XGRA: The Racing Game Nobody Talks About Anymore (But Should)
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2024
- For this deep dive, Rowan takes a look at the forgotten gem XGRA: Extreme G Racing Association. The final installment in the Extreme-G gaming series hit consoles with little fanfare and has since faded into obscurity. But perhaps XGRA's soundtrack, gameplay and style warrant a comeback one day or at the very least some extra appreciation.
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I am 100% with you on BT. I bought his album "Movement in Still Life" after discovering him playing this game and he has been one of my favourite artists since.
SAAAAAAME
If you ever get a chance, check out BT's This Binary Universe. It's a very well produced album. If you have a surround sound audio setup, I would highly recommend the DTS CD version.
@@Aquatarkus96 Way ahead of you there. I bought his whole discography. The Internal Locus is an absolute masterpiece.
this album is MONUMENTAL its so amazing and even though i was like 7 or 8 my brother who was 18 or 19 was huge into it and got me into it so i knew this album but the fact it was in this game really secured it into my holy grails
This game is the whole reason why I got into EDM like Trance/House so long ago.
2:20 Just a minor note that you have this backwards. In the original games, weapons were picked up mariokart style and there was no money, and in XG3, weapons were purchased in the menu using winnings from races and the ammunition was restored on the track via purple recharge areas.
Came into the comments looking for this correction!
That threw me off at first in EG3
I literally came straight to the comments lol you ain’t even play XG3
Thank you for noting this. When I saw that I was like "uhh, that's correct.." LOL. He has definitely not played the first game. Well, maybe/hopefully he has now finally played it since it just recently dropped on the Nintendo Switch Online.
The XGR series deserves to be brought back.
Wipeout mega collection is pretty nice
@@Markedsoulofficial sadly it took away one KEY feature from the original HD Fury for the most stupid reasons... custom soundtracks!
This game is what solidified my love for electronic music and a huge reason why I have a career in it. Mentioned this game in depth in an interview I had. Glad it’s getting recognized
Best racing game i ever played. I discovered celdweller as an artist from these tracks, the learning curve of handeling the bikes is excellent, altough finiky at first. Each bike realy handels differendly and you can feel that as you drive them. But norhing beats the feeling when you master them. But the best part is that feeling when you break the sound barrier, the music fades out and you feel the speed that is awsome.
In XG2 bikes are also driven by a human. There was something like in-game video where a man sits into a bike and cockpit closes above him.
XGRA blew my mind when it first came out. The graphics are nuts and the soundtrack is perfect. At least the series went out on a high note.
Look at Oceania track in XG3. Or look at different tracks in XG2, those are really feel like they are on different planets, not just different cities or settings on one planet.
One of my biggest fantasies is an open world XGRA game with 2022 technology along with custom map making and custom bikes/characters. If people came together as a community it could happen
Underrated as hell. So glad you made a video on this. XGRA was amazing and the nostalgia hits so hard when I hear "Can You Feel The Rush"
I would give an XGR revival/spiritual successor a try especially after getting into getting hooked into both Ballistic NG and GRIP: Combat Racing. BNG and G:CR are in the Psygnosis racing molds that Wipeout helped create but that series hasn't been given a new entry since last gen's Omega Collection. I also highly recommend Ballistic and GRIP for how they keep the community engaged.
Have you played RedOut 2? There are no weapons, pure anti-gravity racing, pretty challenging. Lots of pitch control needed.
Somewhat off topic but I remember in XG3, if you pitch down when going down a hill and pitch up when going up a hill, you get a slight speed boost. That concept is also seen in RedOut 2.
RedOut 2 is on my try list, but only after I get used to 1.
@@tipulsar85 Lol I just skipped the first one. I hear the ships slide too much and the learning curve is even harder. But the graphics are awesome on the 2nd one
@@Shorty15c4007I've never had so much fun playing time trials in a video game than when I did it in the original Redout.
@@Shorty15c4007 Having completed Redout, you get used to the handling after a few races just like any other Anti gravity racing game. I couldn't tell you if it slid too much, but throwing the craft into turns at max speed class was the highlight of my playtime. That coupled with the dynamic music is just perfect.
I love and miss WipEout, but the cheer focus on speed in Redout is something I crave for lol.
The last that I heard about the XG series license was that it was still available and had been ignored by everybody for absolute years. From the rumor's I heard it was considered such a dead property that the license rights for the entire series were up for sale for a total pittance ( By that I mean something real stupid like $100 or less, ) for anybody who will take them as long as they did something with them and FAST. Apparently there's been no takers, though that news is probably a couple of years old by now. But if you know a development team you can prod in the elbow enough to pay attention those rights may still be out there for the taking and eXtreme-G may yet live again.
Going downhill while hitting the speedstroke followed up by a lighting strike (soundbarrier) was so epic about this game. Sadly, it was never remastered for a comeback :(
I found this game from a Steam Workshop map for Distance based on Dunroth's Folly. Watching footage to that in turn introduced me to BT, as well as Celldweller's debut album (I'd only listened to End of an Empire), so it was honestly a nice discovery.
