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Seeing as 2001 was such a huge year for gaming, it makes sense that some highly worthwhile titles would get passed over. Unfortunately, two outstanding PS2 racing games from the same company (Acclaim) suffered this fate, one being the superlative Burnout, and the other being Extreme-G 3.I can't help but think that many gamers wrote this off as a Wipeout clone, or figured it was of the same quality as the two preceding N64 games, but that's really too bad. Yes, XG3 is in fact influenced by Wipeout, but it has enough differing elements to make it quite a worthy competitor for the title of Best Futuristic Racer. In XG3, you race some Akira-style jet-cycles around some spectacular tracks, in a mad supersonic dash to cross the finish line. What sets this game apart from other racers are the weapons/turbo/shield system, the unmatched sense of speed, and the vertigo-inducing, gorgeous circuits.
At the outset of Career Mode, your bike (which is a dead ringer for the Lightcycles from the film Tron) is outfitted with a standard cannon and shield. As you fly around the rollercoaster-like tracks, there are purple and green strips to drive over, which refill your ammunition and shields, respectively. What makes the races more strategical than most is that your shield and turbo both draw energy from the same source. Use all the energy for turbo, and you might find yourself without a shield, making you an easy target for the weapons of other bikes, and you better not hit the walls, or else. Save all the energy for your shield, and you'll find yourself in last place pretty quickly. This is a wonderful innovative touch that makes every race a constant chessmatch, albeit at 600+ miles per hour. Oh yes use your ammo wisely, or you may find yourself on an opponent's tail with no way to take him (or her) out. I must also mention the amazing thing that happens when you break the sound barrier...but I'll leave that for you to discover yourself. The bikes handle great, but I highly recommend configuring the controls, which are completely customizable, thankfully. I remapped the turbo and fire buttons to R1 and L1 it works perfectly and is much more comfortable.
The track designs are nothing less than beautiful, inspired, clever works that will leave your stomach in knots and your mind in awe. Whether it be the Blade Runner-esque Astradaitoshi (complete with rain effects, full moon, and neon billboards.....and at some points the skyscrapers go horizontal!), the sunset-drenched Nuon Harbor, or my personal favorite, Oceania (with a hair-raising vertical loop we're talking straight up and straight down here and transparent underwater tunnels), each one is a unique and detail-filled challenge. Yes, there are only ten tracks, but they're so diverse and magnificent it doesn't matter. I'd rather have ten highly polished and diverse tracks with no slowdown, even at 1000 mph than twice that many with repetitive or mirrored tracks.
As you progress through Career Mode, you earn credits which can then be spent to upgrade your bike, whether it be a more powerful engine, a high range of weapons (ranging from heat-seeking missiles to mines to an electro-magnetic pulse), or nifty items like an extra shield generator or an ammo or shield scoop, which enables you to gain an additional energy supply from the strips on the track. You also progress through several leagues, each with its own speed class. You end up racing the same tracks in each league, but since the speed class is upgraded each time, it's like racing them anew. There is also a time attack mode which nets you extra credits (hint: beat the lap record for each track and watch your required finishing place drop in league races). Another interesting twist is the Two-Player Career Mode, in which you and a friend work in tandem through the circuits. It's a very welcome cooperative feature. There is also a more typical two-player mode, which is just as sharp as single-player, and just as fun.
All told, there's a lot to like here. The increasing difficulty of Career Mode isn't conquered easily, and the multiplayer features add a lot of gameplay. XG3 doesn't seem to be getting quite the attention it deserves. Its sense of speed is intoxicating, its graphics unbelievable, and its fun factor immediate and sky-high. The sensation of traveling faster than the speed of sound never gets old. Next to Burnout, XG3 is the best arcade-style PS2 racer to date.
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If you trun all the lights off the in the room and stare at the screen hard while playing this game, you are sure to get head pains really quick thanks to lots of flashing lights and totally awsome graphics and game play. Is this a bad thing? I would not say so. The more races you win the higher levels up you go, but its the outside level that makes it worth playing and fun in my opinion. I am not a fan of racing games to much, but highly recommend you buy this or at least rent this. The reson this game gets 4 stars over 5 is because it is a little too short.Honest reviews on XGIII Extreme G Racing
I really wanted to love this game. I've loved the Wipeout series since the original. I love racing games, especially non-traditional ones. XG3 is deffinately a WipeOut knock-off. It has very cool graphics. It is a lot easier to drive than Wipeout so people who don't have much time to practice won't be frustrated. I like the idea of getting at least two cycles side by side and the weapons are easy to use. However, the league system they use is pretty lame. I just wasn't very motivated to want to go farther like I was in Wipeout or SSX. Also, while the controls are easy to understand, I had to re-program the pad to really play effectively. The default setup really stinks. Overall, the game just didn't captivate my attention. I suggest renting before buying on this one just to make sure it will yours.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for XGIII Extreme G Racing
I've played Wipeout since PS1. I haven't tried Wipeout Fusion from PS2 yet but the reviews seemed to indicate that there has been little new so I decided to try this game insteadespecially now that it has hit the bargain bins in most stores.XG3 is very very similar to Wipeout.
Pros:
Good graphics compared to PS1 Wipeout. (no surprise here.)
Frame rates are very high so driving thru the more advanced tracks is quite exhilirating, once you've bought a new engine.
The tracks are quite nice but I don't think you get much of a chance to enjoy the art work otherwise you'll find yourself grinding against the side of the track.
You get to keep the weapons that you buy rather than use it for a short period of time.
Controls are responsive. Should probably reconfig the turbo and
gas controls right away to use the shoulder buttons.
Weapons are very very similar to wipeout. Machine gun, heat seeking missiles, rockets, shield enhancers, mines, ...
Cons:
You have to earn $ to be able to get different weapons. Wipeout lets you use them as you find them.
Not sure how choosing different bikers makes any difference. The manual does not say much and there is no obvious sense of it in the game.
It took me quite a bit of effort to win race 2. The hint comes at the back of the manual where it says you have to "feather" the turbo. What does that mean??? Some biker-techno-term? Turns out it means repeatedly pumping it and releasing it to get more out of your turbo. That was the only way I could catch up with the computer controlled drivers.
Music in Wipeout is much much better.
It's difficult to tell whether your weapons really helped. E.g. deploy the mines and expect to hear some kind of explosion like in Wipeout. Not in XG3. I think there is a sound but I'm not sure if it's an impact explosion.
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Overall, it is a solid Wipeout clone. If you always wanted a PS2 upgrade for your copy of Wipeout but don't want to blow 50 bucks for Wipeout Fusion, XG3 is pretty good. ...
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