Gravity is indeed a harsh mistress -- so why not just get rid of it completely? I mean, sure it would present a few logistical problems what with that whole floating in the air thing, but at least you wouldn't fall on the ground...right? This is, of course, the premise behind XGRA: Extreme-G Racing Association, the fourth game in the successful Extreme-G series of games. Although the game is ambitious in scope, it is also hindered with a few minor technical issues.

>From the first race until that last one, XGRA contends with some serious frame rate problems. For the most part, the game runs at a smooth rate, but never long enough for you to really get settled into a groove. Without fail, whenever I would begin to get a little comfortable with racing and start to try some tricky maneuvers, the frame rate would hiccup and blow off my timing. This becomes even more of a problem when you throw in weather effects like rain and snow. Visually, the game doesn't look much different than it's predecessor, Extreme-G 3. Overall, the game is solid and conveys a true sense of speed (even with the choppy frame rate). The texture work on the environments and vehicles is nice, but terribly blurry and dark.

Music is the typical blend of hard rock and techno found in other racing titles. Most of the music is licensed stuff, featuring bands like BT and Cirrus, but I couldn't even begin to say that I've heard of any of the groups. I found this a bit peculiar since the usual tendency with licensed tracks is to get stuff people know -- but it's cool to hear stuff I'm usually not exposed to. Bike sounds are generally good and make the machines sound powerful. Just take the engine noises from a jet and combine it with a turbo-charged engine and you've got a good idea of what things sound like. The voice work in the game is deplorable and, at times, can get to the point where you just want to mute everything. Whether it's messages from your team leaders, other people on the track or the announcers -- everything sounds really bad and doesn't work. Forced jokes, bad accents and static-filled voice filters don't go well together.

XGRA: Extreme-G Racing Association doesn't offer much in the way of play modes, but the simple selection that is offered is enough to keep the game interesting. The heart of the game is the Season 2080 mode, which challenges players to compete in a full season of extreme-G racing. As you progress through the ranks, you'll have opportunities to join different racing teams, each with their own pros and cons. Some groups may be more focused on the thrill of speed and acceleration, while others have a more aggressive philosophy (meaning ram everyone off the road). Your ultimate goal is to win the SiNN Global Championship. XGRA also features the usual racing staple modes: Two-player, Arcade and Time Trial.

In previous games, you could win cash awards for racing. This money, in turn, would go towards buying upgrades for your bike. This system has been replaced with a 'series' type layout, where you gain points (based on your standing) for each course completed. After running all the courses, points are totaled up and if you have enough, you're allowed to move on. After the last race, your bike is automatically modified for you. I wasn't too wild on this new system since it took a lot of the personalization out of the game. I like to build light, quick racers since it goes with my playing style. Having to stick with what they gave me killed some of the thrill.

In addition to performance modifications, XGRA also offers a selection of weapons to outfit your bike with. These can range from simple machine guns and missiles to full blown lasers and bombs. Weapons can be upgraded during the race by destroying your opponents. Scattered around the track are green orbs, which unlock powerful one-shot weapons. Depending on the number of orbs you collect, you can unleash powerful weapons and shot-time performance upgrades. Access to the weapons also requires you to meet certain requirements when racing -- such as destroying a certain billboard along the way or taking out a certain racer.

Placing a difficulty on a racing game is always a dicey issue. What someone finds hard, another may not. This is something that could be said about any game, but it seems to come through more often when discussing racing titles. Racing titles are by no means my strong suit. I'm about as competent with racing titles as Gary Coleman is with climbing a set of stairs. I can do it; it's just a long, uphill climb. With this is mind, XGRA: Extreme-G Racing Association is still a little too easy and rarely puts up a sufficient challenge. Coming from behind and winning a race isn't difficult, especially if you're able to get a deathstrike attack, which is so powerful that it renders all other weapons obsolete. To make things worse, this is a fairly easy weapon to get.

Where XGRA does become a challenge is that it's more of a shooting game than a racing game. Granted, the targeting is much easier in this title than it was in Extreme G 3, but a little too much emphasis was placed on the combat aspects. The tracks in the game are already confusing enough with all their high-speed twists and turns - but when you throw in having to target people, it's a whole new ballgame.

If anything, XGRA: Extreme-G Racing is built for speed. After returning to Extreme G3, it's clear that the speed factor has been ramped up (which makes the frame rate issues even more heartbreaking). Getting into the drivers' seat, or rather leaning over it, is very easy - even for the most inexperienced racers. XGRA's courses are very well developed and make for some fun trips, which is really what the game is all about. At one moment you may be zooming down one of the game's few flat straight-aways only to hit a sharp corkscrew, followed by a steep climb and a turbo charged series of loops. Throw in a few guys shooting at you and trying their hardest to knock you off the course, and you've got quite a show. Well, at least for your first time through the game.

A major flaw with XGRA is that the new setup offers little in the way of replay value. If you're able to get top points in every race, great - you can move on. If you only manage to get the bare minimum, you can also pass. There's very little in the game to motivate you to achieve high scores.

When it gets to the finish line, XGRA is a good racing game, but nothing new. Even with the rename, it's hard to shake the feeling that you've played the game before since there's really not much here to set XGRA apart from other futuristic racers like Extreme G3, Wipeout or F-Zero. Racing fans, especially fans of the Extreme G series are sure to dig this title, even if it feels like more of the same. For anyone looking into trying out a racer that is a little less gravity friendly, you might want to give XGRA a shot since it makes for a good stepping stone into the genre.