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Extreme G-3 Racing GCN REVIEW by: Kazooie

Extreme-G has always been a rather fun racing series. The first 2 installments on the Nintendo 64 were, well, fun. Were they spectacular? No. Is Extreme G-3 spectacular? Yes. Extreme G-3 is definitely the best game in the series, and is undoubtedly one of the better games out now for Gamecube.

Graphically, Extreme-G 3 is brilliant. Every track in the game is a monstrous twisting zig zag of loops, corkscrews, hills, steep cliffs, and insane G turns. The real spectacle of Extreme-G 3 is the backgrounds to the courses. Right from the very first level's background, you can easily tell how beautiful this game is, with its gigantic city backdrop at sunset. You can see as far as the eye can see on every level, and what the eye can see is simply amazing. Fully detailed environments filled with amazing effects are a common site in Extreme-G 3. You will travel from vast cities to sparkling, snowy tundra's in this game. As you know, you will be blazing through tracks with insane speed, a very nice effect is at the higher speed, you will see the screen blur slightly as you push the sound barrier.

My only real complaint about the graphics is that some of the textures such as grass or foliage can be a little rough or grainy at times. It's not really noticeable unless you look closely, so it's not a big complaint at all. Overall, you will be amazed by the graphics in this game.

The audio in this game is right on with the superb graphics. The G bikes sound so good, it almost sounds like you're riding a 747-jet liner. As you accelerate, you will hear the screeching roar of the engine, which will grow louder and more intense as you climb in speed. When you near the sound barrier it will sound like you're riding a freaking rocket.

Extreme-G 3 is basically futuristic motorcycle racing at absolutely insane speeds. You can easily push and break the sound barrier in this game, which is a very nice effect. You will often be overwhelmed at how freaking fast these G bikes can push themselves.

Racing has never, and I mean NEVER been this frantic. You take control of a futuristic motorcycle jet engine hybrid known as a G bike. At the high speeds you will be racing, you will be forced to utilize your air breaks to slow and bank into a turn in order to take it correctly. If you're familiar with the racing genre, you are probably thinking that this is a slow process, and you need to really plan out your turn and be lined up correctly, etc, such as in the Gran Turismo series....wrong. As I stated before, racing has NEVER been this frantic. Remember, you're traveling at over 600 MPH here; you're in and out of most turns in a split second. You need to have reflexes like a cat to be able to maneuver in and out of turns quickly to avoid making contact with the wall which is not only detrimental to your speed, but can also damage your car and in extreme cases when your shields are low, make you blow up and take you out of the race.

One nice addition to the world of Extreme-G is the fact that now weapons aren't frantically gained and lost by ''picking'' them up during a race, and accidentally lost by accidentally ''picking up'' another power up. You know are able to go to the ''mall'' and buy your weapons before the race begins. Money is earned by winning races. Ammunition for these weapons are based on a bar that gradually decreases as you fire your weapon. Weapons range from chain guns to mortars, and everything in between. It's a big help to be on the last lap approaching the finish line with one car in front of you, and to be able to blast them to pieces in an instant.

There are several different modes throughout Extreme-G 3, the most important, of course, is the career mode. You start by picking a company, and then a rider, and then you can begin by entering leagues. Other modes include the Arcade Mode, Versus Mode, Practice and Time Trial (both of which are within Career Mode).

Overall, Extreme-G 3 is a very good game and is a lot of fun. What is does well is accomplish the sense of pure speed that you will be experiencing while playing. You should know this isn't the typical racing game. This is a fast paced and frantic blaze around the track with the addition of weapons, shields, and turbo. The whole concept of blazing speed with exaggerated tracks and a nice combat system were blended together almost flawlessly to produce one of the most fun and entertaining games the Gamecube has available for it.

Presentation This game is the third installment to the series and is faster and crazier than ever.	8.0
Graphics The levels and tracks in this game are great. Especially the big, well designed backgrounds.	8.5
Gameplay This futuristic racing game features many game modes which are bound to keep you pleased.	7.5
Overall If you enjoy speed, then this is definitely the game for you. No doubt about it. The game grabs you by the wrists and shows you extreme speed, head first.	8.0