Gaming Target - GameCube: XGRA: Extreme-G Racing Association

Written by Matt Swider on July 15, 2003

First Impressions: Since XGIII races started with the logo counting down from XGIII, II, I, does that mean that XGRA will follow suit with XGRA, B, C?

Acclaim is releasing the fourth installment of its Extreme-G Racing series at the end of July, meaning, F-Zero GX isn't the only futuristic racer coming to a home console this summer. XGRA, which stands for Extreme Gravity Racing Association, will have a three week head start and is heading to all three platforms, giving it an edge over the Nintendo franchise that is, of course, running on GamCube alone. Despite the two games' shared subgenre and neck-and-neck release dates, Acclaim vows that XGRA will deliver an unparalleled futuristic racing experience. From the progress that the company showed off in a near complete build, XGRA's intense formula as a hyper-speed, combat racing hybrid does just that through the creation of a futuristic motor sport organization that makes NASCAR seem like it's riding in neutral.

Though you may have played Extreme-G Racing games before this, both veteran and rookie players start XGRA the same way: at the bottom. Thus, the game starts at a slower pace until faster bikes and more challenging tracks are awarded, at which point the game gradually picks up more speed. Unlocking these items is accomplished through the championship mode where, after creating a profile and selecting a rider, players begin racing through an initial circuit containing three courses. Finishing well against opponents here determines which of the 8 different teams will recruit you and take you onto the more demanding circuits of Extreme-G Racing.

Although teams vary with different bike attributes, no matter which you sign with, all require you to complete a number of contract goals while racing through the circuits. Since XGRA has rival teams competing with each other, many of these objectives pertain to finishing in a certain spot, finishing ahead of a certain biker, or even finishing off a certain rival. Sometimes, you are asked to destroy the billboards of another team's sponsor, which means that many of the elements within the environments are destructible. In effect, you can reshape some of the course area with interactive elements as you race, making the once raw tracks seem like extreme roller-coaster rides in XGRA.

Changing the face of the environments, as well as the faces of a few spectators, is done with the help of more than two dozen primary and secondary weapon types. As in previous Extreme-G Racing games, XGRA provides players with an arsenal of futuristic firepower that, only now, comes with the aid of a lock-on target. Though weapon energy is still limited, more weight has been given to their use now that they function from the get-go and can be used to strategically win races.

As the gameplay continues to defy the laws of gravity, the graphics define the series second effort on next-generation systems. XGRA brings about the sense of a sterile future again while its speed blurs both sight and sound with the sonic boom and the Doppler Effect intact. Even with this rush of hyper-speed though, the framerate is able to keep up with eight bikes streaming along a single section of the track. However, when bunching like this occurs you will be given the opportune moment to start picking off opponents tangled in such a cluster. The difference is that in XGRA this chance is reduced since the tracks have been widened and the narrowing of walls has been weaned. At the same time, bike positions don't seem to be spread as thin as they used to be. So, while there's more room to move from side to side, don't expect to be able to shoot passed seven rival bikers and remain the leader of the pack for too long.

The courses may loop in XGRA, but the same can't be said about the music selection. That's because the game includes the choice between two different soundtrack types, rock and dance, both of which seem appropriate for the game.