PixlBit

Fast and futuristic racing, but with some sloppy stuff, it's not at its finest

Extreme-G is a futuristic racing game that was released in 1997 for the N64. It was developed by Probe Entertainment and published by Acclaim. The vehicles are not sleek cars, but rather motorcycle-type vehicles which appear to be unmanned. There were some futuristic racers on the 16-bit consoles, but the 64 and PlayStation-eras were perfect for these kind of games due to the 3D capabiities of the systems.

EG offers four main modes: Single Player, Extreme Contest, Multiplayer, and Options. Most of these modes have sub-modes. For Single Player Mode, you can choose Practice Mode, Time Trials, or Shoot-em-up. Practice Mode just lets you race on a basic track to get a feel for the controls. In order to race on certain tracks in Time Trials, you have to beat them in the main game (or put in a password, but I have no idea how you get the password). For Shoot-em-up Mode, you shoot these hovering pods in front of you while you race around a course (which is not fun at all).

The buttons are a little different from your typical racing game. The Z button is for acceleration, which feels weird and can bring fatigue to your left hand. The A button shoots a laser from your cycle, which will slow down opponents; you can shoot your laser at any time. Weapons are scattered around the track; once you acquire a weapon, the left or right C buttons will fire the weapon. B is to brake and L or R helps with turns. The controls are a little too loose, meaning you'll turn into walls faster than expected. Also, you'll know when you get a weapon because a pod or something will come down and attach to your cycle. The weapons in EG are devastating: missiles, shockwaves, and huge explosions!

In Extreme Contest, you can play the main game, as well as other modes called Atomic, Critical Mass, and Meltdown (I have no idea what the difference is between these three modes, as they all seem to be the same thing). The main game is tough! You have to place in a certain rank in order to qualify, and if you don't, it's Game Over, no continues. You get to see your cycle thrown into the fire to be fried. Brutal! This is no Mario Kart; opponents are constantly bombarding you with weapons, and when explosions are going off left and right, you can't see a thing. Keeping first place is almost impossible.

The tracks in EG are decent, with plenty of jumps and alternate routes, but sometimes there are too many jumps and alternate routes, so that they don't feel special anymore. The courses will take you through cities, caves, tunnels, and just bizarre locations in general. It's hard to see upcoming turns most the time, which is why an arrow at the top of the screen is constantly telling you when to turn. Your speed will vary at around 200--300 mph; I'm not sure what the top speed is, but I never went past 300 mph.

Multiplayer offeres you these modes: Cup, Head to Head, Flag Game, and Battle Arena. Cup and Head to Head are typical races. In Flag Game, you have to try and collect as many flags as possible while racing; these flags are scattered throughout the course. Battle Arena is exactly what you would expect; you choose one of the four arenas to fight in, and then find weapons to blast the other players to smithereens. Believe me, it can't even hold a candle to Mario Kart 64's battles! Multiplayer is fun, but it's hard to see on those tiny screens when they're split into four sections, especially when you're moving so fast.

The music in EG is cool, being futuristic and techno, but it does get old after awhile. The sleek cycles, the rad courses, and the cool music all help to make EG futuristic and neat, but the actual gameplay leaves you with an empty and unenjoyable experience.

Final Verdict--3 Stars: It's Okay

EG is decent, and I remember it being really fun when I was a kid, but it doesn't hold up too well today. The courses are not very interesting, the main game is difficult and frustrating, the controls are a little too loose, and most of the modes are the same thing with a different name. The game just isn't that fun anymore. As far as futuristic racing games go, F-Zero X is far superior to this one, being released the following year, and still being very fun to play today. I mean, c'mon, those unmanned motorcyles are so last century!

Join me every Saturday as we take a look back at all kinds of retro games, good and bad.