Given that the game is far less tactical than it appears, it's a good job that the core racing is satisfying. There isn't even an option to activate defensive Power Plays, so if you're in the lead you just have to weather the storm of the other racers' ordnance. As a result, you'll find yourself earning power without thinking too hard about it and deploying the attacks as soon as the opportunity arises. Racing BoomsĮven more troubling is the fact that there's very little timing to be mastered because the icon only appears when an opponent is in range of the Power Play. The route changers that aren't linked to a Super Power Play are an even bigger waste of energy, and only make sense if you are desperate to see the other section of circuit. There's no reason to conserve energy for the Super Power Plays unless you're curious to see what they look like, as a standard Power Play will usually do just as good a job of eliminating a pack of racers. The thing is these extra modes are necessary because while Split/Second is undoubtedly spectacular and pretty, there's not a great deal of depth to be had from the Power Play mechanic.
It becomes particularly chaotic in the sudden death mode, where the merest whiff of contact with a barrel turns your car inside out.
Also amusing is the Survival mode, in which you're tasked with overtaking a series of juggernauts that are shedding exploding barrels across the track. It's like attempting to escape the inside of Michael Bay's mind as it collapses around you - utterly unhinged. The most exciting is the Dominator mode, in which you race against the clock through a series of scripted Power Plays. There are also a selection of game types which are introduced as you progress, which keep things interesting as well. The circuit, which makes revisiting locations during the season less onerous. Also, no matter what anyone says, dropping an airport control tower on your friends is far more satisfying than hitting them with a rocket or a red shell to slow them down a bit.īetter yet, the larger Super Power Plays not only squish other racers, but also often profoundly modify the route of Tire vast majority of the Power Plays, as they are called, are bespoke bits of scripting and simply seeing the next, more ludicrous set-piece is plenty of motivation for progressing to the next episode in Split/Seconcfs campaign. Driving talent is still important, but if you're lagging behind, you have the option of demolishing a building so that it drops on your opponents.Īs gimmicks go, it's a spectacular one.
would vastly improve the show, with nuclear fire fulfilling Ant and Dec's dream of being physically fused together, while a selection of Z-List celebs attempt to chew kangaroo testicles as their teeth fall out from radiation sickness.ĭisney seems to agree, and so Split/Second takes Burnout-style glossy racing, adds a reality TV-inspired format, and several kilotons of fireworks. A well-timed H-bomb on the next series of I'm A Celebrity.
Reality television is an even better fit.
Crufts, The Chelsea Flower Show and Prime Minister's Questions would all benefit from the addition of some Semtex. There aren't many live televised events that wouldn't be improved with the addition of high explosives.