Reviewed: October 6, 2002
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Universal Interactive

Developer
Terminal Reality

Released: September 24, 2002
Genre: Racing
Players: 2
ESRB: Everyone

6
7
5
7
6.8

Supported Features

  • Analog Control
  • Vibration
  • Memory Card (3 blocks)

    		•
    If the GameCube is lacking in any one genre it’s racing games. Okay, racing games and RPG’s, but for the purpose of this review let’s just say racing games. I recently had to review a racing wheel for the GameCube and Burnout and 4x4 Evo 2 were the only real racers I had for the system. Granted, they are too entirely different approaches to the sport of auto racing.

    4x4 Evo 2 lets you get back to nature, literally. All of the 30 tracks featured in this title take you to the most remote locations. Some courses are so primitive there are no roads or even tracks to follow. You might be racing across a desert guided only by course markers.

    Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Evo 2 is the fact you are racing real SUV’s that anyone with $20-30 grand can go buy at their nearest dealer. This is a great release for those who have the money to buy such a vehicle but lack the…err…right stuff to race their truck up a mountainside.

    The scope of 4x4 Evo 2 is huge with 40 trucks, jeeps, and SUV’s from all of the popular manufacturers; although FORD is mysteriously not among the line-up. Along with this impressive stable of vehicles are more than 90 real-world parts and upgrades that you can purchase with your winnings to improve your ride and chances of winning future races.

    Here is the complete features list for 4x4 Evo 2:

    • 32 amazing off-road tracks including 4 tracks exclusive to the GameCube
    • 40 real-world vehicles with 4 new trucks exclusive to the GameCube
    • 3 new career modes
    • New adventure system lets you go on exploration and rescue missions
    • New improved computer racing AI with 4 levels of difficulty
    • Improved lighting and reflection maps on vehicles
    • Increase polygon count for environments so landscapes are smoother and look better
    • New ALPINE navigation system
    • Improved weather effects including dust, mud, and water drops on windshield
    • Split-screen two-player racing mode
    There is so much to do in 4x4 Evo 2 that you may be overwhelmed at first, but like any great racing game the core is always the career mode and this game features one of the best. You start off with $100,000 to buy your first truck and equip it as you see fit.

    The parts and upgrade selection is vast with all sorts of extras you can add to your ride all sorted by category such as body, engine, lights, etc. Many parts only work on certain trucks and other parts require prerequisite parts. For instance, you can’t get a level 2 tune-up until you have gotten the level 1 tune-up, or you can’t buy the fog light until you have installed a roll bar.

    While the game is good about informing you as to what you need to buy each part, it is rather lacking in telling you how each upgrade will affect your vehicle. Perhaps I am spoiled by the system used in Gran Turismo 3 where each highlighted engine upgrade would show the potential increase in overall horsepower. In Evo 2 you simply rely on the assumption that if a part costs a lot of money it’s probably going to help you.

    Once you have your ride ready to go you can enter one of dozens of racing circuit challenges. Many are locked at first, but they will open up as you earn points and increase in rank. All of the 32 tracks are divided into smaller events such as the Tropical Circuit that features races in exotic locations like the rain forests of Costa Rica, or the Desert Classic that puts you in the Sahara Desert or racing around the pyramids of Egypt.

    You earn points by finishing in the top of the pack on each race, but there is no threat of failure as you can replay any lost race to get a higher position and more points. Not that I’m complaining mind you. Many of these races are between 15-20 minutes each and it is painful enough to have to replay an individual race. I can’t imagine having to replay an entire series because I failed to win.

    The physics leave much to be desired. The trucks all handled like monster trucks with those big balloon tires. In fact, this game plays much like the old Monster Truck Madness games from Microsoft. You can be driving a 4Runner or a Dodge Dakota or even a Jeep Wrangler and they all have this floaty feel to them. They get crazy air, slide around turns, and they tend to roll even more than Consumer Reports would have you believe. I practically had to force myself to purchase the weight reduction kits, which ultimately gave be a higher top speed but also caused me to have to register my truck with the FAA.

