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JEEP
EVO IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE
Well, fear not four-wheelers! The folks at Jeep have partnered up with Terminal Reality, Take Two and NVIDIA for an exclusive game just for you! And better still, it's free! Jeep 4x4 EVO 2 debuts February 8th, 2002 at the Chicago Auto Show. It also debuts on Jeep's website where you can either download the game for free or request a demo CD to be mailed out to you. Jeep 4x4 EVO 2 is a special edition demo version of the new 4x4 EVO 2 due out soon for PC, PlayStation2, and Xbox. Our demo Jeep version features a full lineup of Jeeps including the new Liberty, Wrangler Rubicon, and even a Willys flat fender! So what's so special about Jeep 4x4 EVO 2? For the first time a game maker has attempted to capture what we enjoy best - rockcrawling. Sure, there have been off-road games before, but they mostly featured oversized, steroidal monster trucks on high-speed courses. Someone finally realized that some of us like to go slow! Not only will you find plenty of Jeeps in the demo version, but you'll also find trails not found in the retail game, including a rockin' Jeep 101 course that makes the real courses pale in comparison. Just try to get your Jeep across the log bridge. Yikes! We rolled and drowned more times than we can count. If only they could have added a spotter... For those who are new to the Jeep thing, during the 101 course, you are prompted to watch optional instructional videos. These QuickTime movies are well-produced and fun to watch, even if you are an experienced Jeeper.
When you first get the game you have to complete the Jeep 101 course using a Wrangler SE, X, Sport or Sahara. Once you complete it, it unlocks the Wrangler Rubicon and the first of the competition courses - Silverton Pass. Additional trails will roll out through May, which include a Beach trail, the special Moab trail and the Rubicon trail. As you complete each trail you can upload your score for the contest. The top scorer will take home their own 2003 Wrangler Rubicon. Throughout the contest run, 150 top scorers will win Jeep mountain boards and Jeep mountain bikes, as well. OK, so you want to know about the game, right? Here's the scoop. Finally, the folks at a game company actually went out on a real-life trail to see what goes on out there. They studied the Rubicon and Moab and learned the difference between granite and slickrock. They learned what low range does and what lockers do. Then they took it all home and tried to emulate it on the computer. Did they do it? Well yes and no. Though many aspects of the game are incredibly realistic, some are...gamey. While there is a good bit of realism when you are in the driver seat view and watching out over the hood, when you zoom out to the high and behind view, you get a better view of what's going on. At this point you notice some of the inaccurate physics. You also notice the lack of any damage model. But don't let that get you down. Spend your time in the driver seat view and you'll be crying for a spotter before you know it. Since we wanted to get through the trails and see them all we went right for our unlocked Wrangler Rubicon. The Wrangler Rubicon, like it's real-life counterpart, has 4:1 gearing and dual lockers. Can you tell? Yes! Zooming through the flat areas of the Moab trail in high range was fun but getting to the real obstacles it just wouldn't cut it. Low range was the answer. But even then we couldn't get over most obstacles until we switched on the lockers one at a time. Then we locked both and there really was a difference.
You can select either automatic or manual transmissions. We tried the manuals, but spent a lot of time in unrealistic high gears and our tach at a screaming 5000 rpm. It was very difficult to get a smooth acceleration with the manual tranny. Using the automatic makes it a lot easier to control the Jeep and is easier on your ears, too! However, like in real life, the manual did have compression braking on the downhill areas that was noticable in most cases. Nice! Are the trails realistic? Yup. Many of the obstacles are downright nearly impossible to do from the driver seat view alone. Without a spotter, you may have to use the high and behind view. Even then, you still may not make it over some of the huge boulders. From outside view you can also watch the suspensions flex which is real gas. One thing you may not like, though, is you can get yourself into weird and unrealistic situations on the rocks that won't be apparent from inside the Jeep. A small beef but worth mentioning. The trails themselves are a lot of fun. The Moab trail, especially, is interesting. Jeep took some of the more popular obstacles in Moab and put them together into one super trail. You'll recognize the names of spots like Lion's Back, Cliff Hanger, Potato Salad Hill, and Dump Bump. Lion's Back is probably the most realistic of the bunch, while Dump Bump and Potato Salad Hill just sort of remind you of the real thing. Silverton Pass and the Rubicon trail are tons of fun, too, and take you through rocks, logs, and lots of hills. They even through in extra fun like trying to rescue a stuck logging truck. The Little Sluice is pretty tricky and takes a good bit of skill. The vantage point from the driver seat can get pretty hairy. After playing for a while, I actually got car sick and had to stop after a while. The beach trail is interesting but don't look for much low-range action. However, if you're into dunes, you can leave the Jeep in high gear and take on the dunes at high speed. But be careful, because you can easily get stuck if you get into the water. The beach area does also illustrate that low range does work if you don't have enough speed to get over a dune. Your motor will bog down and low range will be your only way over.
One other neat thing to mention is that throughout the game you had better stay on the trails and behave yourself if you're wanting to enter the competition. If you go off the trails, hit trees, or run over too much brush, Tread Lightly! will penalize your score. 4x4 EVO 2 is extremely power-hungry. We played ours on our Dell workstation, which has a 1.7 GHz Intel Xeon processor and 1GB of RAM. Terminal Reality recommends playing the game with the NVIDIA GeForce 3 video card for best results. We tried the game on what we thought were some other pretty fast machines and had less than stellar results. You'll need the big guns if you really want this game to look and play its best. Processor speed isn't as big of an issue as your video card. A GeForce 2 or similar card is recommended. So the bottom line is, if you're looking for off-road fun and can't get out to the real trails, Jeep 4x4 EVO 2 is a great way to pass the time. Besides, it's free, which as lot more than we can say about that thing sitting out in your driveway. If you dig the Jeep version, you'll just love the full-blown retail version, which has other brand vehicles, more accessory options and lots more trails. So what are you waiting for? Get on over to www.jeep.com and download your free copy right now!
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What
has a 4:1 low range, dual lockers and comes from Jeep? Well, the
new 2003 Rubicon, of course. Wouldn't you just love to drive one
through its namesake, the Rubicon Trail? How about over Moab's Lion's
Back? Or maybe you'd enjoy the trails near Silverton, Colorado?
Too cold? OK. How about hitting the beach then? So many choices
and they're all so far away!
Jeep
sent us a full-blown unlocked version of the game to try out so
we got to see all of the trails and have all the fun we could handle
(and more). For you guys, however, you'll have to wait a while to
get to all the trails. You see, Jeep is holding a contest centered
around the game and the upcoming 2003 Wrangler Rubicon. As you play
the game you can upload your scores to a leader board, where it
will be compared to all of the other players who have downloaded
the game. 
For
grins we reran some trails in the stock Liberty and Willys. Let's
just say that we would never dream of abusing real-life Jeeps like
that! Like on the real trails, these rigs need proper tire placement
and momentum. Without lockers, it's a heck of a lot harder to get
through the trails compared to the locked up TJ.
If
you get really stuck on the rough trails, you can use the H key
for help (you'll lose points) or you can use the W key to pull cable.
The available Warn winch will then get you out. A crosshair appears
and you can point it with your mouse to the nearest big enough tree.
Then pressing W again pulls you up. It's a nice touch but does make
Warn winches out to be unrealistically quick. 
