Extreme-G

Sadly, Acclaim are the company that followed up Alien 3 with George Forman's KO Boxing, and Super Smash TV with The Incredible Crash Dummies. So, even after the truly astounding Turok, the sight of their winter racing game may not induce sudden spasms of excitement.

And yet early word on their Wipeout look-a-like (provisionally labelled 'Extreme G' and being developed by Mortal Kombat/Alien Trilogy dabblers, Probe) is extremely promising.

Taking control of a hover-bike, the player must work his way through 12 tracks - all apparently 'rollercoaster-like' in their structure -- which vary in style from abandoned water pipes to city scapes. In fact, several of the tracks lead into underwater caverns and lava-filled pools as well as hazard-strewn valleys complete with falling boulders.

Weapons-wise the game is likely to deliver in spades, with the usual melee of bullet-spitters accompanied by some wonderfully original mayhem-makers such as the Control Swap Missiles, which have the ability to reverse the target vehicle's controls, and Phospor Flares, which blind all the competitors behind you. Invisibility and Turbo Particle Accelerators -- last seen in Turok -- will also be given a run-out.

The game will also lay claim to a Mario Kart-style four-player mode where the screen quarters itself up and provides players with a chance to test their metal against three friends.

Blighty boys Probe believe the game to be faster and smoother than Nintendo's kart-'em-up and, certainly, early word is enough to back them up. Having been in development for almost a year already, the game - soon to be properly named, thank God - looks, moves and bodes wonderfully well.

OKAY, IT'S A FUTURISTIC BIKE game. So what, you cry? It's blooming well fantastic, that's what!

With most racing games, you'll find that the main complaint is usually to do with the speed, that the game just isn't fast enough. With Extreme G, the main complaint is also with the speed, although in this case, it's too damn fast! The timer hits zero, the acceleration kicks in, and first-time players will find their bike embedded in the wall of the first bend. Or at least, they would if this were an ordinary race game.

Because that's one of the wondrous things about Extreme G; it's extremely difficult to crash. Well, to crash properly, that is. Is this making any sense? No? Okay. To explain – you can crash in Extreme G, in the sense that if you hit certain things you will, temporarily, come to a complete stop. Usually though, the bike handling combined with the design of the tracks means that hitting the sides of the track, although it will slow you a little, doesn't actually stop you. And this is a godsend when you're hurtling around the track at breathtaking speeds battling seven other bikes. And that isn't the half of it.

Excuse Me, Does That Machine Gun Come In Claret Red?

For instance, how many bikes do you know of that are armed? [Streethawk – Ed] And more than that, how many do you know that can pick up huge mother-loving super-weapons that turn other bikes from mean racing machines to smoking piles of colourful rubble?

Except it's not that easy. These opponent bikes aren't your usual run-of-the-mill opponents racing mindlessly round the track waiting for you blast them into oblivion. No, these bikes are hard, and intelligent. They have their own strategies and tactics, and adapt to events around them. So, let's say you're driving really badly and trailing in last position. You'll probably find the other bikes generally ignore you apart from dropping the odd proximity mine, or rear rocket. However, once you start to perform better, you'll become a target.

And it's even more complex than that. Say, for example, that you're running second, and a bike comes up behind you armed with a missile power-up. You have no special weapon, and the bike in front of you has something powerful. Rather than just hammering you, the pursuing bike may whack on the turbo, boost past you, and waste the bike in first place, as it considers it more of a threat.

Extreme G offers multiple racing modes, the foremost being Extreme mode, where you start on the first track of the first level and must qualify to progress to later tracks each time. Fail to get the points you need, and you'll be forced to try again. But do better than you need to (come second when you need to come third to qualify) and you'll gain extra points which give you more leeway for the next track (so it's advisable to do well on the early, easier tracks, thereby gaining credit for the later ones).

SAN MARINO – DANGEROUS? DO ME A FAVOUR!

The tracks! Wow! The first ones... well, they're okay, and they seem fast, but they're not really anything you won't have seen before – that's for the first one or two. But from then on... hold onto your hat, or rather, hold onto your lunch! If you thought rollercoasters were bad, try this! Loops, dips and multiple junctions that make it possible to take a different route for every lap of the race. If you do lose the race in Extreme mode, you'll be treated to a quick sequence of your wondrous bike being unceremoniously dumped into a smelter – what a waste!

