Extreme-G

the soundtrack carries this for miles

Extreme-G set a new standard for third party racers on the N64 when it arrived in 1997; it's surprisingly polished, well-presented and packed with content. The handling of the bikes is finely tuned and the game still feels great to play. Can't forget that soundtrack, either.

There are twelve tracks in total, which become more complex on the harder game modes. In some cases, though, the design of the harder tracks can be at odds with the flow of the gameplay; they're sometimes overly narrow or have bits of geometry jutting out that'll jarringly stop your bike in its tracks. The wider and more straightforward tracks are more fun to race on.

Various weapons are available to help you slow other racers. They can be effective at times, but on some tracks there aren't enough available and to be honest they're not always as fun to use as those in Mario Kart 64 for example. This is one of the few areas in the game that perhaps could've used more work, though interestingly there is an option to turn off the weapons entirely.

A fast, fun and compelling futuristic racer.