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If there are two things that action-oriented PC gamers can never have too much of, it's speed and firepower. The "action/racer" sub-genre attempts to assuage the need for both in one convenient package, but the results have been notoriously unpredictable over the years - the genre's best rank high on my list of all-time favorites, while its worst provide little more than spare jewel cases for the stray CDs in my music collection.
Though it's strictly a console port through and through, Extreme-G 2 fares a lot better than most action racers - this is no run-of-the-mill exercise in vroom-vroom-bang-bang. It's a futuristic motorcycle deathrace, with a solid racing element coupled with action element that provides some choice options for outblasting your foe in the regrettable circumstance that you can't outrace him. The best way to make sure your enemy doesn't take the checked flag? Send him to an early grave with a homing missile up the tailpipe. Tickets
Killing your opponents is easier said than done, elevating the game a bit higher than racers that simply require that your enemy be somewhere vaguely in front of you to be sure of a kill. First you have to blast through their shield. Shield levels, and your proximity to the recharge zones scattered around the track, lend the races a unique strategic element. If your opponent's shield is down and you blast him before he gets to a recharge zone, it's all over. Damaging an enemy's shield costs him speed as well as energy, so you don't necessarily need to wax a guy in order to pass him - you just need to beat him up a bit.
This game does a great job of representing awesome speed, more or less ignoring the laws of physics. The fact that you get a point bonus every time you break the sound barrier is testament to the game's no-holds-barred approach. Deploying nitro speed-boosts also adds extra kick to the action.
Extreme-G 2 features a wide variety of power-ups - 20 in all - to keep the firefights entertaining. From the basic heatseeker to the much deadlier "leader" missile, there's a wonderful range of destructive devices. The weapons also provide some pyrotechnical eye candy, taking full advantage of 3D acceleration. Most of the weapons systems are used to inflict damage, but a creative side arsenal provides gimmicks like invisibility and blinding phosphorous flares. You'll need to choose your ride to suit your style of play, too - each of the 10 available bikes has varying ratings in five different stats: top speed, acceleration, handling, weapons, and shield.
Although there's a lot of fun to be had here, there are a few annoying flaws that may turn you off. For one, it's single-player only. Hello, this is 1999, people! Unless you have a really good reason, a racing game better have some multiplayer support. Nothing smacks of laziness quite like the absence of multiplayer features in an action racing game. Also, I hate the password system employed, an obnoxious giant-character-string system that should have died along with the Sega Genesis.
Despite these quibbles, Extreme-G 2 was a pleasant surprise overall. The lack of replay value caused by the multiplayer oversight is partially offset by a good variety of tracks (12 in all), and the action itself is fast and visceral enough to keep you coming back for a while. Shift your brain into low gear and enjoy yourself.