For the record, I have never played the DC or PC versions of 4x4 Evolution. I am playing the PAL PS2 version on original hardware via OPL (I have an original disc copy). My controller is a Thrustmaster 3-in-1 with analogue triggers: https://support.thrustmaster.com/en/pro ... 3in1rf-en/
DESCRIPTION
4x4 Evolution, or 4x4 Evo for short, lets you race various SUV's and Light Trucks across a variety of rugged courses. It is a checkpoint racer where you need to drive through various gates (a la skiing) in order to successfully complete a lap on each race. While each course has a 'road', it is sometimes quicker to veer off-course for a shortcut. The game actively encourages you to take shortcuts providing you still drive through each gate. The shortcuts range from cutting a corner by going off-road briefly to driving over clifftops and finding hidden routes.
GRAPHICS
4x4 Evo graphics are functional; they are not going to to win any awards for graphical achievement but they do the job accordingly. The vehicles look good with that PS2 'contrast effect' and are well animated, particularly the suspension. There are also nice particle effects as your tires grind up the dirt. The courses backgrounds are fairly basic but again, they do what they need to. Unfortunately there is some nasty screen tearing at times and there is severe slowdown at points (particularly when too many vehicles are onscreen in rainy conditions). You only really get 50fps (PAL) during Time Attack mode.
When you boot up 4x4 Evo, you are treated to a lively introduction video showing footage from real off-road races complete with bombastic rock/techno. You can tell this a CD-ROM game due to the video compression.
The GAMEFAN livery. I used to buy that mag on import back in the day (live in UK).
SOUND
The music in 4x4 Evo is a fusion of frantic heavy guitar rock and hip-hop/techno breakbeats. It suits the game well although it's nothing I would want to hear outside the game. Highlights are some early 90s 'hip hop horns' during one of the Career Mode tracks and the 'heavy breathing' during the title screen's rock theme. Sound effects are nothing special but again, they are functional. There is the occasional glitch where a sound effect appears at random and repeats itself for a short while but this is a minor issue.
One of the bigger shortcuts on the Truck Stop 101 course
GAMEPLAY
There are 15 race courses in total, all unlocked from the start. These include the swampy terrains of Bayou Flats, the treacherous snows of Artic Wasteland, the pine forests of Silverton Pass and the sandy beaches of Treasure Bay. Some courses also have moving obstacles that attempt to hinder your process; these include big rigs, freight trains and construction vehicles. The game also has over 100 licensed vehicles to choose from. The models range from standard fare like the Chevrolet Blazer LS, Ford Explorer Sport and Nissan Pathfinder all the way through to race models like the Pajero Rally, Tundra Race Truck and Trailblazer Race SUV. The majority of vehicles come from US manufacturers with Japan making up the rest. So many vehicles but as the old saying goes: "you will not use half of them".
The Treasure Bay track. One of the more scenic in the game
Artic Wasteland is one of the toughest courses, especially at high difficulty. Easy to slip and fall into the ocean!
The meat of 4x4 Evo is the Career mode where you earn money in order to buy vehicles and parts/upgrades for them. Races are categorised into 'Events' based on various factors. Once you complete an Event, you usually unlock another unless you have not fulfilled a particular stipulation. There are also one-off 'Special' races that require a certain vehicle to compete. Unfortunately this mode contains the majority of the game's flaws. The big problem is the sheer number of races; there are over 200 in total which is just far too many. You could strip out 1/3 of them and be left with a more compelling game. As they say: "Often Less Is More". You also just have to 'complete' a race as opposed to winning it; you can therefore get away with buying the cheapest stock vehicle for the race and just trundle behind the opposition throughout. The stats page doesn't even show your finishing position, only if you have completed it or not. Granted, you get less money for each race but you open up events where the overall winnings are much larger, even if you finish last. These remove the incentive for players to drive better and win races.
The City Series race event. Perfect example of filler material and 'clutching at straws'.