A spiritual successor is needed for this one.
Xtreme-G III & Xtreme-G Racing Association need a remaster and brought to next gen consoles. I can only image what these games would look like in Unreal Engine 5!!
Man, it didn‘t have to end like that. Please let it return!
I came over from your other channel and this is also pretty well made, subscribed.
I still remember every level. The sound track was crazy good. Remember the commercials? Lol
This look a game that be perfect for a remastered. Just bring the graphics update and rerelease it.
The license for most Acclaim games were bought by Throwback, who are just sitting on the IPs and doing absolutely nothing with them.
The most we've seen is a steam release for XG2
I did not know about that!! Looking it up now.
I have all 4 Extreme G games. XGRA is my second favorite out of the series.
I completely forgot about this game. I rented this from Blockbuster a lot back in the day. I wish I could play it again.
Oh how great rollcage, wipeout, xgr, even motorstorm could be today.
One of my all time favorite video games, I still think about this game to this day. It would be a dream to see this game in future VR headsets. Or possibly another game that’s similar yet, also just as fast, chaotic, and fun. Thank you so much for even mentioning this game. Liked and subscribed, cheers!
Funny you say this. There is one on quest 2
@@travislowrider6623 what is the game called good sir?
@@travislowrider6623 care to share this info?
Had no idea there was another XGR game after 3! I still play XGR on N64 and Gamecube. Definitely adding this soon. Great vid and thanks!
Extreme G 2 got a release on Steam not too many years ago. Thats the only life I've seen in this franchise since XGRA was released back in olden times. Was a really fun series, though. It and Burnout 3 are the two most memorable racers from that era to me.
The Burnout games are awesome!
Correction: In Extreme G 1 and 2, weapons are picked up on the track like Mario Kart, and Extreme G 3, weapons are bought from the shop.
In XG3 you don't pick weapons on the track mario kart style, you buy them between races
I liked this one more than XG3. Gameplay was more accessible, less fiddling in menus more straight to the point races. Multiplayer was also much more fun.
XGRA is my favorite in the Extreme G series. Great soundtrack too. I remember going by GameStop back in 2007 and that’s when I saw it I had to get it. Still play it to this day. I’d love to see this on the Switch.
I remembered playing this! The older boys that attended my mom's daycare would rent it and bring it over.
I have some good news about Extreme G. A Canadian company named Throwback Entertainment bought the rights to a lot of Acclaim's titles and EG series is one of them. So there is hop that we may see this series again.
And we have. The original Extreme G is on the Switch Online service.
after being reminded of this game, i'm really surprised the folks at Digital Extremes never put anything like this in warframe, the style and need is there, i don't play warframe as much as i used to but a mode like this would likely bring me back for some time
Xgra should make a comeback
LEGENDARY, Rocket League should adapt to a race mode.
you ever go so fast your game system couldn't handle it, good times
My only gripe with this. One was that you had gimmicks to deal with. Destroy this sign, kill a certain driver, etc.
I do believe an up to date game like this, whether anti-gravity or bike would definitively catch up.
It's just a question of not simply making a PS2 game with today's graphics, there needs to be more gameplay element and features. I crave for a WipEout or XGRA with interactive or dynamic tracks like Split Second. A campaign where you and contenders improve your vehicle between races throughout the season like F1.
The real reason we don't see more of these is because no one's making bucks out of them. If Mario kart can work, this 100% can too. Focus just needs to be at the right place... and have actual marketing for Christ sake.
Yess yess yes. Best part of xtreme-g were the soundtrack, the acid trip map design, the sense of speed and being hard to master. I think Xtreme-G III didn't fit into the series though. For a come-back could imagine music from the likes of Eprom, Spray, Blame the Mono, Celldweller, also Mellow Sonic. But i don't really know active artists with the xact xtreme-g vibes. Ideas anyone?
I absolutely loved this game; and still own it for GameCube
Ill never forget getting this game from block buster and being mad i had to return it..
One of my favorite racing games on my ps2.. amazing soundtrack and still the fastest paced game I’ve ever played.. had to turn well before any corner.. shame we will never see anything like it again, especially in the soundtrack
The rider thing was introduced in Extreme G 2.
It wasn't the best for racing but Dunroth's Folly is visually spectacular (I played it on X-box)
XGRA was a phenomenal game, if I knew anything i get it remastered. I don't even know who owns the rights after the filed bankruptcy and discontinued their work. :( Ran into this video looking for a way to play it today!
Just bought it because I was just playing demo disc and remembered how hard it was as a kid. As a wipeout fan this had me just in love with the psychotic speeds that just require faster reaction time then Wipeout. I really want this game remastered just updated graphics.🤤
finished it 3 times. favorite racer is Jakar.
I love X-G 1, 2, & RA. I didn't like the gameplay of 3.
X-G 1 & 2 definitely had you picking up weapons on the track, Mario Kart style.
That I'm absolutely certain of.
And I'm pretty sure that the moto-vehicles had drivers/riders as well. I know they definitely had people. But I don't remember anything about remote piloting.
