheels are quite large, they're larger than your typical 4x4 but SMALLER than Monster trucks, making them quite weird.
Quite a bit of variety of tracks, some feature longer straights and smoother turns while others have chicanes and lots of switchbacks. A different strategy is needed to tackle each one, esp. since no car tuning is possible. You pick one vehicle and you're stuck with it throughout the race.
Some car damage is modelled, which would tend to make you drive somewhat more conservatively, as if you don't you will not make the finish line at all. The damage is light enough so it won't prevent you from finishing the race (unless you really drive like a demon).
Nice menus that actually have single-key shortcuts instead of using mouse all the time, or worse, arrow keys.
Three different championships, 2 remained locked, to keep the challenge going. A tie means you advance nonetheless, whihci
The opponents don't appear unbetable as they do make mistakes once in a while. Remember to explain these misakes.
The Bad
There is a serious lack of vehicles (3 main vehicles, 4 variations each). You can sorta see the Ford Truck, the Isuzu Vehicross, and the Mitsubishi Montero/Pajero, but they were not named. Instead, each variation has its own name.
The tracks all have the same terrain: mud. There's a bit of minor up and down, but there aren't any jumps like SuperCross, and no visible mud on the ground, The cars may get a little dirtier, but they still don't look like they've been in serious mud-slinging.
The tracks get boring after al while, since they are all indoor tracks with hard barriers. It's not possible to go "offroad" at all.
Lack of depth: with no car turning, you must outdrive the AI, and that means no mistakes at all in the longer races. After a while, it gets tiresome.
Larry Ragland's wins are in Baja, outdoors so why put his name on a stadium racer at all?
The Bottom Line
4x4 Challenge is an arcade racer with an 4x4 stadium racing theme. While the vehicles handle pretty well, and racing is fast, there is no depth in this game, and once you've won the Championship, there's nothing to keep you playing except multiplayer.
Windows · by Kasey Chang (4591) · 2005
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Kasey Chang.
Additional contributors: Klaster_1.
Game added March 31, 2005. Last modified March 16, 2024.