4x4 Evolution

by Gathering of Developers

Product Details

• ASIN: B00004WESY
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.4 x 4.9 inches ; 4 ounces
• Media: Misc. Supplies
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,647 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

We've all seen the commercials for sport utility vehicles, and wanted to be the one to drive the windy roads and rutted fields--our tires churning sheets of mud from the unpaved earth. For most of us, however, 4x4 Evolution is as close as we're going to get, which fortunately isn't too far off at all.

Players start the game with 30 grand and a choice of vehicle, which includes just about all of the authentic SUV and pickup models that are available today, plus specialized models that are accessible only to the manufacturers' team drivers. 4x4 Evolution follows a format that's common to race games, in which the player is required to win races to accumulate funds to build a better rig.

Driving presents a few difficulties that are not faced in normal on-street race games. For instance, even if your truck has an automatic transmission, you face the added challenge of toggling between high and low four-wheel drive, as you lurch over boulders and smash through trees, gates, and an occasional telephone pole.

And there's a lot to conquer. The game's 16 courses run through salvage yards, down muddied country roads, and across desert dunes, arctic wastes, and pine-studded forests; each environment exquisitely rendered in three dimensions.

As if this weren't enough, you can use the Dreamcast modem and SegaNet to play online with up to four other people.

On the downside, 4x4 Evolution is afflicted by an annoying soundtrack, although you have the option of turning off the music. Slightly more incapacitating is a glitch that places an invisible wall in the path of your vehicle--although we only encountered this once in several hours of play, and it was resolved after restarting the race. --Benjamin Reese

Pros:

• Sixteen courses, chock-full of hidden shortcuts
• Beautifully rendered graphics
• Large variety of authentic four-by-four vehicles
• Up to four can play via SegaNet

Cons:

• Annoyingly repetitive soundtrack
• Occasional "invisible wall" glitch

Product Description

4x4 Evolution is a racing simulation featuring rugged, customizable four-by-fours. Race against the computer or go online to race up to four others. The game comes with 16 tracks that range from desert routes to wooded mountain trails to slippery arctic glaciers. Use the cash you win in races to upgrade your four-by-four or sport utility vehicle for speed, handling, and traction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE EVOLUTION IS HERE, November 3, 2000

By 

shufojj (Denver) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 4x4 Evolution (Misc. Supplies)

This game is a lot of fun. The cars the tracks are incredible, the upgrades are true to life. The tracks are just the right length and the short cuts are easy to find but hard to master one wrong turn and your stuck. The cars handle just like they should in a high speed 4x4 race. The one downfall to this game is the cars do not show damage but I guess thats ok cause you do not have to use your prize money to fix it. The selection of cars is huge and the things you can do (upgrade color, suspension, engine , apperance, etc) to your car make this game a must have for fans of off road racing.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful game!, January 9, 2001

By 

Lee (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: 4x4 Evolution (Misc. Supplies)

