The physics engine is coming along at a rather bog standard pace and doesn't seem to be making all that much of an effort to break new ground or indeed set new standards. However, it will be satisfactory to make for a fun arcade racing game. A few minor bugs and issues need to be sorted such as your truck being able to get stuck in bits of the scenery, but these are only small issues and should be wheedled out for the final release.

Despite the acceptable physics engine, the trucks will not show any actual physical damage in the races due to licensing. However, damage is replicated inside the vehicles themselves and could get a tad confusing. You will have to use your hard earned cash to get your vehicle back to full health but it seems you won't be able to see the full extent of the damage you've received or caused until after the race, which is disappointing to say the least.

No Known Compatibility Issues

If only that small phrase was entirely true then computer gaming would nearly be totally enjoyable by everyone. Unfortunately my subtitle is not referring to actual compatibility on a games system but rather compatibility between games systems. 4x4 Evo is one of the first games to let gamers on PC, Mac and Dreamcast play against each other on the internet.

The majority of racing games (especially arcade) have the option that you can play any level in the single-player game in multi-player. The test has both single and multi-play modes and as far as I can see, 4x4 Evo is following this trend of using the same set of maps in both game modes. Multi-player is handled through GameSpy's peer-to-peer technology that enables the cross-platform gaming. Even in the beta this seemed incredibly stable handling PC and Mac players while maintaining a fast paced game.

Controlling methods with gamers will be extremely interesting once you get three types of gamers playing head-to-head with differing gaming styles. The more "serious" PC players may decide to go for the latest in force-feedback wheel technology, Mac users may just decide that the keyboard is for them due to more compatibility issues and the majority of Dreamcast users will, unsurprisingly use their gamepads. The issue of which is the best controlling method could be resolved at least for a short while in the arcade racing genre.

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