Following in the footsteps of the San Francisco Rush series, Terminal Reality’s 4x4 Evolution is a game for the redneck, a game for the nature lover, and a game for the hardcore gamer. Causal gamers need not apply when it comes to 4x4 Evolution, because if you despise games like Sega GT and Gran Turismo, you won’t like 4x4 Evo at all.

Having played the demo on its release, I wasn’t very impressed with what 4x4 Evo had to offer. The trucks seemed ungodly in the control aspect, and it didn’t seem very fun. Upon receiving the final gold copy of the game, my first impressions where wiped away, and I found myself lost in 4x4 Evo’s broad career mode, and magnificent multiplayer.

Really the multiplayer aspect of the game has been praised nowhere near enough as it should. The sheer aspect of playing against people logged on to SegaNet with their Dreamcasts, or on an Apple computer in the same race with you (on a PC) is mind-boggling. In one multiplayer race, another racer and I got into a conversation; I didn’t even know he was playing on a Dreamcast until he told me so. There seems to be no cross-platform restrictions, except for the fact that DC gamers don’t have the ability to download new trucks and tracks. I’m not sure how Terminal Reality eliminated the lag, but I have yet to experience any while playing online. Everything you do in the main game effects how your multiplayer game will proceed. You can choose to use and one of the three classes of trucks in multiplayer, but using your customized Dodge Dakota Sport with a supercharger, and knowing that you EARNED that truck makes all the difference. To see a truck you designed (upgraded) take off of the finish line like a bat out of hell is so very sweet. In order to make this happen, and make you known for your vehicle, you need to start your career.

4x4 Evo’s career mode can be compared to a wealth of games out there, but while playing it, I found myself thinking of Sega GT on the Dreamcast. You begin, simply enough, with $30,000 to buy a stock vehicle (no upgrades, no frills) and as many upgrades as you can until your wallet runs dry. Take that truck and enter a special series (meaning the races have a connection somehow i.e. weather, truck class) or standard race (a collection of tracks) and try to get first place. Each series has a purse amount that is divided to all racers depending on finishing position. Win a few races, upgrade your truck, or buy a whole new one and enter some more competitions. You will find yourself trying to stop, but convincingly persuading your mind to let you have a few more minutes to add that supercharger and let you really haul some ass.

The graphics in 4x4 Evo are, as expected in today’s competitive world, very well done and very beautiful. Elements such as draw distance, and detail can be changed to accommodate your video card. The worse thing in the world is losing a race because your computer unloads frames one at a time. With nice weather and water effects this game is easily one of the most beautiful racing games I have had a chance to play. It also helped that you can crank the resolution and 32 bit color. The environments on several of the tracks have interactive models in the simplest terms. On one track a tractor will go back and forth across the course trying to hit you. On another you have a gate blocking your way, or bails of hay trying to keep you on the track.

The sound is where the game begins to stumble. The techno/rock music is very well done, and enjoyable to a point. For some reason once a music track has begun to play at the beginning of the race that will be the only song you will hear. Sometimes races can last upwards of ten minutes when you race on some of the longer tracks, and listening to the same song over and over and over can get on your nerves very fast. Also, in multiplayer when the game needs to access the CD for the music track it can make your computer skip, almost like a spike in your lag. The sound effects are adequate, nothing above nor below average here.

No game is without its faults, and 4x4 Evo sure does have a lot of them.

To start things off, I am really disappointed to see no damage modeling at all on any of the trucks. It may be that they are officially licensed by their manufactures and they don’t want to see them get all banged up in the game, I don’t know, but it does take away from the realism aspect. Another thing that takes away from the realism is the face that your cars seem to be aquatic. Upon falling off of a bridge on one of the tropical tracks, I proceeded to drive around on the ocean bed. I could buy the fact that this may happen in a James Bond movie (The Spy Who Loved Me), but I don’t think that is supposed to happen on a weekend drive in the suburbs.

I commented above on the graphical engine, but putting so much beauty into the game, I think they may have forgot to program proper collision detection. It is there in one form or another, just hard to understand. Upon being launched off of a massive jump on the Savage Wasteland track I landed on top of my opponent’s vehicle. We bounced up and down several times together, and the next thing I knew he was about 20 feet in front of me and I was at a dead stop. This could be attributed to the wacky physics engine, but I don’t think this would happen if I took my Dad’s Silverado for a little hang-time.

Apparently the gravity of the earth has been turned to low, or someone has been messing with the “grav” command in the console (a la Quake). Taking off from a jump will leave you floating in the air, and hitting the slightest bump will propel you airborne. Needless to say, this isn’t a simulation, and if Rush has taught me anything, flying over 10 city blocks is sure more fun than driving through them.

Overall, 4x4 Evolution is a great game, and an awesome addition to any gamer’s collection. Don’t expect this one to just throw you into the seat of the best truck, you will have to earn that ride, and that may turn off a number of casual gamers who just assume jump in and give it a go. With cross-platform, lag-less multiplayer, and amazing graphics this game sure is fun to play. Sure the inconsistencies in the physics model and collision detection do detour away from the true greatness of the game, especially in close races, but in the end 4x4 Evolution is a grand racing experience that should, at the very least, be sampled by any racing fan.