Extreme-G
Reviewed by Stryker
Lately, video games have been flooded with racing games. 32% of the new
releases are racing. Well, finally, there's a good racing game with plenty
of tracks, vehicles, and weapons. Extreme-G, baby. Twelve tracks, tons of
multiplayer options, and even an option just for weapon practice!
Graphics 9 out of 10
This game was designed as a futuristic shot in the arm to the Nintendo 64,
and boy did it succeed! Fantastic arrays of color will blind you from across
the room. The levels are basically three subdivisions of a world, with four
worlds. All twelve of the racing levels feature wild turns and brilliant
color, even driving directly at the sun. Sometimes the game will accidentally
shadow your racer, but that's just a small gripe. There's at least a dozen
different weapons that will cover the screen in purples, oranges, and greens.
It's an incredible sight, and this ranks up there with Mario 64 in terms of
graphic power. Another good sign: Mario Kart 64 provided flashy graphics
that still can't top this without any sign of challenge. Extreme-G keeps the
good graphics with a good game behind it.
Musics and Sound 8 out of 10
Again, Extreme-G attempts to put a futuristic spin on the normal racing
game. And again, they succeed easily. The catchy new-age tunes make your
heart race. Never too slow, yet never too fast, they are a blast. Sound
effects are good. An example: One of the weapons sends a sheet of pure
energy to the front, following the raceway. The sound warns you its coming
with a pulsing sound that keeps getting closer. You can slide to the side to
avoid it's wrath.
Game Play-Fun 10 out of 10
This is where Extreme-G thrives. It's a fun game. There's loop-the-loops
in all courses, with tons of weapons. There's several rocket weapons, a
drop-behind bomb, laser, pulse cannon, a sheet of energy that pushes down
the screen, a booster pack, and more. Combined with the graphics and sound
this game is one heck of a good game. Here's a transcript from the game:
Me: Man, I just blew the game!! I'm gonna.... Hey look at that cool graphic
part! Hey I just blew up that annoying car!! Cool!!
There's up to 4 players with tons of options on what to do. There's a rmode
where your objective is to kill as many drone racers as possible, with time
trials, practice, an of course the Extreme Contest. You can use the Memory
Pak to save in the middle of it, with a range of 4-12 races to complete.
Rumble Pak 7 out of 10
There's nothing WRONG with this rumble pak, but there's nothing
extraordinary either. It rumbles when you shoot and when you bump
into anything. In Ben Stein's words, wow. I'll describe the Memory Pak
capabilities too. It saves all your scores from Shoot Em Up and time Trials,
including one game from Extreme Contest. It takes up 9 slots out of 123.
Note that Mario Kart 64 took up an insane 121 of 123 pages because it
was a graphic enhancement.
Frustration
On a good note, I didn't find much wrong with Extreme-G. Sometimes
you can lose a 1st-place slot to 6th place in a lapse of concentration,
but you can also get back the same way. It's not frustratingly hard,
but it sure isn't that easy either. I'm noting this because I was finished
with Mario Kart 64 in 3 days. If you ever get frustrated with this game,
which you won't, then simply go to Shoot Em Up, switch to the best
weapon vehicle, and blow the living crap out of those defenseless little
drones. It'll get you back to the Meltdown difficulty with ease and
it's fun too.
Replayability 10 out of 10
This game never gets old. Never. I'll never grow tired of blasting those
blue drone in Shoot Em Up, never get bored of going 300 miles an hour
down a huge ramp, never turn away from the fast-paced action and the
cool death screen. That is, until the sequel.
Game Value 10 out of 10
Would you rather buy Turok? Heh heh. This game's the average 59.99. Note
that all of the best n64 games are 59.99. Anything cheaper (Diddy Kong
Racing, Bomberman 64) is bad, anything more expensive is a licensed
product (Star Wars, Turok) You'll need a Memory Pak to save your kills
from Shoot Em Up, your times from Time Trials, and your mid-way scores
in Extreme Contest, not to mention the Cup in multiplayer. That jacks up
the price but about all of the games need both paks these days. This, Top
Gear Rally, SF rush, Madden 64, QB Club 98, and a lot more recent games
need both.
Racing Comparison 10 out of 10
The Mario Kart 64 game came exactly as I beat Mario 64 (I'd gotten it
a month earlier), so I had to buy it. !@#%$%&^%^#$!!! Why'd I buy that
game? No music in 3-4 player. A whole memory pak required to use it.
I beat it in 3 days. Now, Extreme G is the racing game I want. Hot
graphics with a brilliant array of colors, futuristic music, loads of
assault options, a rumble pak use, only 9 notes required for memory
pak. Why couldn't I have bought that instead? Oh well....
Overall 90 out of 100
The best racing game on n64. Better than the easy Mario Kart 64,
better than the graphics-poor San Francisco Rush, better than the
boring drone of Top Gear Rally, better than the Mario Kart-clone
Diddy Kong Racing, better than MRC, F1 Pole Position 64, and Crusin USA
put together. Extreme G. Buy it now.