Split-Second Demo Impressions
Ever since Black Rock Studio developed Split Second cropped up on the gaming horizon, interest levels have been pretty respectable. After all, where do you get to see vehicles racing through environments undergoing destruction of the magnitude depicted in ‘Day After Tomorrow’ or ‘2012’? With the demo now available for download across X360 and PS3 (size: 808 Megs), you can burn rubber first-hand to evaluate if all the fireworks are worth your investment!
Split Second is a racing game with few new tricks up its sleeve. The demo features a three lap race across an Airport Terminal location. The premise is that races are organized as part of a fictional reality TV show where participants race for moolah and glory (Death Race anyone??). The entire racing track is rigged to blow, and all you have to do is fill-up your ‘power-play’ meter by Drifting, Drafting or Jumping to ensure you are able to trigger Level 1 or Level 2 powerplays during the race to crash your opponents and keep them behind.
Hit the accelerator and Split Second plays out like Burnout with Vitamins, only that the end effect is about gimmicks that keep your pulse constantly pounding during the race. Level 1 powerplays trigger small scale explosions which tend to shake – up the targeted opponents causing them to crash, and sometimes skillfully dodge the same. Level 2 powerplays are deadlier – leading to huge destruction and explosions, and even route splitting where conventional track sections get closed and new sections open up! Cars and buses explode & topple around the road, huge towers and buildings crash, and if that is not enough, be prepared to dodge a head-on collision with a gigantic 747 hurtling your way (THIS is SUPER AWSUM btw)! Supplemented by good music & great special effects, the game does a brilliant job of keeping the tempo high till you have some opponents ahead to destroy. Once you acquire lead position however, the focus shifts towards racing which is pretty bland due to lack of any solid vehicle mechanics. Even the occasional drifting starts feeling tedious and slow. Moreover, you end-up victimized and dodging power-plays triggered by opponents, which is a less satisfying experience.
The Airport Level is beautifully designed and the frame-rate is rock solid. Your car looks like a polished successor of Chevrolet Camaro Concept and the AI is fast enough to play ‘catch me if you can’ often. Fire and smoke effects are good and slow-motion crashes and replays are pretty cool! All in all, the demo is definitely promising and despite a few quirks and frustratingly short span of playtime, it manages to elevate interest and adrenaline levels beyond normal. Let’s hope the end product does more justice to our enthusiasm when it releases in the third week of May 2010! Till then, game on!!
