Jeff Gordon XS Racing (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.9 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Michael Ryan
• Reviewed on: 06/24/1999
• Updated on: 05/01/2000
• Originally published on GameSpot: Jeff Gordon XS Racing (PC) Review

A few years back, ESPN ran a series of NASCAR commercials that portrayed hotshot Jeff Gordon as Speed Racer. In Jeff Gordon XS Racing, ASC Games and developer Real Sports seem to have taken that idea one step further. This good-looking, light-hearted, and addictive arcade racer features some of the most unique cars and intense tracks you'll see this side of Whiplash. Though it has its problems, XS Racing is a decent title for those gamers who aren't hung up on realism.

Taking the wheel of a futuristic, sleekly aerodynamic car, you can battle it out with up to 39 opponents on a series of ten short tracks. The cars in the game are meant to represent "the next generation of stock cars" ("GeneratioNext" would have been more appropriate, however, considering the amount of advertising in this game for Pepsi, 7-Eleven, and Fritos). The tracks, on the other hand, are like something out of a childhood Hot Wheels fantasy.

Like any good arcade racer, XS Racing lets you bump and smash your way to first place, never having to worry about pit stops and other bothersome details from the real world. Each car in XS Racing is self-healing (they're constructed of space-age polymers, no doubt), so even though your vehicle will get smashed and distorted after repeated collisions, it will automatically morph its way back into shape. This is a pretty slick idea, and it works well in the game. Considering how simplistic the gameplay is, however, it might have worked better if you had to initiate the repair feature manually. As it is, you hardly notice the morphing at all as you whip around the tracks at 300 miles per hour.

The game options are pretty straightforward: You can take part in a ten-race championship season or take on a single track in arcade mode. In a championship season, you pick a car and a sponsor, such as the aforementioned Fritos, then try to finish first overall after ten complete races.

You can change cars between races, which is helpful on some tracks that require better handling than others (each car is rated for top speed, cornering, and braking). Like most arcade racing games, XS Racing includes a few locked cars, so if you do well, you'll eventually gain access to more vehicles. Bringing that Speed Racer metaphor to mind, each car has wings that pop out when you catch a little air, allowing you to sail over your landlocked competitors. There are no acrobat cars in this game, but maybe in a sequel.

Perhaps the coolest feature of the entire game is its support for 40 cars on a single track. Sure we've seen full-field racing sims before, but rarely in a pure arcade racer like this. Racing against 39 other vehicles really adds some excitement to the game. And unlike most arcade racers, which let you zoom to the front of the pack and then cruise to victory by simply staying on the track, XS Racing forces you to actually race and steer carefully whether or not you're in the lead.

After completing your first championship season, you begin a second, which is exactly the same except that now Jeff Gordon will be one of your rival racers. Gordon, identifiable by his all-red car, adds a little extra challenge to each race and is generally more aggressive than the other AI racers. For example, on the first track (Cloverleaf), most of the computer cars will not take the superfast accelerated-turn shortcut, but Gordon will. If you win the second season, you get to do it all over again, but this time it's you and Gordon head-to-head with no other racers on the track.

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