XGRA PS2

After wipEout made its PlayStation debut in 1995, we came to expect myriad clones of Psygnosis' futuristic anti-gravity racer. Many have come and gone, but Acclaim's Extreme G has continued to impress since 1997. The fourth and largest instalment of the popular series is now finished, but does it rival the high-speed offerings of Sony's own racer? Absolutely. The second release in the series for PlayStation 2 hardware, at face value XGRA appears to be something of a graphical show-off, sporting vast, rollercoaster-like circuits moving at phenomenally high speeds. And in this respect, it does impress. There are a few glitches, but the PS2 does a respectable job of throwing thousands of polys around the screen in a fast-moving game. But there's much more to XGRA than a little futuristic eye-candy - there's even a story. Following the F1 Nurburgring disaster of 2025, the Extreme Gravity Racing Association was founded to regulate the rules of the extreme sport. Within the XGRA now lies a complex community of competitive teams, riders and sponsors, and herein lies the most extensive aspect of Acclaim's latest release. Similar to a career mode, XGRA encourages players to not only race for victory as a solo sportsman, but to make transfers, grab contracts and make a name for themselves. It's not a compulsory part of the game, but it's one that should be explored to its full potential - it adds great depth to the racing experience. Getting around the track and winning races is now more complicated than before. Now there's fully destructible scenery, a brand new weapons system, the addition of cars and sidecars and real-time variable weather conditions. This makes the outcome of a race unpredictable. Regardless of how well you know a particular circuit, victory is not guaranteed - get used to that. Technically, XGRA isn't as polished as the first three games in the wipEout series, but it's a much deeper game experience. And given Sony's disappointing outing with wipEout Fusion, XGRA looks set to take the fu