From the reviews I have read, this game is hideously underrated. OK, it has a few negative aspects (it would have been nice to be able to race more than four cars, the physics are a little 'floaty' and some may find it too slow paced), but this game more than makes up for that in other departments. The game's strongest point by far is the tracks. Quite simply the best tracks ever to grace a racing game. Not only are they beautiful (all 16 of them), but they are HUGE! You can drive absolutely ANYWHERE with no limits (well, EVENTUALLY there is but trust me, you rarely ever go that far). I am not exaggerating when I say that I can spend hours upon hours just exploring the tracks to see what I can find, as there are lots of cool things to find scattered around the place. For example, on the salvage wasteland track, if you drive for about 2 miles away from the main racetrack you will find another track complete with ramps for jumping over lines of buses. And if those 16 aren't enough for you, you can download 'light' tracks from the Internet, of which there are plenty to choose from, with updates always being added. Light tracks are just tracks which aren't as vast as the regular ones, but they are fun to play on for a bit of variety. The graphics are absolutely stunning; the vehicles look EXACTLY as they do in real life, with everything in proportion, and you can even see the driver in the car steering and changing gear. Online play is superb; it plays perfectly smoothly, not once have I seen any lag because the game has such a good way of dealing with it. The network interface is extremely easy to use, with the Gamespy system making it easy to find and race your friends, and you will find hundreds of rooms dedicated to all sorts of different things such as only off-roading, drag racing, or just plain ol' good fashioned racing. Another nice feature is the ability to play PC and Mac users simultaneouly. The races take the form of one circuit (in the middle of a huge area, which as I said before is fun to explore), and you have to get round the circuit any way you can, making sure you go through each checkpoint. I do wish the game tried to make use of the surrounding areas more; the aim of the game is just to stick to the very center of the huge areas and go through the track checkpoints, and if you want to go off-roading you have to make your own entertainment, which seems a waste. Still, you can't have it all... The replay function is easily one of the best I have ever seen, you can view any car from about 10 different views in normal speed, slo-mo, super-fast, backwards slo-mo, backwards normal speed, backwards super-fast, frame-by-frame... well, you get the idea. It's stunning, although I do think it would have been nice for it to 'remember' more of the race for playback afterwards, since you don't get the whole race when you are using a long track. The main bulk of the game lies in Career mode, where you race to earn money to buy better cars, etc. until you are king of the (dirt) road. All of the cars are fully customisable, with many additional parts you can buy (some just for show), and to be truly successful you will need to do a bit of tweaking here and there. People who just want to dive right into the action without all that hassle will be satisfied with the 'quick race' mode, where you choose the track and car, and just get racin'. There is also a time attack mode where you can do as many laps as you want to get the fastest lap possible, and the computer shows you your fastest lap using a ghost-car so you can see how you're doing. There are online ranking tables for you to work your way up, too. Two players can play on one dreamcast via split-screen, either online with two other human players or offline with two other computer controlled cars. Control is spot-on, the vehicles handle beatifully and there is some damage modeling - the more abuse your car takes, the slower it will go and the more difficult it will be to handle. As I mentioned earlier, the physics tend to be a little lunar, but you soon get used to it. There are some glitches, such as if you hit a rock at the wrong angle you will go flying 100 feet (literally!) into the air, but experiment a little and it will soon become quite fun, especially as you can ruin a friend's race by smashing him/her into an obstacle. So, basically: this game isn't perfect, but it's damn near, and it's easily one of the most fun racing games I have played. Ever. While it may not be for everybody, the people it isn't for don't matter, so just do yourself a favor and buy it NOW. If you're still not sure, there is an EXCELLENT, huge demo available on the disc from issue 11 of the Official Dreamcast Magazine - it has two whole tracks and online play! It convinced me to buy it!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a "Gran Turismo" with trucks!, November 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: 4x4 Evolution (Misc. Supplies)

4X4 Evolution is awesome! When I first bought it I was afraid that I wasted my money, so I checked online for reviews. Most gamers were giving it a bad review. So, I decided to check it out anyway. Boy, was I surprised. I am here to tell you that if you like racing, this game is for you. The graphics are awesome. You can upgrade your vehicles like in Gran Turismo. You can buy roll bars for your truck, fog lights, a bug shield and even a 14" lift kit. You can choose from over 70 licensed vehicles from the top manufacturers, such as Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Lexus and Nissan. You can drive a Blazer, Yukon, Tundra, Sierra, Dakota, Durango and many others. The best part about the game is probably the tracks you can race on. Most racing games limit your ability to "go any anywhere". If you go off the track too far you have to be reset at a certain point on the track. Well, that has changed in 4X4 Evolution. In this game if you want to drive off the road and up a mountain or drive down a river, then DRIVE!, because you are not limited. You can go absolutely anywhere your heart desires. The vehicles even show you their mileage under the speedometer like in a real vehicle so you can tell how many miles you actually put on your ride. Now, how is that for reallity? It looks like Dreamcast got their own version of Gran Turismo, only no cars. We finally get to drive trucks! If you are a fan of Gran Turismo, or if you just like trucks and racing then this game is for you. It is that fun!