bike

I love this game. The frame-rate is solid and the graphics are all the XBOX is cracked up to be. I've played all the Extreme G games since they first arrived on the N64 and the new XGRA is easily the best one I've seen. In the new XGRA "XBOX version" the tracks are definately wider, not all the way through the race, but I've noticed more room to maneuver and it's easier to stay off the walls. There really isn't any slow-down. Every once in a while it hickups, but it hasn't affected my gameplay and it's rare...unlike the past Extreme G racers with their constant slow-down on every track, at every turn(that was annoying).
My main complaint is certain areas are too dark and it always seems to be at a critical turn or crossroads junction. It's not every critical turn, but I can't help but wonder why they didn't light up these areas. And last...I think the career mode is a little short, but the replay value is still fairly good.
IN FINAL...this game is fantastic with very few flaws. Hard-core adrenaline junkies will love it. Its smooth frame-rate and killer graphics make this high-speed gravity-bike racer the best of the Extreme G series and one of the best futuristic racers on the XBOX to date. This game is an easy 4 STARS, falling short only in the career mode and some occasional lighting issues. Even with that said, it's well worth the money. I've played many racers and XGRA is easily of the best.

XGRA is the latest in Acclaim's Extreme-G series, in which futuristic rocket-powered cycles blaze through a series of twisting, rollercoasterish courses. This newest installment sees some changes and additions from the last effort, Extreme-G 3, and the result is arguably the series' pinnacle.

The control is quite different. The bikes no longer feature the side-leaning dual airbrake technique; now, one trigger controls braking for the entire bike while the other trigger controls acceleration. While the analog stick is still used for steering, pushing forward and back no longer changes the cycle's angle - now you are able to adjust your weapons' aim up and down, even towards targets not on the track. The cycles also don't have an accessible speed boost; instead temporary boosts are acquired by driving over arrowed strips (much like the Wipeout or F-Zero games).

The weapons system has also seen some changes, and is a lot more streamlined and efficient (excepting one particular weapon which is far too powerful). Each bike comes with a basic primary weapon, which can now be upgraded during a single race by destroying opponents, as well as a selection of secondary weapons. Green power crystals are scattered throughout each course, and stronger secondary weapons become available to you as you collect them (ranging from the energy-sucking Vampyre to limited invincibility). They can be fired anytime, but once discharged, you must find more crystals. It's much easier to select and fire the weapons you want without getting distracted from the race, due to the simpler controls and the improved HUD.

As is the norm with racing titles, you have a single race mode, time trial mode, and season mode. XG3 players may recall that as you progessed through that game's season, you accumulated money which you could then use to upgrade your bike however you wished. XGRA has no in-game shop; rather, you sign a contract with one of several racing teams, and your bike is upgraded automatically as you progress through the season (you are under contract after all). You also are able to make slight adjustments to your bike's handling before each race. In addition, the season mode is a lot longer, is a lot deeper, and uses a GP-style points system to track your progression. Not only will you encounter different types of races - ranging from single-lap speed races called Burn Off to courses without weapons, Endurance, Weather Hazard, and Warmonger races (where cannons lining the courses fire upon everyone), but the team you've signed with will present separate, optional Contract Challenges for you to peform in addition to finishing in first place. These Contracts vary, from "set a lap record" to "destroy three opponents." Fulfill these contracts, and you gain new upgrades for your machine. Also, as you progress through the Season, you unlock Art Galleries and different features for Arcade and Time Trial modes, such as the ability to change the weather. There's simply a lot more game here than before, and unlocking everything and fulfilling all contracts will keep racers busy.

But the best thing about XGRA are the tracks themselves. Never has a futuristic racer been witness to such inventive, mind-bending, beautiful courses to race in. You'll race around a defunct nuclear reactor in the middle of the barren Amazon basin (this is in the future after all), through groves of trees and past waterfalls, under the ocean in transparent tubes through which sea life can be seen, through an airlock around a zero-G asteroid with Saturn looming overhead, and across the red Martian desert while the landscape is pounded by a meteor shower, among others. Mobile robot cameras, animated neon signs, and drifting ships are everywhere, and machinery turns gracefully on all sides. The courses twist, turn, and corkscrew unexpectedly, and are home to many alternate paths and shortcuts. You can fire at billboards, causing them to crash across the track and take out enemies, and the smoking remains of destroyed cycles will stay on the course until the race is completed. Add to that a licensed soundtrack featuring techno acts like BT and Cirrus (which is OK but not great - XGRA should have supported custom soundtracks), in-game chatter by opposing riders, and some insane pre-race commentary ("Hey Bob, this is the course where an entire field of riders plunged to their death in 2045 when a support strut collapsed, ha ha, remember that?" "I sure do Steve"), and XGRA is quite a remarkable spectacle. If you've seen XG3's Atradaitoshi or Oceania tracks, imagine that with ten times the detail and activity, and you'll have an idea of what XGRA contains. All of that beauty with an extremely steady framerate and blistering sense of speed.

XGRA is a must-buy for fans of futuristic racers, especially at the current price point, and anyone who enjoys a challenging, gorgeous, wild ride will be more than satisfied. Much like XG3 before it, XGRA stands as an excellent entry in the genre that will probably not get the attention it deserves.