JEEP
EVO IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Screens
From Jeep 4x4 EVO 2 |
Vehicle
Selection
|
Trailhead
Information |
Moab - Start |
Moab |
Moab - Dump
Bump |
Moab - Lion's
Back |
Moab - Lion's
Back |
Moab - Lion's
Back |
Moab - Fallen
Rock |
Moab - Cliff
Hanger |
Moab - Cliff
Hanger |
Silverton
- Granite Bowl |
Silverton
- Logger's Loop |
Rubicon -
Little Sluice |
Rubicon -
Winching |
Beach |
|
Screens
From 4x4 EVO 2 Retail Release |
Jeep Wrangler |
Dodge Ram |
Jeep Liberty |
Dodge Durango |
|