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Platform: Xbox Genre: Racing Publisher: GOD Games Developer: Terminal Reality ESRB: E (Everyone) Released: November 2002 Support AE! Buy Games Here:
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4x4 Evo 2Score: 5.8 / 10 |
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Pros: - Great grahics - Lots of tracks and trucks - Wide-open driving - Challenging - Tweak your truck
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Cons: - Sound is so-so - Computer AI is often too challenging - “Challenges” are kind of boring - No damage modeling - Memorize track layout for a chance at winning
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Related Links: Review: Rallisport Challenge (XBox)
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"4x4 Evo 2 is a mixed bag."
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4x4
Evo 2 (4E2) has the distinction of being the first game for X-Box I ever
played. As a result, my
judgment may be a little clouded since there was so much hype around
Microsoft’s foray into consoles – it’s possible I felt let down.
Yes, the graphics are great and the ability to upgrade your SUV
of choice can be fun but . . . anyway, I’m working this through with
my analyst.
4E2
puts you in control of the SUV of your choice – all brand name models
– in a series of races and Challenges.
You do it all for cash so you can upgrade components of your
truck, allowing you to keep up with the competition. Challenges
boil down to being dropped in the middle of nowhere and given a task
(e.g. find a certain object). The
Challenge maps are wide open and friggin’ huge, which can make
completing a Challenge like finding a needle in a haystack and about as
much fun. But you’ll have
to complete some of them to acquire cash.
Your truck should have many upgrades before attempting any of the
races.
The
races pit you against 7 computer AI opponents and they’re damn tough
to beat. They have a
tendency to cluster right in front of you, making passing difficult at
the best of times. You’ll
gnash your teeth as you finish 6th only ½ second behind the
leader. Even after much
upgrading, they have this uncanny ability to always be in front of you.
Taking every shortcut available can help you get the lead and
keep it but you have to know where they are.
You can’t go too far off the beaten track though because you
must hit all the gates on a track (otherwise you’ve got to circle
around). The tracks
themselves are all well done and look great.
The physics ride on the arcade side – through more than fifty
races with different vehicles I only managed to flip once.
4E2 could have benefited greatly from body damage effects.
After all, shouldn’t your truck do more than simply bounce back
after dropping ten meters into a canyon? The upgrade process is as painless as winning is tough. Each component gets a description as to what it does and the pros and cons. But you can’t go wrong buying the most expensive items you can afford. (All the changes and progress are saved right to the sizeable hard drive.)
The
three default cameras stink, especially the Inertia setting.
Before you start, hit pause and change the camera settings to
more useful ones. The
problem with the default cameras is that I often found my view blocked
by objects – trees, big rock, whatever.
Pick one of the fixed camera angles. Control
is good. I can’t complain
about anything. Of course,
4E2 being my first X-Box game, I did have to get used to the controller
itself. I found everything
responsive. In
terms of aural pleasure, 4E2 falls between hurtin’ and ouch.
The sound effects are muted and the music is so-so.
Which is not to say they’re bad, there’s just room for
improvement. And if 4E2 is
trying to emulate arcade game play there should be louder than life
effects, maybe one or two massive explosions. 4x4
Evo 2 is a mixed bag. It’s
a first generation game so the developers haven’t had experience with
the hardware so they haven’t been able to learn from past omissions or
mistakes. If you like
driving games as a genre you just might enjoy it.
Even I, jaded gamer extraordinaire, managed to have some fun at
times. Try before you buy. - Omni (November 25, 2001) Search for Related Topics: ...More Racing Game Reviews... |
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