While the ability to buy vehicle parts in Career Mode is welcome, it is too complicated to be thrown on players when just starting out. Instead it should been introduced gradually. 4x4 Evo's Quick Race Mode setup offered a good solution; have a series of 'Class' based events at the start. You could have automatic upgrades as you progress. Once the player completes these and has more experience, then bring in events that require detailed customisation. Also, when buying parts, you should be able to preview in real time what changes occur to your vehicle's statistics. As it stands, you have to flit in and out of menus which is very cumbersome and inefficient. Finally, it makes no sense why parts cost exactly the same regardless of your vehicle. Surely an engine upgrade for a standard Ford Explorer should cost less than one found in a Tundra Race Truck? Some parts are very expensive and coupled with the lack of incentive to actually win a race, a lot of players will not bother up upgrade lesser vehicles and just grind away for the Race Trucks. In fact, getting your hands on the Race Trucks is the only reason to play through the Career Mode. It's a shame too that they are also very expensive and only obtainable by repeated grinding. A better solution would be granting the player infinite money or the race trucks as rewards for completing every event in first place.
The racing itself is fine but unspectacular and the CPU cars can pose a bit of a challenge especially on harder difficulty. I recommend playing Quick Race and Time Attack modes to familiarise yourself with the courses; the CPU vehicles exploit most of the shortcuts so observing them helps considerably. I was pleasantly surprised by the driving physics as there is a fair bit of depth to them. The vehicles all have their own feel and the upgrade/tuning options all make a difference. Most satisfying is feel of the tires as you hard steer around a corner. The suspension physics are also well done and you can overturn if you leave the ground or land in the wrong way. Unfortunately for simulation fans there is a lack of weight transfer when driving and for arcade fans, there is no real drift dynamic that could have elevated the experience. The vehicles are very twitchy on the PS2 controller and so I recommend changing the steering settings towards understeer and driving in first person view (the latter also helps with frame rate). Finally there seems to be some CPU issues on the Artic Wasteland course when racing on the hardest settings; do not expect to win even when using a standardised vehicle in Quick Race mode.
The TrailBlazer Race SUV is the fastest model by a very wide margin. This is to the detriment of other vehicles.
I should also point out the surrounding areas around the courses are vast and it's fun to abandon the race and explore the scenery. There are even treasure chests on each courses containing monies that can be used in Career mode. It's a shame that was not made into its own mode for this PS2 version (it was in the game's sequel).
You can adjust various settings before each race. Why are the 'Default Settings' and 'Accept Settings' in those locations and in the same font size as the other options?
There are many parts/upgrade you can buy for your vehicle. Perhaps a little too overwhelming for casual players. A 'test drive' mode where you could swap/check upgrades in real time would have helped considerably.
Once you have completed Career mode and obtained the race trucks, there is little incentive to play any further. If you like Time Attack, you can try to compete for the best possible lap (couldn't they have a time attack race with a number of laps?). Hot Laps can be saved as both ghost cars and replays to the PS2 memory card. Speaking of replays, while I am glad they are present, I don't understand what exactly they are replaying sometimes. Once the game just captured the last 20 seconds of the final lap!
Overall 4x4 Evolution is an arcade style racer with restrained arcade driving physics. There are elements of simulation here (licensed vehicles, parts and driving settings) however I doubt serious racing fans would appreciate freight trains and big rigs getting in the way, particularly during a Time Attack.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee Race SUV is exclusive to the PS2 version. Outside of any mods that may exist.
CONCLUSION
The Dreamcast and PC versions are probably just as flawed as this PS2 version. However their lasting appeal is the ability to race online. Nearly 24 years later, there are still players dedicated to the 4x4 Evo titles on those formats. While this version may have made some improvements to the base game, the lasting appeal just isn't there. Ideally the Career mode should have been revamped along with new events types (best race lap, tag all CPU cars, clean racing etc) to give the PS2 version the best single player experience. Unfortunately the developers were working on 4x4 Evo 2 at the same time so instead we basically got a 'quick and dirty' conversion. This is confirmed by the game being on CD-ROM format as opposed to a DVD.
With the vast array of racing titles available on the PS2 (including this game's sequel), it is difficult to recommend 4x4 Evo for the PS2. However if you can find it cheap and there is a particular vehicle model you really want to race with, this title may scratch that itch.
FINAL SCORE: 6/10
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