- publisher: Gathering of Developers
- developer: Terminal Velocity
There is a saying, "if wishes were horses, beggars would ride". How many of us see the best luxury SUVs speeding down the freeway and wish, "I wish it was mine"? Or for those who actually own a Lexus SUV, how many of you wish you could actually use it for off-roading? Well folks… as beggars, we are about to ride.
Those fine developers at Terminal Reality are our genies, granting our wishes with their newest game called 4x4 Evolution. It is the newest racing game on the market, and the only one to my knowledge that lets you race your SUVs and other 4x4 vehicles.
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Although another racing game isn't that big of a deal, the most astounding thing about 4x4 is that is provides for crossplatform multiplayer racing. No, that's not a typo… I said cross platform. As in PC vs Mac vs DreamCast vs Playstation2! But more on that later.
In 4x4 Evolution there will be a total of 16 different areas from the Arctic to the Sierra Mountains. I say areas because they really aren't tracks, because you can go anywhere on the screen. Each area is said to be drastically different and each will feature its own distinctive design, music score, and difficulty level.
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You will be able to compete in a series of off-road races to make some serious cash, then use your winnings to upgrade and customize vehicles, selecting from many types of enhancements, including heavy-duty off-road suspension, brush guards, performance exhaust, and special off-road racing tires.
And customizablility seems to be the keyword for the 4x4 Evolution developers. You will be able to develop your own personal skins and paint details for your trucks. Also included in the game CD will be a track editor. And once this game gets on the internet, there will be an endless assortment of courses to download.
Also, thanks to those PR genius over there at Terminal Reality, you will be able to race many of your favorite real life SUVs, who's makers have given Terminal Reality licenses to transfer their truck onto the cyberworld. However, due to licensing restrictions, the vehicles in 4x4 Evolution will not show damage, although it will be reflected in the vechicles performance due to a realistic physics engine.
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Now more on the incredible multiplayer option of 4x4. 4x4 Evolution utilizes GameSpy's "peer to peer" technology to support Internet multi-player options between Sega Dreamcast, Mac and PC. You will be able to play with up to 8 other player on PC (or 4 on Dreamcast). PlayStation 2 compatibility is still in development for this game. You will also be able to upload your best statistics on the internet and compete in the world rankings for best 4x4 Evolution driver.
This game sounds like the SUV version of the Need For Speed series. If Terminal Reality can pull of the cross platform multiplayer gaming, it will be one of the breakthroughs in gaming today. Here's to Terminal Reality, hoping they can make all of our wishes come true.