The Extreme G series originally was Acclaim's answer to Psygnosis's PSOne smash hit WipeOut. This new genre of futuristic racing was the big trend in the last console generation war. Extreme G saw its best days on the N64 due to the fact that the N64 could handle the geometry needed to convey an intense sense of speed. Now that the next generation of console wars is about to begin, the futuristic racing genre is appearing again. We have been promised WipeOut on the PS2 but there has not been a trace of the game in over six months. Instead we have two offerings available to us at the moment, Sony's Kinetica and Acclaim's newest incarnation Extreme G 3. The result is a very slick racer that might even make you forget about a new WipeOut.

Graphics
Quite clearly this is the fastest game we have ever seen on a console. The sense of speed is just incredible. From a technical standpoint, Extreme G 3 is a very convincing example of the immense geometry the PS2 can handle. Considerable attention to detail is evident in the spiral polygonal structures. This results in a very convincing conveyance of a futuristic setting for each of the races. Once you upgrade to stronger engines things get even more faster and Acclaim's Cheltenham has pulled out some very interesting special effects from their bag of tricks. Engage the turbo boost and witness the screen blur from the brake-neck speeds. Even the music fades to give you the sense of breaking the sound barrier. While the actual track design visuals are not the most detailed, the designers have instead opted to put forth all kinds of lighting and special effects that at times give the game an almost rendered like look. The rain effects are incredible as they resemble a mixture of effects found in GT3 and Metal Gear Solid 2. The bike designs are solid, detailed and convey nicely the futuristic feel the game portrays.
As already mentioned, the tracks get very twisty and it would appear they were purposely designed to get you sick. You definitely get a feeling of being on one demented roller coaster ride. Our only complaint about the track design is their width. The lanes are narrow for the number of racers present. Add to this the wild twists and turns and you ultimately get some control issues. Players will find themselves bouncing off walls and flying off the track to their demise. The game mostly maintains a blazing 60 frames per second refresh rate with only minor nuisances of slowdown during moments that contain a lot of special effects.

Sound
Acclaim Cheltenham decided to leave the soundtrack to one of the world's most respected dance labels, Ministry Of Sound. MOS of sound has assembled a number of top D.J.'s to provide up front mixes featuring the sounds of house, trance and progressive house. Each selected track works extremely well with the speeds experienced throughout the game. I personally preferred to lower the volume on the lackluster sound effects in order to have the soundtrack dominating the aural sense during races.

Gameplay
The premise of the game has not changed much from the first Extreme G game. As a futuristic racer, you must race around the stomach churning courses while attempting the gun down savvy opponents. Winning races does not only allow progression to further races but it also enables you the ability to purchase weapon and bike upgrades using your cash winnings. The control side of things is a mixed bag. The handling can be very twitchy at times. Throughout the game you never really get a sense of full control over your vehicle. Problems also arise when you have to restart a race if you accidentally leave the track. Things also tend to be quite repetitive early on and the weapon selections are less than stellar when compared to similar games in the genre.

Value
Extreme G 3 offers four main game types: XG Career, XG Team Career and Versus Game. Within the Career modes, you have more options to choose from including: League, Arcade and Time Trial. The Arcade option allows you the opportunity to practice on tracks that you have already unlocked. The majority of your time will be spent in the League option which enables you to gain experience and credits to ultimately improve your bike and unlock new tracks. Choose from one of four available cups. Within each cup there are three races to clear in order to move onto the next cup. The final race takes place on the lucrative Pion 6 track, a desert circuit littered with pyramids and desert temples. The two-player campaign offers two options: versus and a team career option which allows you and a friend to team up and form a great partnership.

Final Word
Extreme G 3 has blasted its way onto the Playstation 2 in a very playable game. The problem is the same futuristic racing formula has been done to death in the last console war. The weapons here lack ingenuity and while the tracks are fun they soon become repetitive. As a result Extreme G 3 offers a great presentation but overall lacks some substance. This is more of a rental rather than a purchase proposition.