Gaming Target - Xbox: Apex

Written by Leigh Culpin on March 21, 2003

Full Review: If this is as good as racing getsЕ that'd actually be okay.

Apex tries to throw out a bit of a spin on the racing genre, and while we don't exactly end up with the Deus Ex of racing games, it certainly is a nice break from what we've been recently exposed to. Apex doesn't necessarily present us with the best racer the Xbox has seen, but it's certainly up there in the top 5 at the very least.

The concept behind Apex is simple: You're an ambitious entrepreneur, and it just so happens that you find three sets of blue prints for concept cars in the abandoned gas station your character will purchase. Thus you start on the road of Apex: you select which concept car you'd like to build, balancing stats and looks (and some of the concept certainly do look appropriately sexy, especially later on in the game) and then you are asked to create a company name and logo. The name is of course one of your choosing, though a somewhat short letter-limit is imposed upon you, and the logo must be picked from one of a few which will likely use the first letter of your company name (though a couple don't use any letters at all). The advertising campaign and back of the game box actually lie a little bit Ц both state that you get to УDesign, build and race original prototype cars,Ф which is only partially true; you don't actually get to design your cars, you pick from a list of pre-created designs. While this is slightly disappointing, it's not terribly surprising considering the technical restrictions in place today.

While on the topic of disappointments, the game does feature the use of custom soundtracks, yet somehow manages to do so in a rather irritating way Ц Apex will select only one song for any given race and repeat it rather than cycling through all available songs, so if you're doing a 10 lap race, you're going to hear the same song quite a few times in a row. Additionally, while there is an option to turn controller vibration on or off, it's hardly used at all Ц you don't realize how much it aids in gameplay until you miss it, but without decent vibrations it actually is a bit harder to race. This, however, is shadowed by one of the most irritating in-game menus I've ever come across Ц only two options are present (resume or quit), which is extremely frustrating since this keeps you not only from adjusting audio options, but you have to exit the race and re-enter it should you wish to restart. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the somewhat painful load timesЕ they aren't extremely long, but when you couple them with the fact that each menu you have to go through to get to the point where you can choose your race, it takes a respectable chunk of time to restart that really should be spent racing.

On the other hand, you won't really need to restart races too often Ц the game is kind enough to give you a bit of an assist should you get too far behind. This isn't universal for all cars Ц if you manage to crash three or even four cars in a race badly enough, they'll all stay about the same distance from the leader assuming you don't mess with him. However, should you be last or near the end of the line of cars, you'll find it surprisingly easy to get into third or second. Once there, getting into first place is more challenging, but the game is rarely too hard. The AI isn't genius, but will give you a run for your money for first position and you'll find that your opponents generally stay pretty close on your tail.

You'll usually be the only concept car racing, with proven names like Lotus, Ford and even Aston Martin competing with you. The tier system the game has implemented is actually somewhat interesting Ц there are four categories of cars (Roadster, Sports Cars, Super Cars, and Dream Cars), with the first two categories having three sub types (Basic, Evolution and Racing), the Super cars having two (Evolution and Racing) and the Dream Cars all being Racers. Each upgrade gives you more speed and more control over different aspects of your car, and each comes with a different type of race Ц amateur for the basic sub-type, semi-pro for the Evolution versions and pro for the racing breed.

The physics system of the game is also somewhat questionable Ц cars hitting walls to hard will frequently fly up on two wheels, occasionally even four, and its not terribly uncommon for half your car to be on the ground with the other half resting on an opponent's vehicle. This can make for some frustrating position shuffling during hard corners with fellow racers right on your back, since they can slam into you and slow you down significantly. Of course this tactic can also be applied to them, and when used properly can actually let you take corners at ridiculous speeds.

Speaking of speed, the game does an excellent job of conveying it Ц you actually do feel like you're going 150 mph at times, and even the replays do this justice Ц appropriate blur levels are used and you can even watch the tire spokes appear around slow corners and then blur again - and even reflect the scenery - once you hit a higher speed. The speed alterations you'll encounter should you even touch a dirt patch with a tire is very noticeable, as is the speed boost you'll get should a pursuing car so much as tap your bumper. Not necessarily detrimental to the game play, but certainly very influential in how you'll race.

Graphically, Apex is a masterpiece. The 80 or so cars all look fantastic, as do the 54 tracks, which are richly detailed with loads to look at even when you aren't the one racing. Special effects all work very well and even the damage modeling looks very good, even if it doesn't affect the performance of your vehicle. The reflections on your car as you zip through the various tracks all look pretty good, and are soft enough to feel fairly realistic. The concept cars you'll be able to choose from generally look good enough to be actual big name concepts, and the modifications you can make on them Ц such as gear ratios and down force levels on the later models of the cars Ц all have a fairly significant influence on how your car performs.

The audio is the most varying aspect of the game Ц the music is mediocre at best and very repetitive, and while most of the car sounds are very good, they're also all very similar. On the other hand, the racing breed of cars has an extremely satisfying roar associated with them, and only with a true audio system hooked up can you appreciate the bassy goodness of those engines.

Apex's largest single disappointment is actually the multiplayer, however Ц you're limited to two players at a time in a one-on-one race, which is somewhat of a shame considering the car and track variety and the excellent driving mechanics. Xbox Live support would have increased the game's score by at least .5 in my book, and even 4 player capability would have influenced the overall outcome a fair bit.