In addition to Extreme mode, you can race in Practice mode, Shoot-'Em-Up mode and of course Multi-Player mode. However, to be able to race on the later tracks, you've got to complete them in Extreme mode first. Practice mode is fairly self-explanatory, but Shoot-'Em-Up mode is a little different. Basically, it's a case of chasing a whole load of drone bikes around the track, which is littered with absolutely masses of weapon power-ups, the idea being simply to obliterate as many of the opposing bikes as possible. And it's fun! (Although after a while it tends to get a little samey – just a little).

Of course, these are all single-player modes. The multi-player mode is something else again. As with the single-player mode, you have a choice of race types. There's Battle mode – racing around one of four weapon-filled arenas and annihilating the other players. Then there's Head To Head mode, where you race on the usual tracks against other players, and then there's Flag mode, where you, erm, collect flags. The winner is whoever gets the most flags, surprisingly!

In all race modes, you get to choose from eight different very impressive-looking bikes, each of which has different attributes. Some, for instance, have better shields and weapons, but are low on acceleration. Other bikes will go from zero to light speed in about three seconds, but have slightly weapons slightly less powerful than the average water-pistol (the cheap kind, not those big Super-Soaker ones). As if the bikes weren't fast enough on their own, you get three turbos per race, and also on-track items and features which give you a temporary boost.

Another good feature of Extreme G is the sound. Each bike has its own distinctive turbine noise, and if you're playing through a stereo TV you can even tell which side people are approaching! The music isn't bad either, with a different techno tune for each track.

With three different views, the fastest of which is first-person, but then the behind-bike view is easier to control, this game is an absolute must for anyone with an N64. Basically, Goldeneye was the definitive adventurous shoot-'em-up, and this is, so far, the definitive N64 race game.

GUARANTEED WAYS TO HAVE an irate bloke beat the crap out of you: one, go into a Newcastle pub, spill somebody's pint and call him a poof. Two, mention the names Extreme G and Wipeout 2097 in the same sentence to somebody from Acclaim.

Yes, it's pretty hard to deny that Extreme G, the upcoming N64 high-speed racer currently being programmed by reliable Brit coders Probe Software, does bear similarities to Psygnosis's futuristic PlayStation game. Super-tech vehicles, rollercoaster tracks, loads of weapons and so on. Luckily, Extreme G has plenty of differences as well, the most exciting being the four-player mode. Fed up with the total campness of Mario Kart's bananas and shells? Blow away your mates with missiles and blinding phosphor flares instead!

The vehicles in Extreme G (the name might still change before the game's American release in October) are flash-looking racing jetbikes, a cross between an RXTZ-17000 Ninja Nutter and the bikes from Tron with missile launchers and particle accelerators strapped to them. Whether you're playing against other humans in the split-screen mode or taking on the cold silicon minds of computer opponents, the 12 tracks promised in the game, from spaceports to ancient cities, look set to test your reactions to the limit.

If Extreme G is on a par with Wipeout 2097 (there's that name again... stop hitting me, Mr Acclaim, there's nothing left in there), it'll be a real stormer of a game. If it's better, then the N64 is going to become the machine for adrenaline addicts. Ready, set, go!

WITH MOST GAMES, A 30% drop in speed is usually a bad thing. Not so with Extreme G. Since our feature on Acclaim's ultra-fast racing game last issue, it has been slowed down considerably — not because the N64 couldn't cope, but because we humans couldn't!

Extreme G is all about speed, with some reckless driving thrown in. The vehicles of choice are high-tech bikes, tooled up to the max with weapons and stick-on missile pods. You can either choose to take on up to three other players in a brutal split-screen race to the death, or pit your puny hominid reflexes against the steely brains of seven computer-controlled opponents. Either way, get ready for the ride of your life!

The tracks you'll be racing on are some of the most outrageous constructs in videogame history. Steep hills? Listen, you haven't seen a steep hill until you drop vertically over a ravine edge, plunge downwards at terminal velocity until you hit a u-turn at the bottom and blast straight up the opposite side! Banked corners? Extreme G goes $720^\circ$ better with banks that corkscrew over on themselves. Twists, turns, flyovers? This game makes Spaghetti Junction look like a Roman road.

FAST EDDIE

We've had a completed version of Extreme G in our office for a bit, and even though this is a preview (the full review will follow next issue, ready for when the game goes on sale — the UK release has been delayed by two or three weeks) we thought we'd steal a march and tell you what it's like to play. It's fast. Blindingly, cheek-wobbly, sway-in-your-seat fast. It's so fast that Jeremy Clarkson would probably start going on about snapping knicker elastic, not even slowing down in four-player games and getting dangerously close to entering a time warp when you kick in the turbos. This speed isn't at the expense of detail, either. Although infallible, and they spend as much time shooting at each other as at you, but they still won't let you past without a fight!

