Split/Second Review
By - Craig H.
Triggering commercial airline crashes, blowing up train bridges and toppling buildings are not typically events that are used to describe a racing game but Split/Second aims to add a new layer to a stagnant gaming genre. Disney and Blackrock Studios give players the ability to control catastrophic events to help position themselves at the top of the podium.
Split/Second is structured around a pulse pounding action show made up of 12 episodes. After all 12 episodes are complete the racer with the overall number one ranking will win the show. This career mode is dubbed “Season” mode. Each of the 12 episodes are made up of 6 events. Each event completed will earn a certain amount of points depending on what position you finish. All episodes culminate with an Event Race which is basically a qualifier race for the next episode. Players must place in one of the top 3 positions in the Event Race in order to move on to the next episode. Each event will gain you credits that are used to unlock the Event Race of each episode. You do not need to complete all events in each episode in order to try to win the Event Race and move to the next episode.
Throughout the Season mode you will have several different race modes available. Beyond the standard Race mode are Elimination, Detonator, Air Strike, Air Revenge and Survival modes. Elimination mode is a standard last-man-standing race where a timer counts down and the racer in the last position is eliminated. Detonator race is a time-attack mode that is just you against the course. Power Plays are triggered automatically and you must race to the finish while avoiding everything that the course throws at you. Air Attack has players evading missiles while racing to get the best score. For each wave of missiles evaded you gain points. The more waves you evade consecutively the more points gained via a combo multiplier (if your vehicle is wrecked the combo is lost). In Air Revenge players will need to drift and evade to add to your Power Play meter in order to deflect missiles back at the attacking helicopter. The idea is to destroy the helicopter in the fastest amount of time. The last mode is Survival. In Survival mode players must evade explosive barrels dropped behind a speeding semi-truck. There are blue barrels and red barrels to evade. The blue barrels slow you down and mess with your handling while the red barrels are instant kills. The goal is to evade the barrels and pass as many semi-trucks as possible before a timer runs out. The points are tallied very similar to Air Attack where the more trucks you pass without being wrecked the higher the point value due to a combo multiplier.
Out of all the modes available I thought that the Survival mode was the most interesting and fun. Dodging bouncing death barrels while trying to race past a speeding semi-truck is exhilarating. The gameplay really tests your drifting and turn compensation skills while racing against the clock.
Drifting, drafting and close calls will add to your Power Play meters. Once one of your three meters is full you can execute a Level 1 Power Play. A Level 1 Power Play consists of blowing up parked cars, dropping explosive barrels from a hovering helicopter or moving smaller obstacles in the way of unsuspecting drivers. If you want to cause more game changing destruction you can choose to store your Level 1 Power Plays until you collect 3 and unleash a Level 2 Power Play. The Level 2 Power Plays will topple entire structures, crash commercial jets and blow up entire bridges. These will alter the track for the remainder of the race and will crash any racer unfortunate enough to be near (or under) the chaos. Even if the Power Plays don’t directly hit a racer they have an aftershock effect and will momentarily affect the cars handling. Players must maintain control or they will be sent off a cliff or into a guardrail. Power Plays can also open hidden shortcuts on the track for a short period of time. If timed correctly you can sneak in the shortcut behind a competitor if they activate it. However this is a cat and mouse type of scenario because if you time it wrong you will be too late and the opening will close on top of you. This also works the other way and competitors can sneak in on your shortcut without having to use one of their Power Plays.
Players are treated to 11 tracks that you will get accustomed to very quickly. Just with simple math (12 episodes at 6 events apiece) you can see that you will be playing each track several times. Once you see the devastation in each track and learn the location of the more hazardous obstacles you will be able to prepare for them as they come up. This takes out the surprise of the chaotic events and the impressive destruction loses its luster after a few plays. It is a shame that more tracks were not packed into the game but it’s understandable considering the mass amounts of destruction available on each track. Knowing the location of the events on the track does not keep the game from having unexpected crashes or position changing destruction.
The cars available are not licensed cars though they look strikingly similar to certain real life vehicles. The cars available fit into 3 classes: exotics cars, muscle cars, and trucks. New cars are unlocked as you gain credit in the Season mode. As you unlock these new cars you will be forced to abandon your old favorite. Trying to race one of the earlier cars against a vehicle unlocked later in the game will be a recipe for disaster. The truck class is almost completely useless. The trucks have the ability to take more damage but are incredibly slow and have poor handling when compared to either car class. Most players will see little need to ever drive this class unless the game requires it. Sadly this oversight cuts down your car options by a third.
The AI in the game still suffers from the same problems that plague most games in the racing genre. Even after crushing a group of competitors under a building they will be right on your bumper in a few turns. The way that the game is set-up requires that a few competitors are out in front of you to use your Power Plays on. Even if you race a perfect race you will still have competitors in front that will take the checkered flag if you don’t trigger a Power Play at the right moment. To make up for the AI flaws I applied an Apolo Anton Ohno approach to races and took to the back of the pack for most of the race. Drafting behind opponents gained a mass amount of Power Play reserve and roughly halfway through the race I began to climb the ranks. During the final turns I would unleash a Level 2 Power Play and zip past the final competitors.
Multiplayer modes can be played via 2-player splitscreen and 8-player online races. The multiplayer modes are limited to the standard Race mode, Eliminator mode and Survival mode. One major plus, to me, is that players can choose how they want to present the splitscreen mode when playing locally (either a vertical or horizontal split). Online players can only pick from vehicles that they have personally unlocked. Needless to say if you have not unlocked the more advanced vehicles you are in for a tough race. Playing online with friends is extremely fun. Who doesn’t want to crush their friends under a bridge?
Overall, Split/Second is an exhilarating racing game that is a fresh take on the racing genre. The ever changing tracks will keep you on your toes and will be a blast for friends online. Unfortunately in order to compete online and in later races you are limited to just a handful of upgraded cars. The lack of tracks is upsetting but the amount of destruction available on each track more than makes up for it. Split/Second adds a new layer to the racing genre that feels fresh and is a blast to play.
Quick Synopsis:
Pros:
- Amount of destruction available is unlike any other racing game
- 2-player splitscreen local play and 8-player online play
- Visually beautiful and runs smoothly even during mass chaos
- Large and varied single player modes
- Incredibly fun gameplay that will have you playing for a long time.
- TV show set-up works well and does not become gimmicky
Cons:
- 11 tracks total
- Limited online modes (Race, Eliminator, Survival)
- AI problems that will keep competitors on both bumpers at all times
- Truck class is completely useless
- At the end only a few cars are actually usable if you expect to have a shot to win.
RATING: 8/10
