![]() The driver himself (or herself) has been given a ragdoll physics model so if launched from the windshield, he/she will fly about pseudo-realistically, flailing limbs and screaming. The biggest element being hyped in the adverts and print copy is the driver. (I was struck during the Demolition Arena mode by how similar Flatout feels to the first-generation PlayStation title Destruction Derby - a spiritual successor, perhaps, done a million times better?) A Demolition Arena mode is available, but only as a mini-game. Beyond those additions, the racing is really standard stuff, though exceedingly fun. The AI is more than simply competent your opponents will happily destroy you or tear by you in the curves in order to maintain a lead. There's also a full-bodied career mode with upgradeable vehicles - something Burnout 3 could have used - and a few unlockables. A Nitrous Tank builds up as you cause damage (either to yourself or to others, mwahahaha), giving you a bit of a chug when you need it. Crank the speakers, turn down the music track, and it's an audio tournament of destruction.įlatout introduces just a few new mechanics into the gameplay, just to liven things up. There's no announcer, though the sound effects are done well enough, especially the thundering crashes you're bound to hear a few million times. While not nearly as intrusive as EA Trax has been lately, it's nothing that sticks with you. A few unsigned and independent artists produced the soundtrack, a mash of "hillbilly headbanging" that's decidedly unnoticeable. Motion blur is used sparingly, and the vehicle damage modeling is exceptionally well done - glass shatters, hoods pop, and if you're really down and out, you'll see a tire blow or your engine light up!Īudio is something I wish I could say more about, but sadly, it's a pretty spare collection. The graphics are comparable to the PC version, which is no small feat. Textures are big, detailed, and don't suffer from any sort of heavy artifacting or mipping, and there is no slowdown to be found, even when all eight cars get together and slamdance on the same corner. I'm a bit jaded on XBox games in general these days, so doubling back to the older system is a bit of a shock to the brain, but that's not really an issue here. Under the hood, the PS2 version sports an admirable engine. No beautiful city runs here, either: the tracks are a mishmash of speed loops and off-road dirt, tightly plotted and designed to make you run screaming into the night. Where Burnout has always been about top-end sports cars doing 300 mph through urban streets and mountainside highways, Flatout stars dumpster-destined beaters, demolition derby grade wrecks of twisted metal and ugly spray paint patch jobs that would make Jeff Foxworthy cringe. That, right there, is the end of the similarities. Both are outrageously fast, with tracks that require some degree of technical skills (especially at full speed) and emphasize severe vehicular damage. The easiest way to grasp Flatout is to compare it to the closest living brethren it really has, Burnout 3. Get your motor running, as they say out West. This is where speed-crazy kids, still giddy from Burnout 3 come to play, evading barricades and jumping over each other like some sort of suicidal stunt show. Put that all together, shake it around a little bit, and after you mix in a dollop of redneck hillbilly sense and sensibility, what you'll have in your glass, friend, is Flatout. High powered engines screaming under the stress of insane speeds. Bodies doing ballet in the air as gas tanks burst and glass shatters. ![]() ![]() ![]() Buy 'FLAT-OUT': Xbox | PC | PlayStation 2
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