THE OFFICE BIKE

There are eight bikes to choose from initially, with some secret vehicles which become available as you progress through the game. Each machine is different, and unlike many games you can actually feel the difference when you start racing. Some are built for sustained speed, some for rapid acceleration, and some are armoured for pure combat — you'll know which when you try to take a hairpin bend at full speed!

Although the bikes are initially hard to control, Extreme G's forgiving track-holding lets you get into the game without spending your first 20 races being lapped. Not being brought to a crunching halt by the slightest contact with a trackside obstacle helps reduce frustration as well! Starting on the easy novice level lets you get to grips with the bikes, and then you're ready to move up a class and start some proper racing, with enemies who really, really don't like you at all!

Part of getting ahead in Extreme G is knowing which route to take on each track. Nearly all the courses offer choices of paths at junctions, and some are definitely shortcuts, which can move you forward two or three places if you navigate them correctly. Unlike Mario Kart, the computer's AI doesn't cheat — if you manage to build up a substantial lead early on, good riding on your part will keep you there without any worries that somebody will magically appear two inches behind your exhausts!

If Extreme G was any faster you'd black out, which would be a bummer because so far we've found it very addictive. Once you start playing Extreme G, rush hour turns into rush week! The big question is whether it will turn out to be better than Nintendo's own F-Zero 64. Well, seeing as F-Zero has been subject to more delays than the Northern Line, you can at least be certain that you won't see a faster game without going to warp speed. Adrenaline junkies had better get ready for next month's review — Extreme G looks like it's going to blow everyone else off the track!

Into racing titles? Well, prepare yourself for Acclaim's Extreme G. It features one- to four-player action with different weapons and racing techniques for players to use. Players select the vehicle they want and gather weapons through the race to use on the opposition. These include rockets and heat-seeking missiles as well as placed traps and other death-dealing devices. Extreme G will have players feeling queasy while racing in the topsy-turvy variety of worlds.

In Extreme-G, 12 amazing roller coaster-like tracks have you racing through eery environments of ancient ruins, decrepit cities, mine-shafts and dusty desert regions. Eight different bullet-shaped, "tron" bikes use their magnetic wheels to hug the track in any situation be it giant loops or the dizzying helix portions of the terrain. Game speeds: Fast and Faster give you a chance to learn the courses at a sane pace before you experience the blazingly fast Extreme Mode. As a group game, the Multiplayer Option can support up to four competitors and offers several games beyond straight racing including Flag Capture and Battle Mode.

Advanced weaponry plays a big part in the Extreme-G experience. Apart from the onboard lasers, heavy weapons can be picked up along the way. Some of the more interesting ones include an electromagnetic pulse which emanates out each side of the bike, creating a high-voltage barrier. Still other missile-type weapons swoop out of the sky and attach themselves to your bike fully locked and loaded and ready for use on your opponents.

Extreme-G appears to be the fastest racing game for the N64 yet. At 60 frames per second you may have a hard time getting used to backgrounds flying by at speeds unequalled by any 32- or 64-Bit racer to date, even its protege WipeOut XL.

At this stage of completion, it looks as though Acclaim is nicely positioned to capture the hearts of N64 racing fanatics everywhere.

Take on a trackful of hi-tech bikers in this dementedly fast futuristic racer. An array of weapons and the option to have up to four players compete on either the rollercoaster racetracks or the confined battle arenas adds to the fun. Probe Software's attempt to out-Wipeout Wipeout does a fine job. although some of the twisting courses do involve more luck than skill.

Futuristic bike game with weapons and rollercoaster tracks. Sometimes sheer speed makes you rely on luck, not skill.

Never likely to displace Wipeout 2097 as the ultimate future racer but still hugely impressive. Face-melting speed and beautiful tracks.

Those craving a racing game with combat elements (like Wipeout for the PlayStation) should be pleased with Extreme-G. Racing on futuristic motorbikes, you burn rubber on 12 tracks and use various weapons and power-ups to pick off your opponents. The preview version had very responsive controls and fast racing speeds. The colorful graphics, however, were swimming in extreme fog. Hopefully some of it will burn off before the game's release; otherwise, Extreme-G is tuning up to be a promising racing title.