4x4 EVO 2

GAME DETAILS :-

Developer : Terminal Reality

Publisher : Gathering Of Developers

Engine : Not Revealed

Genre : Rally / Off-Road Racing

Release Date : October 30 , 2001

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS :-

Operating System : Windows 98 / Windows 2000

CPU : AMD Athlon Classic K75 / Intel Pentium III Processor

Memory (RAM) : 256 MB

Graphics Hardware : DirectX 8.0 Compatible Video Card with Memory 32 MB

[NVIDIA : GeForce 2 MX Series
ATI : Radeon 7200 Series]

Hard Disk Space : 1.5

GAME FEATURES :-

4x4 EVO 2 features a healthy selection of game modes and a greater emphasis on the single-player experience than its predecessor. First, there's time attack mode, where you try to set record laps. Then, there's the obligatory quick race, which lets you jump right into the action without any fuss (other than awkward, ugly menus). You can choose from 30 courses, and you can race at midday or dusk and drive under clear conditions or various levels of fog and rain. After each race, you can watch replays with a VCR-style control panel. Surprisingly, there aren't any difficulty levels or options, and the default settings might be pretty tough for racing novices. You can race between one and 20 laps against up to seven computer-controlled opponents or compete online via a somewhat convoluted and buggy server browser. 4x4 Evolution's ability to let you race against those with console versions of the game is gone in the sequel. The manual touts a two-player versus mode, though this was inaccessible, despite having the required two controllers installed. If you play against the computer, prepare for both excitement and frustration. To find those shortcuts, you can play in the free roam mode, where there's no pressure and no competition. You just drive to your heart's content, enjoying the scenery or smashing into it as you see fit. As with the quick race mode, free roam lets you choose any course, the time of day, and the weather conditions. Of course, you can't do death-defying, acrobatic stunts in a 4x4 EVO 2, so once the novelty of the environments wears off, the free roam mode can get pretty dull in a hurry. The quick race, time attack, and free roam modes let you choose vehicles from three classes, beginning with stock vehicles and progressing to ones heavily modified for off-road racing. All three classes feature real-world trucks and SUVs from GMC, Mitsubishi, Chevrolet, Lexus, Toyota, Dodge, Jeep, Nissan, and Infiniti. The game boasts 120 models in all, including variants of the Dodge Durango, Mitsubishi Montero, Nissan Xterra, Toyota Tacoma, and other well-known models. In practical game terms, many of the different models perform quite similarly, so while the game technically has 120 vehicles, in practice it feels like far fewer. With money that you win in various racing series, you can purchase new vehicles, as well as licensed parts from Goodridge, K&N, IPF, Rancho, and others. These range from high-performance air filters and snorkels for river fording to things as mundane as a sun visor.

4x4 EVO 2's audio has its faults, too. The soundtrack falls prey to the music malady suffered by so many racing games these days: acute techno disorder. Monotonous, disposable electronic beats hammer away at you from the moment you start up the game. Some of the tunes are just forgettable, while some are so in-your-face bad that you'll be blissfully thankful you can mute the music. The sound effects fare much better. The engines sound convincingly throaty, and the sounds of jouncing suspension and slipping tires draw you into the action. The physics in 4x4 EVO 2 are relaxed from reality, making a compromise between an arcade racer and a realistic sim, with the emphasis on the former. You'll get a great sense of speed as you hurtle down hills in the fog, with your truck rocking every which way as you bang over the rough terrain. Unfortunately, the game's physics are beset with frustrating oddities that can really detract from your enjoyment of the game. Trucks seem to stick to each other as if they had giant Velcro sheets glued to their sides. If you barely touch another truck, you'll slow dramatically. When you're roaring around a track and trying to dodge vicious competitors, it can be extremely hard to guess in an instant what that upcoming something-or-other in the road might do to you. Driving off a mountain or landing on top of a truck after leaping off a sand dune should at least put a dent in your vehicle. The force feedback setup options only allow you to change the raw force and spring strength, so if you want to fine-tune the feedback, you'll need to exit the program and handle it through your controller software. Either way, the force feedback effects are strong but only give you a generic sense of riding over rough terrain instead of a better read on any subtle forces acting on your truck. 4x4 EVO 2 features a single handling slider that lets you easily select more of either one. No matter how you tweak your truck, though, this is not a subtle game--you can pretty much mash the accelerator to the floor most of the race, and that will serve you well enough. If you can put up with some frustrating inconsistencies and technical problems, 4x4 EVO 2 offers some thrilling off-road racing.

GAME REVIEW :-

8/10

4x4 Evo 2 Trailer :-