Game review: Split/Second Velocity - PlayStation 3

The game takes place within a make-believe TV show, where the courses are not race tracks but sets inside a custom-built city in which competitors vie to become the best racer across 12 entertaining episodes.

The twist is that while racing around contestants can trigger detonations which spark all kinds of destruction, with buildings smashing to the ground, bridges collapsing, jumbo jets falling out of the sky and large machinery blowing up.

This not only causes competitors to crash but also changes the dynamics of the courses, revealing shortcuts or changing the layout of the track completely.

Of course the concept of Split/Second is totally far-fetched, as a TV show which puts so much emphasis on carnage would never make it past the health and safety unit, but it provides the foundation for a spectacular rollercoaster ride of a game which constantly keeps players on the edge of their seats.

Split/Second from Disney Interactive Studios (yes, Disney) is a pure arcade racer through and through but its demolition features and stunning presentation make it one of the freshest racing games, along with Blur and ModNation Racers, that I’ve seen in a long time.

The 12 episodes which make up the full season of the TV show each feature six events covering a range of disciplines including straight races with eight cars on the track, survival races where the last-placed car is eliminated at certain points and detonator which is one lap as fast as you can while avoiding obstacles caused by explosions ahead of you.

If you do well enough during one episode you move on to the next one, with the ultimate aim of becoming season champion.

During races ramming rival cars won’t do you any good. There are also no power-ups or speed boosts to collect.

The only weapon at your disposal is power plays.

You fill your power play meter by drifting, slipstreaming, jumping and evading attacks.

When the meter is at a sufficient level and when you have an opponent in sight you can unleash a power play.

This triggers some sort of explosive event further up the road, aimed at the opponent or opponents who are within range.

The severity of the explosion varies depending on how full your power play meter was.

Power plays can set off relatively minor events such as blasting trackside vehicles and sending construction machinery toppling over to more cataclysmic destruction which alters the path of the track.

Using power plays is a quick way to get from the back of the field to the front. Bizarrely, leading a race is actually harder work than chasing the frontrunner. When ahead of the pack you’re more vulnerable to attack, and there is no way to defend yourself other than using quick reflexes to get out the way of trouble.

You just have to keep driving fast, building up your power play meter for the likely event of succumbing to an explosion and dropping back a few places.

The AI is very prone to rubber-banding. Drive as fast as you like and you’ll still have the opposition close behind. Mind you, crash a couple of times and you’ll still probably be able to get caught up.

I’m not usually a fan of this approach but in Split/Second keeping the field close together for the majority of the time works because it guarantees there is no let-up in the mayhem.

Regardless of whether you’re in front or not, Split/Second is always tense. The gripping expect-the-unexpected action in the game is one of its strongest points. It’s heart-pounding, sweaty-palms, super-exciting racing.

Simple yet highly responsive controls for driving, steering and triggering power plays help to make speeding around the airport terminal, port, downtown and other courses in the game a really fun experience.

Drifting is quite hard to get the hang but once you do it works like a charm.

The game looks absolutely stunning, from the slick menu presentation to the jaw-dropping visuals during races.

All the different locations are distinctive and superbly put together with impressive attention to detail.

The game runs at an incredible speed and even when there is chaos on screen with things crashing and falling all over the place there is no slowdown in the performance.

The power play set-pieces really are a sight to behold. The massive explosions and pumping music give the game the look and sound of a Hollywood action movie. If Vin Diesel or Will Smith suddenly appeared it wouldn’t be a surprise.

The draw distances are slightly shorter than ideal and although the lighting is very good overall there have been a few high-speed crashes when I’ve not been able to tell road from walls ahead of me, but these are very minor niggles in the grand scheme of things.

Another small gripe is that there isn’t enough voiceover work to give the game the genuine feeling of being set in a TV show, and there is no in-race commentary which would have added extra class.

Other problems with Split/Second are few and far between but there is a question mark over its long-term appeal.

There are around 70 micro one-off events during the season, and it doesn’t take very long to work through each episode.

Replay value comes from trying to improve upon past performances and also from competing online against other players but Split/Second borders on being quite a shallow game overall.

So long as the dazzling visuals and big bangs continue to wow you’ll want to stick with the game but as soon as these things lose their shine you’ve got a problem as Split/Second doesn’t have any more magic tricks hidden up its sleeve.

Regardless of this, developer Black Rock Studio has done a great job of creating a fabulously fast-paced, frantic and fun fantasy racing game.

Split/Second is one TV show not to be missed – if only it could happen in real life.

Verdict: 8.5 out of 10 – With this, ModNation Racers and Blur, there has been a strong crop of creative racing games released for PS3 lately. Split/Second is right up there with the best arcade racers on the console.