Speed. Sure a lot of us are interested in going really fast, but when it comes
down to it would you really want to go over 700 mph on a motorcycle? (Heck would
you even want to go over 300 mph? That one you can actually do
now. Rumor has it
you can get one for the holidays from Neiman Marcus if you have an extra
$555,000.) Personally I would talk a big game until it came time to actually
open the throttle up. Then I would come down with a cramp or something. Yet in
the “not so distant future”, 2080, there will not only be people who will want
to strap themselves on a rocket shaped like a motorcycle that’s capable of going
fast enough to peel their faces off, there will be an association created for
these lunatics. Thankfully you don’t have to wait that long to see what it will
be like as Acclaim has brought us XGRA: Extreme G Racing Association. Is this a
future you want to be part of? Well, to some extent yes and here’s why…
 |
| Hang on tight! |
XGRA is Acclaim’s fourth “Extreme G” game but the first to carry the moniker
with Association attached to it. Maybe this is a clue as to where they expect to
take the series in the “not so distant future.” Whatever the reason for the same
change the main idea of the game has stayed the same: It’s the future and it’s
time to go really, really fast. Technology has been able to create cycles
capable of reaching ridiculous speeds and tracks for them to race on that
apparently forgot there are rules to physics. But like they say, rules are made
to be broken. The basic story behind the game is that the Sports Interactive
News Network, or SiNN, televises the worlds most popular sport and they’re about
to start the 2080 season. The network has spent a bunch of money along with its
partner Extreme Gravity Racing Association to bring the public the best season
of this fast paced sport. Does any of that really matter? Of course not. All
that is important is getting the chance to go really fast. Oh, and to blow up
your rivals. After all what fun would it be to race in gravity defying tracks if
you didn’t get to blow stuff up along the way. Actually this part of the game I
have a problem with and I’ll get to that in a minute. But first let’s delve into
some of the gaming options XGRA brings us.
XGRA throws the normally expected set of play modes at us. First, there is the
Arcade mode, which is just what it sounds like. You can race on any of the
unlocked tracks and you are able to change some of the racing parameters like
number of laps, number of riders, and time of day. There are only three tracks
open at first but as you progress in the Career mode many more tracks will
become available. It can also be played in a split screen two player mode, but
expect a little degrading of the frame rate and hopefully you have a big TV.
Next is the Time Trail. Kind of like the Arcade mode expect that there are no
other racers on the track. It’s just you against old Father Time. This is a nice
mode to help you learn the layout of any opened track, which is very helpful in
the Career mode. The better you know the tracks the more successful you will be.
Speaking of the Career Mode, that’s the next play mode and deserves its own
paragraph….
With the Career mode your goal is to you pick one of the nine riders and
progress from raw rookie to skilled veteran and eventual winner on the 2080 XGRA
season. A lot to ask of in only one season, but you’ll be up for it after the
first few races. After you select your driver you have to qualify for the season
through the Invitational Class by earning enough points to move to the next
class. Points are earned at this level based on your finishing position. Later
in the game you’ll be able to earn points in different ways that I will cover in
a moment. As for the Classes, there are several different Classes that you
advance through. Starting with the basic Invitational Class you move up to
classes like the Sub Sonic, Super Sonic and Ultra Sonic. This is a game based on
speed after all and the Classes must reflect that! The difference between
classes is the availability of faster bikes and race types. There are several
different race types. The lower classes only have a couple but as you go further
in the classes more are introduced. One type is the Speed Limited, in which
there are no turbo strips on the tracks so your racing lines play an important
part. There is also the Extreme Weather Races where, yes, really bad weather can
drastically change your racing style and the outcome of any race. Another race
type is the Warmonger and here you goal is to cause as much destruction to your
opponents as possible. There are even gun turrets along the tracks to help you
along, well kind of because they are also shooting at you.
Page 2 of 2 »
