Review: Split/Second

I love racing games. I love them just as much as my FPSs, and although I usually tend to drift more towards the “simulation” racing games, I have to say it is a literal blast to play Split/Second! Who knew a game that is 100 percent arcade-racing style with a world that can change in seconds could be so fun?

I know Split/Second has been out for a while, but after borrowing it from fellow GameHounds staffer Nick Dinicola and after getting back into hardcore racing in NFS: Shift and Forza 3, I decided to try something new. I played the demo of Split/Second, free to download on XBL when it first came out, and I honestly wasn’t that impressed. Sure there was some monstrous explosions and wrecks, but the racing didn’t feel alive or give me that heart pounding, adrenaline rush I get from Shift or right as you get to the last lap after a flawless 15-minute endurance race on Forza 3. That little voice in the back of your head that says, “Don’t eff this up. That guy is 1.3 seconds behind you and if you lose 4 MPH consistently over these turns, he will pass you and you will lose!” Yes that is what racing is all about, and I would venture to say there is much more competitiveness in racing than in any other sport, although it is hard to transfer this to a gamer if the player has never been in a real-world race before.

With Split/Second, it’s a wholly different voice in your head. “One lap to go, I’m 5.4 seconds ahead of second place. Yeah, I feel safe. I mean five seconds in a racing game is insane. I’ve got this. Just give me the gold now so I can go on to bigger and better things!  Oh [explitive of your choice] what was that? An exploding power plant?! Okay. I still got this. A little drifting around the curb and I’ll miss the falling concrete. So much for short cuts. Wait is that a wrecking ball moving?! Slide, slide, slide, damn you!” This is followed by words that would make any sailor proud. Then you’re racing on a runway and I have about two seconds to react to the landing gear and flaming engines that are going to hit your car’s windscreen while you’re at top speed.

This is a game that the title sums up the actual game play: It’s a non-stop adrenaline junkie’s playground. This is the only racing game where it is actually not in your favor to be in first place until the very last “split second.”

I played online the other night thinking that the gameplay would be a bit more slowpaced and that I would see more pure racing happening. The AI cars seem to just randomly detonate “power plays” at will, most not even hitting me as I fly by them. Most of the detonated explosives (or “power plays”) can only be used once and thus you want to only use them when they are the most advantageous for you. This means you “save some” for the last lap, to ensure your victory. Let that guy behind you pass and then utterly deny him the glory of winning with that last explosive fuel truck you left behind from the last lap — assuming no one else has used it. Yes, you get the satisfaction of blowing someone up, denying them a win ahead of you and getting all the glory! Perfection is the only description for this feeling from that kind of race.

Online, Split/Second is chaos. You will crash. You will be blown up, crushed, spun out. You will swear every last word you can think of and wish the players behind you would shrivel up and die in the fires of hell. This kind of insanity unleashes you from thee moral confines of a normal human. Unabated, no regrets, no shame. Who cares when this kind of mentality can let you win? This is dog-eat-dog racing. Unapologetic, unrestrained. This is how a racing game is meant to be.

Would I recommend this game to other “serious” racing-game enthusiasts? Only if they are willing to play a arcade racer that doesn’t use any real world physics. The cars are fun, the tracks are full of things to see and destroy, shortcuts are hard to find, and there are tons of different “modes” to play with as you race either in the campaign or online. This game is fun, addicting, and a total blast. Even if you don’t like racing games altogether, I think this is one you should try out for yourself. The music is good, the cars are fun, the explosions are epic, and the adrenaline rush is a straight shot to the veins. See you at the checkered flag!

Split/Second
Black Rock Studios/Disney Interactive Studios
Xbox 360 (also available for Playstation 3 and PC)
$50 on Amazon.com
Available now