The Charge:
When speed is not enough.
Opening Statement:
For racing game fans, getting a digital fix comes in three flavours. Hardcore simulation; along the lines of Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport , Arcade racers such as Burnout; with faster paces and much looser physics, and Kart racers; which deal out Mascot characters, and crazy course layouts. While at heart Split/Second, the newest racer from Black Rock Studios; the developers of last year’s phenomenal Pure, is very much of the arcade variety, it possesses qualities which blur the lines that separate it from the other two.
Last place is nothing a well-timed cargo container drop can't fix
Facts of the Case:
Congratulations players, you’ve all made it past the preliminary stages and have been chosen as a competitor on this season of the white-knuckle television smash-hit Split/Second! 12 episodes of mayhem, each fuelled by several 400 horsepower events of motorized carnage await you! Remember though, while speed and skill will get you so far, to take the lead in this competition, you will have to master the city itself as your weapon.
The Evidence:
Split/Second is a title seeming designed to elicit as many hoots and hollers out of an average gamer as humanly possible. It is lovingly engineered with the ability to make us lean forward, out of our seats, our bodies synchronized with the controller, leaning and swaying like we’re in the midst of a fever dream. The entire game is accoutered with the type of mad-cap explosive pandemonium that would seem more fitting a car chase in a Jerry Bruckheimer production. It features all the accoutrements of a successful arcade racer; ludicrous speed, heavy emphasis on drifting, and all-around aggressive driving. However, the game-changing arsenal of power-plays, and slightly more realistic physics than one would assume for a title this filled with pyrotechnics set Split/Second apart from the competition.
"I wonder if the diner has cherry pie?"
Drifting around turns, riding an opponent’s draft, and taking jumps fills a three-level power bar on an ingeniously designed in-game HUD . This time however, the power isn’t used for a nitrous speed boost, rather to detonate one of the multitudes of explosive set pieces which populate the track. One segment of the bar can be sacrificed for a low-level effect such as a parked vehicle exploding, or a section of overpass dropping onto the track. Or, if players are feeling especially destructive, the full bar can be flung upon the altar for a much more potent effect. These category 3 power-plays offer up spectacular visuals with vastly course-altering results. It’s never anything short of cataclysmic, and it always leavers racers scrambling at the wheel, struggling to swerve around the likes of a collapsing building, capsizing aircraft carrier, or even an incoming plane. Detours will become available, taking racers across rooftops, through the exposed guts of a toppled office building or blasting underneath a series of dropping freight containers. Learning how to time these attacks, as well as how to survive being on the receiving end (and unlike the majority of Kart racers, there is always a way out in Split/Second, all it takes is skill) is a big part of the game play. And while the cars don’t feel quite as slippery as those from the Burnout franchise, drifting is as easy as tapping the brake and releasing the gas for a hair; allowing gamers of any skill level enjoy the buttery smooth racing action. The point I’m trying to make here, is that Split/Second is literally a thrill for every second of playtime.
Five cars! That's like Tyrannosaurus Wrecks!!
The play modes available are pretty much standard fare ranging from straight up 8-car races to an elimination race that explodes the last-place car at regular intervals to a ferocious, vengeful attack helicopter that dogs racers in two separate modes, bombarding the track with volleys of lethal rocket fire that increase in size and frequency as the race wears on. Besides all this, there are a couple of real standouts that are expeditiously proving to be as much fun as the crash mode in 2003’s ‘Burnout 3’ that claimed countless hours of mine and my wife’s lives. First up is the manic Detonator event, which challenges a single racer to beat a time trial, all while every threat on the track automatically goes off as soon as the car enters its proximity. Next at bat is the endlessly entertaining Survival mode. Imagine racing down an aqua duct, dodging a pack of wild “hunting dog” cars all while a malicious big rig fishtails about in front of you, raining explosive barrels onto the road in a murderous attempt to derail you. Points are awarded for each truck that is overtaken. This is a galvanizing moment in a game that bucks trend and is much more fun than it has any right to be. What’s even better is the fact that all these modes are available to play online. Though competitive gamers may want to burn through the single player campaign, as the only cars available are whatever has been unlocked through game completion. Keen (or pathetic) action junkies will note the three major car manufacturers in Split/Second (Ryback, Cobretti, and Hanzo) take their names from action movie protagonists.
It also doesn't hurt that the game is retina bleeding gorgeous
The cake topper for Split/Second is the absolutely drool-worthy presentation. The drop-dead gorgeous environment and explosions fill the screen with life. What the cars themselves lack in crazy detail is offset by its simply stunning sense of scale and massive appetite for destruction. Since purchasing my big screen TV back in March, I’ve searched for a game to blow my mind with this level of kinetic beauty. Sunsets rain down awesome lighting effects without ever blinding the gamer’s vision; building collapse and fall apart in blizzards of particle effects and brilliant fireballs. Mud and rubble is kicked toward the screen everytime a car makes a narrow escape.
The soundtrack was meant to be roared through a nice surround sound set-up and never fails to impress, as it features the best music to not make it into the car chase scenes in the last two James Bond movies. Be it the Action film score, or the lively sound effects. Split/Second wows in just about every aspect.
Rebuttal Witness:
Despite being an absolute must-play for racing fans, regretfully Split/Second is over far too quickly. There are a total of 20 different vehicles, and 11 tracks to race them all, making the game feel a little stunted once the initial “Ohmygodthisisawesome!” effect has worn off. The final couple episodes in particular feel less thrilling than the rest of the game, as everything has already been unveiled, and the only change is a ramp in difficulty. It’s a little deflating when Split?Second explodes out the front gate at a break-neck pace, and stumbles in the final lap.
The game’s concept, that of an impossibly budgeted reality TV show in which case an entire city has been emptied for the sole purpose of blowing up during these races is jocular, but with it only being mentioned in the game’s menus, the brief mention at the start and end of each episode and optional instant replays of crashes, it’s not examined in near enough depth to really make a difference. Perhaps some commentary would help with the immersion a little.
Imagine Mike Goldberg doing play-by-play on a building collapsing
Closing Statement:
Split/Second is an amazingly gratifying video game escapade, albeit one that starts to lose its lustre once the tracks and cars have all been uncovered. Hopefully this instalment will prove entertaining enough that another season of Split/Second will bring the goods and ambition to match the games potential to be an exciting new franchise. If the films of Michael Bay had a tryst with a copy of Burnout 3, this would be the awesome that they spawned.
The Verdict:
I cannot begin to fathom, after spending a few nights with Split/Second, how much I would play the hell out of a game based on M.A.S.K
- J
Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC (PS3 version reviewed)
Developer: Black Rock Studios
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Release Date: May 18th, 2010
Rated: E 10+ for Everyone 10 and Up.
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