Split/Second Review

Racing games are definitely among my favorite. While I like some more realistic games, such as Forza and Project Gotham Racing, I always preferred the more arcade inspired franchises. Games like Burnout and going back over a decade, Cruisin’ USA. They are meant for pure fun with or without friends. It’s always more satisfying, though, to be able to crash a buddy into a wall and ruin their race. That’s what Split/Second is all about. It’s not a game of who will win, but instead of who won’t lose.

My initial expectations of Split/Second going in were pretty high. This is the spiritual sequel to Pure, a 2008 over-the-top racing game that received pretty good accolades in a year where racing games were underperforming against other genres. The basic concept behind Split/Second is that you are playing in a reality TV show. Unfortunately, while the game modes are pretty awesome, the levels get overly repetitive as you play the same ones over and over. You will quickly learn everything that there is to do without many surprises.

While I think that the concept sets itself apart from other racing games, it is basically just a tournament system where you collect points in each of the “episodes” to determine the top racer. If you fail to meet the threshold for points, your racer has to keep trying to improve his rank in individual events. Some of the events can be hard, but you have to suck really bad if you fail to qualify early on in the game. It won’t be until near the end that you will actually be trying.

Split/Second is in a league of its own in many ways. While Burnout had tons of crashing, Split/Second has that and then adds tons of explosions. Some of the levels will have passenger jets, massive freight ships, buildings and other objects falling toward you. These get triggered by opponents (or yourself) using Power Play. The Power Play is essentially what puts Split/Second apart from other racing games. Simply put, it is more or less a power up that triggers an event on the course as previously described.

In order to trigger a Power Play you need to fill up a meter, which you can do one of many ways: avoiding opponents’ Power Plays, drifting around corners and so on. You can “level up” your Power Play to where it is three bars. Triggering it at one or two bars will do a basic Power Play, such as an explosion. The third bar when triggered will completely reshape the course. Keep in mind that you can kill yourself as well if you are not careful when you use the Power Play.

There are many different game modes to play in. The most simple of them is the basic race where you try to just finish first. There are also elimination courses where the last place person is slowly eliminated over a set amount of time. One of my favorites involves semi-trucks that barrel down the street and you try to pass as many as you can without dying. The catch? They drop explosive crates that you must avoid.

I’m a big fan of new ideas. Split/Second is a fresh look at the racing genre. It takes the Burnout formula and puts it on steroids by adding tons of explosions, crashes and mayhem. The Power Plays can be extremely cool and satisfying, although the course selection leaves me desiring more. Overall, it’s a great first game in a series that I hope will make a return for a second season.