Split/Second: Velocity

Thought it's been a while since I reviewed a racing game so, here it is, Split/Second:Velocity! Regular readers may remember that it was one of my nominees for best racing game of 2010 and there is a reason for that. But like many racing games, it's far from perfect. Also, imagine my surprise when I realised it was developed by Disney Interactive Studios.

STORY
Split/Second sets the games races as events in a TV series, called Split/Second (oh dear, who saw that coming??). As far as racing game stories go, it's a decent enough reason to fly around race tracks in cars I couldn't imagine owning. To seperate this show from it's more professional counterparts (grand prix, V8s, what have you), it takes on a Michael Bay approach, that is, blow the shit out of everything to appease the A.D.H.D crowds.

Honestly, this premise alone makes it interesting enough to warrant a few hours of playthrough in the Season (campaign). It does raise a few questions though. Where are these explosive races being held? Who are the racers, and why do they have death wishes? But alas, the questions go unanswered. But who didn't see that coming. It's a premise, and not much more.

PRESENTATION
Like most games these days, Split/Second looks pretty amazing, but the explosions and scenery destruction are some of the best I've seen in games. And so they should be, the game centres around these things. The cars look great, and the tracks are fairly varied. Unfortunately theres a shortage of them, as they get repeated over and over. While they do look different at first, they start to blur together the more they are played.

The soundtrack is fast paced and fitting for a game that is meant to be so high octane. Adding to this, the sound effects and end-episode re-cap voice overs sound like any prime time tv show would. It honestly feels like it could be a TV show, if the premise and colateral damage weren't so preposterous.

GAMEPLAY
As far as racing games go, Split/Second: Velocity has solid driving mechanics. The vehicles honestly feel really fast, and the explosive tracks add a sense of danger to the mix that can't be found in serious racing sims, or even the more arcade racers. No, the explosive power up system is more reminiscent of mario kart and company, with collapsing buildings and such taking the place of tortoise shells and the like.

I do have one small issue though. No matter how far ahead you are, or how many times you crush an AI opponent with a building, they catch up so easily. This happens, even if you make no mistakes and drive perfectly. It gets pretty annoying, but maybe thats just my Noob driving skills.

The games campaign plays much like a TV series, with each episode being split into about 6 events. Theres around 12 episodes in the entire season, and it works well enough to frame the gameplay. In each episode, there are races, time trial events, elimination style events and many special races that vary on the them of "People trying to blow your shit up". This could be attack helicopters, or tankers with explosive barrels. They serve well enough as slices of excitement to break up the somewhat repetitive standard events.

The multiplayer works well enough, and is completely passable. The inclusion of splitscreen events makes this a far more friendly title to me than, say, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, or the original Motorstorm.

REPLAYABILITY
A lot of the races are entertaining enough to play over and over again. If you like car chase sequences in movies, or just love Michael Bay films, then you'll get alot out of the set pieces in this game. As far as replayability goes, most racing games rely on multiplayer, and Split/Second: Velocity is no different. I'm just glad that it allows online and splitscreen multiplayer.

OVERVIEW
OK,it's no secret I dislike the more serious racing sims, but arcade racers often give me headaches as well. Split/Second is unique enough for me to more or less ignore its faults, and blow up more racers with what would appear to be Centrepoint Tower. The set pieces are awesome, and the TV show presentation works well enough to be somewhat entertaining. Do I recommend this game? Yes, mainly if you want something full of excitement and speed. If you're loooking for a little more depth, look elsewhere. Like... another genre?

Mass Effect 2 review next week, finally. Hope you guys don't mind me doing retrospectives at this stage. I'm a bit strapped for cash. See you next time!