    The exploration and rescue modes are a nice diversion and let you use that winch you just spent $20,000 to perform a rescue operation or explore the various environments at your leisure. To reward your exploration there are money chests scattered about in hard to reach places that add to your bank account. As intriguing as these options are, you will undoubtedly spend most of your time in the career mode.

    The menus and interface are simple and easy to navigate. I had one major complaint during the truck selection screen on a non-career race in that no image is shown for the car you are choosing. In fact, the only time you see a truck is during the purchase process, in the garage, or in the car wash. Yes, dirt accumulates on your truck during races. I’m not sure if this affects your performance in anyway, but a shiny clean truck is necessary if you want to enjoy the real-time reflections and lighting effects that bounce off the paint job.

    Once in the race you can choose from a few standard camera angles including cockpit, and a near and far chase view. The replay modes offer many more exciting cinematic camera angles that capture all of the action from high above or as low as your bumper.

    The racing HUD is very nice and doesn’t detract from the game. The ALPINE navigation system (or GPS) is located in the top corner and shows your position relative to the other racers overlaid on a topo-map of the area. Unfortunately the track is not shown so you are still forced to use the 3D pointer in the top-center to locate your next checkpoint. A speedometer and stats display finish off the HUD.

    The speedometer also has an indicator to show if you are in 2WD or 4WD mode. Knowing when to switch into various gears and drive modes is critical in winning some of the more challenging races. If you find yourself struggling to get up that mountain you might want to check this display.

    The tracks range from gorgeous to blah. The rainforests of Costa Rica reminded me of the jungle levels of Smugglers Run: Warzone and the Egypt levels were stunning with their pyramids and toppling columns. There are winding mountain paths that lead up through snowcapped mountains, and trails that spiral through the English countryside past castles and fallen ruins.

    There are also some annoying levels like racing through the desert in the pitch-black of night. Many levels featured scripted events but everything seems to happen on the first lap making the remaining laps kind of boring. You might be driving through a collapsing temple or slip under a giant pillar as it topples toward the track, but it happens the same time every time so it’s only cool the first time you see it.

    There is some excellent weather effects along with time of day effects including sunsets, lens flares, fog, water, mud, and plenty of other realistic touches. The only thing I found missing was getting my windshield muddy and having to use wipers to be able to see out. There is a good raindrop effect both on the windshield and the virtual camera that does a good job of reducing visibility.

    Sound is pretty week. You have perhaps a dozens variations of an engine noise and since I don’t own an SUV or truck I cannot vouch for their authenticity. I did like the fact that the sounds changed in volume and tone depending on the camera angle you were driving and your distance from the truck.

    The music selection was pretty good with upbeat tunes perfect to the racing genre. Even after about 20 hours of racing I never got bored or annoyed by any of the music, perhaps because it was quite subdued and generally drowned out by the engine noise.

    There is a lot to do in 4x4 Evo 2. The career mode is vast and will take you upwards of 30-40 hours to complete everything. There is also some nice diversionary modes such as rescue and exploration plus a challenging two-player racing mode so you can show off your mad driving skills to your friends.

    If you are a motor head then you will love all the aspects of tweaking and tuning your truck into the ultimate racing machine, and if you simply want to race around in a large assortment of trucks on some really nice tracks then you will find many hours of driving goodness in this game.

    As long as you go into this game not expecting a serious racing simulation you won’t be sorry. The closest thing to a sim here is the parts and upgrades you need to buy and equip for each of your trucks. Once you hit the tracks 4x4 Evo 2 becomes a pure arcade racing experience.

    Given the lack of racers currently available for the GameCube it would be easy to recommend this game simply because there isn’t much else to fill the void. Fortunately for everyone, this is a really nice racing game that will provide many challenging hours of fun for everyone whether you love trucks or just racing in general.