REVIEW: Split/Second
Monday, May 17th, 2010
Posted in Reviews by Jim Plachy
Let’s address the elephant in the room right off the bat. Split/Second is not better or worse than Burnout. It’s nowhere near the same game; don’t even try to compare the two. It’s not fair to either game. With that out of the way, let’s discuss Split/Second.
Black Rock Studios has been around for a while making racing games that didn’t always involve cars, like MotoGP and ATV Offroad Fury. In 2006, Disney acquired them, and two years later, they released Pure. The game was critically acclaimed and showcased Black Rock’s penchant for stunning visuals and crazy tricks. Now Black Rock has decided to take crazy a few steps further with Split/Second. The premise of the game is that you are a contestant on a reality show where you race a car around “sets” that can be destroyed to take out other racers. You play a season of 12 episodes each containing four races and one bonus race. You earn credits at the end of every race based on your performance, and after you have earned enough credits, you open the “elite” race. Placing in the top three of an elite race unlocks the next episode of Split/Second.
I want to address the reality show portion of the game. It’s actually pretty weak. In fact, I would call it the weakest part of the game. I understand that when you play a video game, you have to suspend disbelief. However, the reality show aspect of Split/Second is beyond ridiculous. First of all, how could I possibly be driving on a set? The spaces are way too large to be sets. No television show could create a city, let alone one filled with explosive buildings. On top of that, there is a game mode where you dodge a helicopter that shoots missiles at you, and that’s not even the worst of it. You progress through the game by completing episodes, but at any time, you can go back to previous episodes to try to earn more credits to unlock the elite races in the current episode. This may not be an issue for most people, but it bugged me. If you forget that it’s a reality show and play it like a video game, the game just makes way more sense.
Split/Second has a few different race types, starting with just straight up racing. In most races, you try to build up your power meter by either drafting, jumping, or drifting. The power meter is divided into three sections, and once you fill up a section, you can trigger any number of environmental explosions that will either wreck other drivers or cause them to swerve uncontrollably. This mechanic is present in races and elimination races, which make up the bulk of the game, but the other modes either have the events trigger automatically or take them away altogether. There is the aforementioned “you versus a helicopter” races and, of course, survival races where you earn points by passing trucks on the road. The catch is that the trucks are dumping barrels out of the back of them. If you hit a barrel, you wreck.
The game is brilliantly paced with early episodes being completable in about 30 minutes, just like an episode of a reality show. The game does a great job ramping up the difficulty. It isn’t until the final two episodes that you’ll feel the game get really difficult. The Elite races especially will have you fighting for every position.
While most games have tons of licensed cars to show off, Split/Second doesn’t even bother. The game features a couple of fake car companies and then splits the vehicles up into three types. Sports cars, Formula 1 style cars, and trucks are the only types of vehicles you can drive in the game. Honestly though, I found one car I like and pretty much stuck with it. Only during the Elite races did I need to change to a faster more competitive car.
The action is by far the star of this game, so don’t expect simulation style racing. You’re not looking to shave time off your laps; you just want to make stuff explode, and that’s the best part of the game. The action-movie-style events are pulled off frequently and with ease. You’re often only a button press away from moving from last to first. The position changes are frequent, and triggering a blast at the right time to turn the tide of the race is one of the most satisfying moments you’ll ever experience in a video game, racing or otherwise. There were a few times during the game that I wondered if the AI drivers were “rubber banding,” but even if they were, it didn’t matter because I knew if I played my cards right I could take them out at the last second and pass their charred remains on the way to victory. There are moments that are more intense and visceral here than in many regular action games. I would call some of the races I participated in more gripping than some of the best scenes in Heavy Rain. The end game races had me on an adrenaline high, and I actually had to put the controller down and take a short walk just to get my heart rate down.
While Split/Second may not be as photo realistic as something like Forza, the game is still beautiful. Explosions especially are top notch, which is good because you are going to see a lot of them. It would have been very detrimental to the game if explosions didn’t look as amazing as they do. There’s also some very good use of motion-blur to heighten the sense of speed, especially towards the end of the game as you unlock and drive faster cars.
Split/Second is an outstanding first chapter in what hopefully will become a franchise. If Black Rock sticks to the formula they have here and just makes a few tweaks, they will have a long standing racing series on their hands. I can’t even begin to imagine how much fun this game is going to be with a few friends online. Knowing that I got knocked out of a race due to an event that was triggered by a human opponent is going to be much more fun than wondering if the computer might have been cheating. Split/Second is everything an action game AND a racing game should be. Non-stop fun. In a year that has already given us a new BioShock, God of War, and Mass Effect, you must find room in your collection for Split/Second. It’s one of the best games of the year.
PROS:
- Successfully combines the visceral nature of action games with the intensity of an arcade racer.
- Ridiculous action sequences are triggered easily.
- The game looks beautiful.
CONS:
- Elite races can feel cheap.
- Drifting seems useless until the end of the game.
- The reality show plot is not necessary.
Final Verdict: Buy it
2 CommentsRelated Posts
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http://fourplayercoop.com/news/2011/05/05/layoffs-at-black-rock-studios-splitsecond-2-canned/ Layoffs At Black Rock Studios, Split/Second 2 Canned | Four Player Co-Op
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http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002230558918 Enrique Montoya