XGRA: Extreme-G Racing Association

One of the joys of being able to drive, I think, is the ability to create some real speed behind the wheel. It's too bad though that there are so many laws and regulations that prevent you from really having any crazy fun on the open roads. That's what makes video games like F-Zero GX and Extreme G III so appealing. You have new age vehicles built for speed, there are no cops handing out tickets, and there are definitely no stop signs. Unfortunately both these F-Zero and Extreme G III titles are so far only available on other gaming systems. What do Xbox owners get for high speed racing thrills? There are games like Pulse Racer or Seablade out there, but both titles are even questionable as video games, let alone as racers. Acclaim has finally decided to port one of their Extreme G games over to Microsoft's bad boy. XGRA gives you a brand new season mode, 14 different tracks, plus the game also has new controls as well. Is XGRA a great escape for people looking for a speed fix, or is this just another Acclaim game gone horribly wrong?

If you're not too familiar with this series before, the Extreme G games consist of high-speed motorbikes that race across some of the most dangerous tracks ever imagined. In addition, some of these stages even let you use weapons on them. XGRA's story takes place in the year 2080 where the SINN's Extreme Gravity Racing Association has become the highest rated show on network television. Since they want to hold on to these high ratings, the series is getting a few new changes. Players are now able to jump teams to see they have better bikes on their side, plus instead of racing for top position all the time for points, some conditions will ask you to do things like eliminate another competitor before they finish the race. You can't do that Gran Turismo, eh?!

Now before you get too excited, I have to warn you that this is one difficult game to control at first. The first bike-types do not have very tight gripping, and unless you hit the brakes a lot during a race, you're going to be hitting the walls quite a bit here. It's also quite difficult to move the Cross hair and the bike at the same time. As you get further in the game however, the bikes do get easier to use, but just be ready for a few tricky turns. The controls are easy enough to learn because there are only a couple of buttons to master -- and some people will really love these simple controls -- but I do miss being able to use the instant speed bursts from Extreme G III.

It wouldn't be an Extreme G without some wild tracks and this game doesn't disappoint. My jaw dropped when I saw the freaky space station level for the first time. This is one awesome looking track with several killer hills, deadly loops, and high-risk jumps. XGRA is the kind of game that's so fast and so wild it can almost cause motion sickness if you're not prepared. Although there are a few textures that can look a little bland in places, and there could be some slowdown problems too, I never saw anything that was too sloppy, such as any mysterious pop-up effects in the distance.

XGRA not only gives you some insane visuals, but the game also gives you the choice of either Rock or Dance for the music. If you can't decide between the two of those then why not pick the option to combine them? Before you get too excited though it's not all good news because the Rock is cheesy, and the Dance music is overly sappy and not very memorable either. At least the combination of the two isn't bad. The characters even do a little fun trash talking when the action heats up, but the dialogue can quickly get old after a few battles.