Review: Split/Second

by Binh Nguyen [ Monday, 24th of May 2010 - 10:18 PM ]

Get Ready, Set, Go:

The first thing you do in the game is go through their tutorial. (Read: how the mechanics works in the game, especially how to raise your Power Play bar by Drifting, Jumping, and Drafting.) Afterwards you will notice that there are no options to change the difficulty of the game. You maybe wondering why. The game progressively gets harder as you go through each Episode. That is all well and good, but for those new to racing games or have never been a huge fan, it can get exceedingly difficult as you progress through the game.

Looks a lot like Burnout Paradise:

Okay so it looks like a mix of Burnout and Need for Speed, but there is not much more I can really say about that. Graphically it certainly feels a lot better than most of the arcade style racing games out there. It may not meet the exacting standards of a Forza or Gran Turismo, but it certainly does the job really well. This is evident from the 'Close Call' effects to the explosions of buildings to playing chicken with a cargo airplane.

Basic sounds for all:

The music is nothing impressive at all and it sounds like any other generic arcade game out there. Where it shines is in the vehicle and explosion sounds. This is top notch as you can feel how close each of the explosions are when they go off. What is very disappointing is while the game promotes a “Reality T.V.” feel, it offers no sort of commentary while you are racing. Very disappointing. I was really hoping they would have the "show's" commentary in the game. Then again if they did have the commentary they would probably need to find a couple of charismatic people to do the commentary so we the gamers aren't annoyed by it. Can I suggest a DLC to have Scarlett Johansson do the commentary? Oh wait that is just a fantasy of mine.

The Fewer the Better:

The button system is really, really simple. R2 to drive. L1 to show replay of a power play. L2 to brake/drift. X to activate power play. Circle to activate power play level 2. Right analog stick to steer. Left analog stick to look around you. Very simple and nothing overly too complex. Those who are picking up a racing game for the first time should have a easy time becoming familiar with the controls. The only thing I can think that could give players a hard time is getting used to each car and their capabilities.

All the Modes of the World:

Okay maybe there are only a few modes you can play within the game that are challenging at times, but they can also be very frustrating. Of course you have Race Mode, where you race against the NPC or people online. Here are the others:

Detonator Mode is a Time Trial race where you are racing against more than the clock - there is a twist. The Power Plays that you would normally set off are trying to slow you down. It can get frustrating at times. My suggestion is to stick with it until you learn the course well enough to beat the course.

Survival Mode is what it sounds like. Semi trucks loaded with barrels of explosives are dumping off the barrels at you. Your goal here is try to avoid the barrels as much as you can and over take the Semis. Sounds simple enough until you realize there are NPCs around blocking your way.

Air Strike is very interesting experience as well. This is where you are racing through a course as military helicopters are shooting missiles at you. Your objective? Well it is to avoid them at all costs to rack up as many points as you can. Again it sounds easy enough until the helicopter is shooting up to ten missiles at a time.

Elimination is a fun but annoying experience at the same time. Think of it as a normal Race but with a timer. As the timer counts down to zero, whoever is in last place gets eliminated by being blown up.

Only the Race, Survival and Elimination modes are available for Online play that I have seen so far. All the modes add a nice twist to a racing game that needed something to spice it up. Split/Second certainly did that.

Lacking Much?:

Most modern racing games give you the ability to customize your car's look, performance and all that jazz. Split/Second only gives you the option to change a single color of the color scheme and even that is very limited. I know this is more of an arcade style of game over competitors like Need for Speed where it is all about customization, but at least give me a bit more customization than just the color scheme. As of right now the field of people for online play is very, very thin, which is fine for now, but as the game gets a bit older, will the competition stay or will it slowly die off? Only time will tell on that.

Another lacking aspect has to be the realism of collisions. The game doesn't mind if you crash into the walls at full force; you still manage to keep the majority of your speed. On the flip side, one wrong angle on the front of your car and BAM there it goes. It can be frustrating at times when you are trying to win a race and you ended up drifting a bit too much and slam right into the wall, forcing you to lose the race.

My Take:

Is Split/Second worth the $60 dollar price tag? That depends on whether or not you are looking for a new racing game with a different twist from the rest that are out there. Very few racing games give me the thrill I need for my adrenaline to flow while racing through the various tracks. The majority of the explosions are awesome to watch, even when you are using the Power Plays over and over again. Sure it has it flaws, but what game doesn't? I hope Black Rock Studio and Disney Interactive release some sort of DLC for new seasons and tracks for the game. The way the game is set up they can have a new season every 2-3 months. Overall it is a solid game and it is worth at least a rent.

Split/Second was developed by Black Rock Studios and published by Disney Interactive for the PS3, XBox 360, PC on May 18th. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes. I played through up to episode 6 on the PS3.