Split/Second
Developer: Black Rock
Publisher: Disney
Release Date: 21/05/2010
Format: PS3/XBOX360/PC/PSP
Ever wanted to be part of a high octane, hold on barrels TV reality show. Where you drive cars and everything blows up around you? Then you’ve found the right game. The premise is easy, drive and power up your meter and activate power play obstacles to destroy your opponents or change the track to your advantage. This is by no means a serious racer and anyone wanted a fair race should look away now. With barrels dropped from helicopters, gas pipes exploding, planes landing and skyscrapers falling onto the track you need your wits about you here.
To the setup of a TV show, players needed to complete enough events in the episode to then take part in the final event and survive to make it to the next episode. Events ranged from Survival where you try to post the fastest lap time with explosions and obstacles getting in the way. Or trying to overtake lorry’s dropping barrels behind them, hindering your progress. To Air Attack that saw you dodge missile attacks form a helicopter and then Air Revenge where you can ultimately destroy it.
There is enough race course and replay ability that over the 72races it doesn’t become boring. As you never know what the next power play will be. The game does have a strong feel of normal Karting games, you constantly find yourself in battling to first and then pegged back to last and battle again to the front. But it is much easier to power your meter than it is to collect boxes that may or may not help you. Jumps, drifting and dragging all ads to your meter and activating the different power plays is simple. See either blue icon near the track and press away. Knowing the track will help decide when and which offer the best effect for the situation, but all hinder your opponents one way or another. Get enough power and you are allowed to activate the Red Icons, these change the course and offer the most devastation. Dams breaking and flood the valley or an Ocean liner crashing into the docks setting it all on fire.
Publisher: Disney
Release Date: 21/05/2010
Format: PS3/XBOX360/PC/PSP
Ever wanted to be part of a high octane, hold on barrels TV reality show. Where you drive cars and everything blows up around you? Then you’ve found the right game. The premise is easy, drive and power up your meter and activate power play obstacles to destroy your opponents or change the track to your advantage. This is by no means a serious racer and anyone wanted a fair race should look away now. With barrels dropped from helicopters, gas pipes exploding, planes landing and skyscrapers falling onto the track you need your wits about you here.
To the setup of a TV show, players needed to complete enough events in the episode to then take part in the final event and survive to make it to the next episode. Events ranged from Survival where you try to post the fastest lap time with explosions and obstacles getting in the way. Or trying to overtake lorry’s dropping barrels behind them, hindering your progress. To Air Attack that saw you dodge missile attacks form a helicopter and then Air Revenge where you can ultimately destroy it.
There is enough race course and replay ability that over the 72races it doesn’t become boring. As you never know what the next power play will be. The game does have a strong feel of normal Karting games, you constantly find yourself in battling to first and then pegged back to last and battle again to the front. But it is much easier to power your meter than it is to collect boxes that may or may not help you. Jumps, drifting and dragging all ads to your meter and activating the different power plays is simple. See either blue icon near the track and press away. Knowing the track will help decide when and which offer the best effect for the situation, but all hinder your opponents one way or another. Get enough power and you are allowed to activate the Red Icons, these change the course and offer the most devastation. Dams breaking and flood the valley or an Ocean liner crashing into the docks setting it all on fire.
Simple yet fun and FAST!
Once you have had enough battling AI, the online offers something different. Yes you are still driving the same course and everything blows up the same, but with all games offering XP for no matter where you finish, Spilt/Second doesn’t. You start at Rank99 (this also shows as your Car number), depending on the number of players in the race finish 1st will take you to Rank96. However, come last and you find yourself back at 99. To achieve rank 1 is very difficult as constant winning or at least top 3 is required to lower or even remain level after each race.
Several DLC packs where released, offering more cars, liveries and online modes plus the always controversial “time savers” where people came buy all the things they would normally unlock thou playing the game. A sequel was planned, but soon cancelled by Disney due to cut backs at Black Rock Studio.
Split/Second offers a break from the norm in Kart racers and offers an explosive twist to the arcade genre. It is deeply stratifying to activate short-cuts for the AI racers to try and follow you and be denied and crash. The red Power points are amazing to watch, having 8 cars racing down a runway with a massive airplane coming into land is hair raising every time. This isn’t a game for everyone; the cars will slide and screech very easily and the game is played at a very high pace. I would say flatten that pedal and burn rubber, but that’s not the only thing that will burn as a skyscraper lands onto on you.
Chris Sowry 7/10
Several DLC packs where released, offering more cars, liveries and online modes plus the always controversial “time savers” where people came buy all the things they would normally unlock thou playing the game. A sequel was planned, but soon cancelled by Disney due to cut backs at Black Rock Studio.
Split/Second offers a break from the norm in Kart racers and offers an explosive twist to the arcade genre. It is deeply stratifying to activate short-cuts for the AI racers to try and follow you and be denied and crash. The red Power points are amazing to watch, having 8 cars racing down a runway with a massive airplane coming into land is hair raising every time. This isn’t a game for everyone; the cars will slide and screech very easily and the game is played at a very high pace. I would say flatten that pedal and burn rubber, but that’s not the only thing that will burn as a skyscraper lands onto on you.
Chris Sowry 7/10
"Please remain seated until the plane has come to a complete CRASH!"
