Graphics

Real Pretty

Re-Volt has been awarded top honors in NVIDIA's "High IQ" awards. These are awards given out to games that NVIDIA feels best represent what can be done with the power of their TNT (and soon to be G-Force, I'm sure) cards. This is no mistake, as Re-Volt is no slouch in the graphics department. All of the cars look good, not like polygons on wheels. They aren't all variations on the same theme, either; the cars range from NASCAR-like stock cars to hum-vee looking machines to a giant panda on wheels. There's even one car with wheels larger than its body; controlling this car is different, because flipping over doesn't stop you in the slightest.

More impressive than the cars is the environments they're raced in. You start out in what looks like a typical suburban neighborhood; well-cut lawns, nice white houses, and the occasional basketball bouncing around, no doubt thrown by the same kids racing these cars. One of the most beautiful and well-detailed courses is the botanical garden, with lush greenery, fountains, and gravel walkways.

Let us not forget, in our discussion of all that is lovely and serene in Re-Volt, the special weapons. Why? Because therein lie the spiffiest graphical effects of the game. Pick up a super-charged battery, and your car will glow orange with sheer power. Combine this effect with the blackened car that comes with picking up a bomb, and you've got one of the coolest effects in the game; a jet-black car glowing an ominous translucent orange. Other fun stuff includes rockets, which leave trails as they streak toward their target, and the zappy lightning thingy, which causes you to shimmer blue similar to a Quake 3 player with quad damage.

Oooh, can I ride the helicopter?

The cupboard was bare