3Xtreme

My girlfriend called it. "Aren't these guys embarrassed?" she asked in amazement as she stared at 3Xtreme, "the first game was so much better!"

I almost hated to admit she was right. After all, by working as a reviewer over the last five years, I have come to represent the videogame industry in our household. And I'll tell you something, things don't look so great for me or the industry when the third game of a franchise looks and plays worse than the original game. I had some explaining to do.

MEMORIES

The original, 1995 edition of Xtreme Games was a huge hit around The Electric Playground. It was a completely unique racing experience that was loaded with violent spills and first rate extras. Xtreme 1 established goodies like the gate system, where you could earn cash, open up secrets or pick up season points by passing through the appropriate gates on your way to the finish line. There were great short cut routes, awesome jumps and twenty different opponents that you had to bump and bash if you wanted to claim a victory. There were also cool obstacles like falling boulders, moving trains, cafe tables and even innocent little chickens and rabbits that had picked the wrong time to cross the road.

Needless to say, the first Xtreme Games received ample playtime around EP. Frankly, as one of the first games available for Sony's brand new system (we bought it on launch day, September 9, 1995), we were all quite surprised by how much fun it was.

It's apparent that the developers of 3Xtreme went back to their roots for the design of the latest installment in the series. After the dismal 2Xtreme, something had to be done to bring back the fun.

I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU PULL A STUNT LIKE THAT

3Xtreme borrows the only cool feature of 2Xtreme; the crazy aerial stunts and tricks. The stunt work in 3Xtreme is definitely the game's best feature and the only thing that kept me interested. Although eventually I did find it tiring boosting off a ramp and watching my boarder, biker or skater perform one death defying whirl or flip after another, for the first few hours with the game, those zany moves more than held my attention. I think I may have even said, "wahoo," once or twice.

Wisely the developers of 3Xtreme chose to abandon the feeble snowboarding of the previous game and the silly street luge found in the first Xtreme. What you'll find on this latest disc is a collection of BMX bikes, skateboards and in-line skates -- all officially branded, of course.

The three modes of transport all handle quite well. Pulling off unique tricks on each of the rides is hassle free. In fact riding one of the many rails that appear throughout the game is perhaps a little more "hassle free" than it should be. These rails seem to be outfitted with magical stick 'em powder (echoing the magnetic rails of Radical's X Games Pro Boarder). Once you hop on to a rail you basically can't fall off. This is not, as the video at the top of the game so clearly illustrates, how it is in real life.

When it comes to these games, my preference has always been to ride a skateboard or strap on a pair of blades but I have to admit that the BMX bikes pleasantly surprised me in 3Xtreme. They looked and handled better than the bikes found in either of the two previous Xtreme games.

One aspect of the Xtreme franchise that was changed for the second installment and continues here, is the player/equipment lock. In the first Xtreme, you chose an athlete and then supplied any equipment you felt like (blades, skateboard, bike or street luge). I preferred this approach. It gave players a chance to try out all kinds of equipment with their athlete in any given season. In 3Xtreme, your equipment choice determines the character you'll play and you're stuck with that mode of transport and that character until you finish the season (although you can upgrade the same style of equipment along the way).

In addition to the Season and 1- or 2-Player Exhibition modes (there is no 2-Player Season), 3Xtreme also comes packed with 1- or 2- Player Time Trial and Freestyle modes. Time Trial is your basic "slalom to the end of the course as fast as you can" type deal, while Freestyle mode lets you show off all of the fancy moves you've learned on a timed stunt course. Freestyle is quite enjoyable, especially with a friend.

2-D OR NOT 2-D?

The original Xtreme Games used a hybrid 2-D sprite and 3-D polygon world to convey its action. The look of the first game was clean, the frame rate was solid but the animation was only adequate. Going back and looking at Xtreme 1, it's easy to see that the game, while still attractive, is certainly not as flashy as some of the current 3-D action and racing titles on the PSX. It's not too surprising then, to discover that this time the artists and coders decided to bring Xtreme into a full 3-D polygonal world.

The end result is that 3Xtreme sports a collection of well illustrated and fluidly animated poly-athletes racing through solidly designed (and quite dangerous) 3-D environments. However, for all that this improved character design and mo-cap animation brings to the game, other visual elements suffer.

First of all, the 27 racing environments in 3Xtreme (12 Season, 5 Freestyle and 10 Time Trial tracks, respectively), although well textured and lit, do not have the same sense of character and spark that was prevalent on the streets of San Francisco, the hills of Utah, or in the jungles of South America, which were all found in the first game.

Also, the game world of 3Xtreme doesn't scroll towards us with the same level of smoothness as the (albeit simplified and repetitive) environments of the original game. The abundance of 3-D textured polys makes the PlayStation work hard to keep a decent frame rate going.

Although I enjoyed the stylish designs and animations of the various X-punks that litter 3Xtreme, I have to say that I missed the angry mob that populated the original game. Instead of 20 flailing speed demons competing for first place, this latest game only sports 6 civilized X-thletes. There are plenty of long stretches (it can take 5 minutes to complete a race) where you won't have anyone to punch at all. Sigh. And the two-player games don't have any computer opponents to pound on at all! Tsk-tsk.

NO SCRIMPING ON SOUND

The music of 3Xtreme is a major improvement over the lame-o rock n' grunge tunes of the past. Worldly drum and bass beats are accentuated by terrific grind guitar and space age keyboard droplets. The music is high energy, high quality and completely suited to the activities of the game.

3Xtreme's FMV intro sequence features some killer riffs from fast and furious Sony band, Ultraspank. The band's tunes underscore the tragic spills of the hapless stunt dogs in the opening video perfectly. You'll want to go and take out life insurance after you watch the guys in the video clips maim themselves over and over again.

The sound effects of 3Xtreme aren't really anything new. Frankly the soundsmiths behind the original Xtreme Games got it right the first time. Skateboards clatter as they hit crunchy landings. Bike chains whir to life as riders pedal for the win. Concrete stairs offer stuttering moments of silence and rollerblade glide. The wipeouts will still make you wince, particularly every time you slam into the side of a gate. And of course, those "kung-fu movie"-style punches will always be effective.

IT'S NOT THAT HORRIBLE IS IT?

I wasn't impressed by 3Xtreme. Perhaps it's because I have such a soft spot for the original Xtreme Games. Or maybe the series itself has overstayed its welcome? I don't know.

I will say that the new game is miles ahead of the previous effort. I enjoyed the stunts and I loved the slick style of the game but it didn't take me long to get bored. Not Xtreme enough for me I guess.

Pros

Cons

Bottom Line