They were remote piloted in the first game. They had drivers by the second game.
Randomly popped in my head thinking about xgra from an entirely different video
I'm not normally into racing games and I honestly think this game just ruined most of them
If it can't match a bike breaking the sound barrier as bt plays in the background while driving though space then idk if it's worth it
Mark IV on vixen for speed but the best weapons went to templar
Driving in front of the ai and dropping mines right on top of them or calling in an orbital death strike was the best way to win
And also yeah I'd love to see this game remastered
There's still a small following for Redout & Wipeout these days. I personally think more people would get into antigrav racers if they had a full story to go along with them. similar ot how deathmatch died out, no story means players stop caring. many people only remember pod racer for this reason, it had the whole star wars world around it. If you could find some futuristic "ready player one" style world and put an antigrav racing game in it, maybe that could be a hit. then eventually release a standalone racing game, that still has lots of detail from the original story.
I wish they could bring this game in a new version back, its one of my favorite 😭👍🏻
I agree that the XG series should be revived but I want to make some clarifications
The first game was in fact Extreme G and not XG2
Extreme G and XG3 was all about the "vibrant colors" while XG2 and XGRA took a much darker vibe
XGRA actually takes place in 2080. not the 23th century (that would be XG3)
XG2 was the first game to have manned bikers, not XG3
In XG1 and XG2, weapons were acquired using pickups littered on the track (same with XGRA). And yes all games did drain your energy, but that was only to weapon systems itself
I can kinda see now why the personality of the XGRA characters and the gritty and industrial tone of the game didn't seem anything too much far off from our current reality, they're technically the sons of the sons of the generation alpha Kids, not too far off when It comes to dynasty.
Also, i know i'm probably gonna get hate for this, but i personally prefer the dark, more "realistic" tone of XGRA and XG2 compared to the others, but that's Just my personal opinion.
@@Noblekale4006 I agree with you, I play XG2 and XGRA the most
What sci-fi car racing game is that at the beginning?
Jak X: Combat Racing.
this game also reminds me of the anime movie redline, if you hadn't seen it you should give it a try, both are peak
2:21 Where did you pull that from? Everything in that sentence is wrong, I think you got the games mixed up.
I played a bunch of XG/2 in my life and I don't remember there ever being currency, you just grabbed the weapons as icons on the track itself, like Wipeout and Mario Kart, since game one. Nothing about depleting energy by using them either.
Now, I've never played XG3 but from the footage I've seen, looks like it has a system more similar to what you described.
it didn’t continue because Acclaim went broke
Sonic boom!
I actually prefer the N64 games, just personally found them more fun, but the 6th gen ones are still really good too, just different in a lot of ways. Naturally they have better graphics along with better framerates due to the more powerful hardware of the Gamecube/PS2, which is a big plus over the more sluggish N64 games. IMO the first game has the best music in the series as well..really great stuff. I would likewise love to see some talented devs obtain the rights to the IP and bring it back from the dead, but I don't have much hope of it ever happening. The series has been dead for so long now. 😑 Long gone are the late 90s/early 2000s glory days of futuristic racers. Nintendo hasn't made a new F-Zero in decades now, save for F-Zero 99 which I don't really consider a new game per se. At least we got Fast RMX. Fantastic game that everyone needs to play, essentially a modern day F-Zero.
Most racing fans consider XG2 and XG3 to be far superior to XGRA. XGRA is hated tbh, mostly due to the voices and taunts popping up. That was extremely annoying and corny. The HUD was too cluttered. But the racing is still solid. I would mute the voices and disabled the annoying target reticle whenever I played XGRA.
I just want to go faaaast. F-zero did not need a "story" nor did wipeout and those games are waaaaaaaay more successful. They just had good gameplay.
Also the soundtrack was considered the weakest by many of the series due to using dance/trance pop and other industrial pop songs instead of "hardcore" more pure electronic songs used in previous games. I didn't mind it too much myself, but it's definitely not as great as F-zero or Wipeout. For example, F-zero's Big Blue track is extremely colorful, vibrant, memorable, and the soundtrack was banging.
People hated the XGRA tracks for being bland and gray but tbh XGRA tracks are waaaaay bigger than F-zero and Wipeout. It's hard to fill tracks that big with interesting stuff. Wipeout can get away with minimalist designs and and futuristic japanese aesthetic but that wouldn't work for a giant motorcycle track that allows supersonic speeds.
But I don't blame XGRA developers for trying something different. They couldn't compete with F-zero and wipeout in sales and had to do something "interesting"
Eh, XGRA is just OKAY. Its not particularly difficult compared to XG3. XGRA definitely has more "character", most of it is just early 2000s cringe, but feels like it just fell flat at the end. I like how they give you a short celebration video after beating a speed class but no finale celebration when you beat the whole game. Just a "Congrats, you beat the game" text.
you got so many things wrong about XG. it's funny. but it is a great race game.
What game?
Xgra wasnt horrible or anything but my least favorite in the series.
Because this game is shit in comparison to previous XG3 and even to older XG2.
Played it today and by god the controls are so fucking worse compared to the original game.