Extreme G3: I liked Wipeout - but this game just ain't Wipeout
brclarke
60% score
After reading that some of the same folks who made the Wipeout games were involved with 'Extreme G3 Racing' for the Game Cube, I was really looking forward to playing G3. I rented G3 for three nights just to check the game out before plunking down $50 for the game - but was left sadly disappointed. Extreme G3's graphics are pretty good - but nothing special, and certainly not as nice as some other games for the Game Cube. Frankly I think WaveRace or SSX Tricky have better graphics than G3. The framerate is smooth and fluid, but the tracks you race on (for the most part) just don't seem to have the same Futurama/Blade Runner appeal as the Wipeout games. Graphically Extreme G3 left me unimpressed. The sound effects of Extreme G3 Racing are just 'there'; they are nothing special or remarkable. The music certainly isn't as good as some of the music from the Wipeout series. I can not really fault the controls - the response is about the same as any other decent racing game. With a little practice you can start placing in races and thus unlocking tracks, extra motorcycles, etc. For some reason, I found G3's gameplay to be lacking. I'm not sure what it is: maybe the tracks are too easy, the opponents are just not as adapt or as aggressive towards you, etc. After playing back-to-back with Wipeout XL, Extreme G3 just doesn't really seem as much fun. There is a two player mode that I did not have a chance to try out because I couldn't convince any of my friends to play G3 - they all kept asking me to put a different game in my Game Cube so they could have some fun! I've read several reviews that compared this game to the excellent Wipeout series, but I feel that this is just a pale imitation with crisper (but still not as nicely designed) graphics. Overall I have to rate 'Extreme G3 Racing' as only slightly better than average, say 6 / 10.
