4x4 Evolution Review

Distinctive vehicle damage cannot be found, which decreases reality in game. Actually all of the realistic bollocks kinda pissed me of, cause I tended to use the off-road gag quite often, and then I would hit trees and rocks while driving like a maniac. All the same, when I got a few necessary car fragments I leapt with joy when the car started to respond to my commands. You can dodge obstacles far easier. I guess that a good choice of the car in the beginning is imperative. Maybe if they gave a little more money than 30.000 $ you could buy a better truck, but this might make the gameplay even more effortless and dull than it already is. Another important piece in the game is the class of the car that you select. I thought that the Nissan Pathfinder XE was best, but after a while I concluded that the Toyota's models are the only ones that could satisfy my needs. In order to push the trucks to their maximum I had to acquire a lot of parts; the racing gearbox for the axle ratio is useful for easier maneuverings on the curvy tracks. Later, I found that a Compact class SUV like the Chevy Blazer LS 2-DR is as capable as Japanese vehicles. It has better acceleration speed, brake, and handling balance. If you have money to obtain such machine, you can circumvent the minor problems that aggravate the drivers of cheaper SUVs.

Throughout the track racing your screen will display all sorts of useful stuff; like, the small radar screen, your position in the race, and in the lower portion of the monitor you can see the tachometer, speedometer, and gear position. I think you're gonna find that out of all the cameras the only practical one would be the cockpit. This is an enormous down-side because you get pretty bored with that one view that greatly limits your vision all through the race, making your opponents kinda hidden. If they're behind you, they would normally show up on the rear view mirror. It seems TR has spent more time coughing up car parts than concentrating on clear and trouble-free gameplay.

During the pauses between races, a superb elctronic-break-beat-junlge-kinda- metalic-techo sounding music can be heard. This music goes nicely with the game's sound effects, which could, by the way, use a little more particulars than just the occasional engine bursting and bird singing. When you come close to the SUV in front of you, it will cast a pile of dirt and gravel in your face. This effect has an excellent sound, but it sucks visually. It would have been more original if your windshield became instantly filthy, and then you could turn the screen-wipers on, and then you could switch the GPS tracking system on, after that you could, possibly, play a DVD movie while you drive. Following this you would be able to heat up a burrito in your fancy little microwave and after that, turn on the unavoidable dandy computer screen that would appear out of the blue and you would be able to play Asteroids on it...Of course, all of this is academic. Still, it would be nice.

As for the multiplayer features, surprisingly they're not more enjoyable. The PC version lacks a split-screens mode, which is OK cause split-screens suck where I come from. Oh sure, if you really want to experience this ecstatic way of playing you will have to buy a Sega Dreamcast (bah! I hate Sega! Go PC!).

Do not despair beloved PC split-screen-lovin fans; TR has a solution for ye, although it's more like a compensation for this missing game component. Terminal Reality will offer a free downloadable track editor that allows PC gamers to create their own tracks. So, there you have it. More tracks will mean more single player varieties and you'll always have Internet and LAN playing. In the end you won't even need any of that split-screen crap. This small amount of game restrictions is easily remedied with new game features. That is, if TR plans to make something more than that track editor, like a sequel or an expansion pack or something.

To summarize, this is an excitingly realistic off road rally-driving game that's gonna knock your balance senses off and turn you into a road-dirt worshiping freak. It will bring you electrifying gameplay and unrealistically good fun. When you find yourself flying in the open air, like Keano's speeding little super-bus, you may notice that the game is in conflict with every single law of nature & physics, but it's exuberating like hell. Next to this kinda gaming there's virtually nothing stirring left to experience. All of the game thrills and emotional spills won't last long and that's the main drawback. Once again we have the case of amazing visuals and graphics, lacking attempts to brighten the game with more single player features. So, you have nothing lasting to hold on to, the boredom starts very quickly after the first 5, or 6 races. Nobody's perfect, but this whole thing may've been better if the developers concentrated on additional options for enhancing both multi-player and single player features. Beyond the critics, comments, and the rest of the crappy suggestions that you read in this review, be aware that if you do not buy this game, or rent it at least, your gonna be missing a lotta damn good fun (at least for a few hours). It may not possess the thrills of city driving like Midtown Madness II, but it can provide you with hours of great off road racing excitement. I must acknowledge that certain, rather small aspects of the game, are fundamentally eminent when compared to other racing games. Finding short cuts to the next checkpoint is this game's main secret, and if you disregard it, you will remain unaware of the crucial qualities of 4x4E. The SUV can be a powerful 'weapon', especially if used in the right way. This sounds OK, but, it's not enough to base an entire game on.