Extreme-G 3
Reviewed by KasketDarkfyre
F-Zero for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
was one of the first games that I ran across that
allowed you to race in a futuristic setting using
some impressive vehicles. Through the years, I've
seen racing games come and go, with several of the
outstanding ones being the Wipeout Series and even a
couple of the Jet Moto games. Then when the Play
Station 2 came along, I found a game that featured
some interesting possibilities in the form of
Kinetica, but was more of a cross of things that I
had already played before.
Now, with Extreme G-3, I've got a game that is
visually appealing, handles excellently, and sounds
awesome, but a game that has been done before with
more player to game interaction! Most of what you'll
find here in Extreme G-3 is straight-forward racing
action with plenty of futuristic tracks and vehicles,
so you'll know just what to expect. The Game Cube
does an excellent job in creating a good environment
with the color and detail that this title carries,
but you will find that the game just doesn't have the
appeal of other racing games. For whatever reason
that might be, most gamers will be missing out on a
game that is well worth a few bucks to buy and the
couple of bucks for the rental.
The Game Play
There isn't a story to the game that I could discern
right off the bat, but this game isn't about stories
or players, but rather the sheer speed that is
featured in the game. For the most part, you'll be
struggling to keep your eyes adjusted to the sense of
speed that this title has to offer, while trying to
forget that this is a lack of a battle system or
interaction with the stages. Where as Kinetica had
it's ups with the battling, weapons and tricks,
Extreme G-3 is set more of standard racing that it is
anything else, and it's hard to get into a game that
features little or nothing new. Speed is key here
folks, and can assure you that you are moving faster
than your eyes will allow at all times.
The game play is nothing that you haven't played
before, in which you take control of one of several
different racers on several futuristic tracks at
different difficulties. However, what you'll find is
that speed is your friend and that you have several
different weapons that you can pick up and buy
between and during the races. Through most of the
tracks, its simply a matter of getting to know your
environment and get through the game without crashing
into too many walls while keeping ahead of the rest
of the pack. Although this may seem like little more
than a few minutes of play, you may need to study and
practice the game controls in order to get the
desired effect that you're looking for!
Control is always a feature that you need in a racing
game, and although the title allows you to use either
the analog or the directional pad in the races, it's
a matter of choice. What you'll find is that this
title, regardless of the 'speed' that you're running
at controls just like every other racing game out
there with a couple of interesting features thrown
in. Mostly, you'll need to get used to the way that
the weapons work and the blisters on your thumbs will
probably be extensive after trying to traverse a
curve at nearly four hundred miles per hour! Aside
from that, there really isn't much here that you
can't work with so that both beginners and veterans
will have some fun trying to get used to the game!
The Visuals
Visually, this game has plenty going for it with the
tracks being something out of The Running Man in some
respects. Although it seems like some of the tracks
have been inspired by other future racing games, the
detail that you find in the tracks is pretty good all
the way around. Detail right done to the way that the
tires move on the bikes is done in a good fashion,
showing off the capability of the Game Cube with the
amount of speed effects at every turn. Stages are all
set with a different theme {as it should be} and it
will keep you wanting to see the next stage while you
race to see if it could get any better.
The Audio
The audio department is another portion of the game
that really keeps the theme and overall pace of the
game at the fullest. With a good stereo setup, you
can have some decent sounding races with most of the
effects coming with passing vehicles and even some of
the more ambient sound throughout. There is nothing
like playing through the game and hearing the cars
coming up on your left or right and either zooming by
you or vice versa! The music on the other hand is
used and abused, with your usual assortment of techno
beats thumping through the speakers and trying to
create a world of speed and precision, doing a pretty
decent job in that respect.
The Verdict
Extreme G-3 does a good job on trying to keep with
the futuristic theme of racing into the next
generation, but seems to fall to the wayside of
having been done before. As a game that really had no
press and being one of those games that could be a
sleeper hit for racing game fans, this is one of
those titles that has to be enjoyed by a true
connoisseur of racing games. Beautiful visuals and
excellent sound gives way to repeating game play and
blistering control, making for a game that isn't
perfect, but good enough for a rental. If you like
games such as Wipeout, then you'll enjoy this title,
but if you aren't into those types of games, you
might do well and leave this one on the rental shelf!
Overall: 7 out of 10