Customer Reviews

XGRA: Extreme G Racing Association

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The tracks feel like Wipeout 3, but it does have a bit of an F-zero look to it on the GameCube, with those transparent tracks. But it's not like F-Zero. It's like if you crossed Wipeout 3 with Akira, then sped it up and drank a cup of coffee.

I haven't had a rush like this since Wipeout XT. It's so fast, I'm still cranked up from the adrenalin while I write this.

The career races are structured like this: you sign up with a race team, then you race that team's bike through the series. No chance to modify it, you race the races, and you only get one chance for each. This leads you smoothly into the next race. And yet your choice of team lets you decide what general racing style you want. So, it's customized to your style, but you don't spend much time customizing, just racing your butt off.

So, there's nothing to distract you from the races. The races are fast. It has the speed of F-Zero--no, more speed, because you're on a bike, close to the ground, and the track layout is like Wipeout Fusion: fast. I mean, really freaking fast. What do you think it's like to go 800mph on an armored motorcycle? Well, I thought I had an idea, but let me tell you, this game makes it freaking scary. I honestly haven't had this thrill of fear since that time I accidentally turned my snowboard into a tree run at copper mountain, and had to either make the turns or slam face first into a tree.

The graphics look great on the GameCube, with a very smooth frame rate and beautiful transparency in the pause menu, etc. Don't be scared by the fact that it's ported to PS-2, it's quite attractive on the cube, and obviously has been tweaked to take advantage of the extra rendering power. I imagine it also looks good on the XBox. (But really, I'd rather use a GC controller? :) Some of the bitmaps are kind of low-res, which just goes to show you that the PS2 is pretty lame, but the GC smooths them out nicely so the overall experience is good. If you have a choice, don't get the PS2 version. Obviously.

The bad:

There are very few songs on the sound track. At least they are _good_ tracks. If you get bored, you can always turn off the music and play something on your stereo. (Never understood why people would dock a game 20% over the music!)

I have managed to make it crash. Since it autosaves, I guess it's not a big deal. And I did play for several hours first. So it's probably not a big deal (but it did happen to me, maybe it's just my box?)

F-Zero is just more of the same, but XGRA is a must-have game for any futuristic racing speed freak, and it runs beautifully on the GC. You'd best buy one, 'cause I'm not loaning out my copy any time soon.

Peace

The fastest racing game I've ever played and it has weapons, to boot! Was looking for a good racing game for the Cube, since they don't carry Gran Turismo, and ran across XGRA and Hot Wheels World Race. Played Hot Wheels once and then I put XGRA in...I haven't touched Hot Wheels since! This is one fast racer and the powerups for weapons and shielding, etc. add an element that makes this much more than just another racing game. Graphics and sound are both top-notch here - when your cycle hits mach-1, you really get the sensation your moving that fast. Good stuff!

This game is what you must have for your real need for speed! (I bet that the game series with such name, altought they're great, didn't satisfy the gamers' speed needs.) XGRA combines supersonic speeds and great weapon violence. Do come in with your plasma-powered bike with tons of weaponry! When you play the sonic or supersonic class (mostly at the second one), you frequently experience supersonic booms. You only hear the music and speechs. Motor and weapon sounds are gone at this point. You can do that easily charging up an "ion accelerator", and then ride over a dash plate... ZOOOOOOOOOMM!!! And you check your speedometer reaching up to 1000mph (and beyond!). Unfortunately to become this a success, you must complete Invitation, Subsonic, and Sonic class. And if you finish all four, you get the freakin' ultrasonic class!

Sound FX are great.
So are BGM, but there's few of it (but great)
Graphics are wonderful.
Controller config, well if I could use weapons with sth like X or Y and to control the view with C stick..., but here you are just limited to use the presets.
Visual FX are amazing! Explosions, HUD, tracks...
Weapons (secondary ones) used at the game are so thrilling, especially the last one (I got fear with it). It's bad that the primary ones are different for each bike, I mean, it's not the same dropping bombs than firing rockets, and so.
Multiplayer mode is great.
It draws 20 blocks of your Memory Card, keep so in mind, no matter what you do.
Gameplay action: I like the self-regeneration feature (no recharge lanes); like XG and XG2 there's a depot for primary weapon and you collect secondary weapons along the track; the action is fast-paced and (I repeat) so violent; the Career mode (Season 2080) is just fine (nothing such amazing), and it's the key to unlock everything (unless you get cheats,... Hey, that's not fair. Win the game yourself); CPU rivals are hard-core, but not so mean. And sth out-of-issue I noticed, the characters wear NO helmets! What insane! (well, they are rare characters, they look like androids, and/or so they are)

Being a bit better than XG3, I closely compare this game with sth like F-Zero GX, or recent Wipeout series, but such two don't get close to the great XGRA. If you're, like me, a fan of high speed futuristic racing games and if you have a real need for speed, get this one for your own!

Graphics - 4/5
Pretty good as far as Gamecube games go, but is definitely not pushing the system's limits in any way. Art design is extremely appealing, though.

Game Control - 3/5
Generally responsive, but oversimplifies braking controls while overcomplicating weapon controls. Should have followed the XG1 & XG2 blueprint more closely. Also, the default control scheme will wear your fingers out.

Gameplay - 4/5
Captures much of the high-speed thrills of the original two XG games, but waters down the experience with bland weapons and limited bike selection. Also, the ill-advised recharging energy shields nearly break some of the gametypes (Warmonger in particular).

Story - 3/5
Very generic for a futuristic racer, but the distinct personalities of the two announcers for the races add a lot of flavor and history to the setup.

Music - 3/5
Has a few inspired tunes, but ultimately cannot hold a candle to the soundtracks from XG1 & XG3. Also, just turn off the "Rock" tracks; they're nothing but an embarrassment.

Overall Score = 3.4 / 5
Extreme G fans will enjoy this game due to the reintroduction of the arcade elements from the first two games, but the developers skimped on a lot of the details that could have made this the best of the XG series.