By
Michael Palisano
FlatOut for the Xbox is
a decent racer with some interesting features and modes. The game's racing
is quite destructive, and the cars take a lot of damage. However, the more
interesting parts of the game lie in the bonus mini-games, such as a
cannonball, where you crash the car and eject the driver onto the field.
This makes the game stand out from the pack, though there are some issues
with the controls, which feel a bit floaty at points. The visuals are
decent, though not as polished or detailed as other Xbox racers. FlatOut
is an enjoyable racing game that offers some unique modes that make for a
surprisingly addictive title.
Developed by Bugbear
Entertainment and published by Empire Interactive, FlatOut is a
surprisingly good racer that offers high-octane, high stakes racing
action. There's plenty of crashes and explosions, which makes the standard
racing loads of fun. FlatOut allows players to race 16 different vehicles.
These cars offer different types of control and performance. Additionally,
each vehicle can be upgraded throughout the game with numerous parts and
other items available at your garage. There are more than 45 different
tracks to race on, in five different environments ranging from dirt
tracks, to tarmac and even snow covered courses. This is an impressive
roster, though only a couple of cars and tracks are available initially.
You have to unlock the rest. The game also supports several multiplayer
modes including a two-player split-screen mode and online play via Xbox
Live that allows up to 8 players to battle it out. FlatOut's standard
racing mode.
FlatOut's
basic structure is standard for the genre and offers several modes of play
including single races, career mode along a number of tracks. As you'd
expect, the main object is to win these races. As you win them, you'll
earn money which you can use to upgrade your vehicle, while finishing in
the top three unlocks additional tracks and courses. The gameplay itself
is surprisingly challenging with the courses presenting quite a challenge
with numerous objects and obstacles, along with jumps and tight corners to
traverse. The rival drivers are surprisingly aggressive and won't hesitate
to knock your car around the track. The game's crashes are impressive,
with massive pile-ups possible. FlatOut's impressive physics engine also
extends inside the cockpits, where the driver can be thrown out of the
vehicle. When you suffer a severe crash, you can press the reset button to
get back in the race. Players can also use a Nitro boost to speed their
vehicle along, though you need to be sure of the layout, since the cars
are harder to control at higher speeds.
While the controls seem a
little floaty initially, upgrading your vehicle gives you a more solid
footing on the track. You'll definitely notice the improvements after your
initial upgrades, so don't get discouraged and judge the game based on its
earliest levels. You can upgrade your tires, suspension, engine and other
parts to enhance your vehicles' performance. Along the way, you will also
be able to unlock additional vehicles. Unlike other driving games,
damaging your vehicle causes a significant amount of performance loss,
dramatically affecting your vehicles' responsiveness. The game's main
racing mode is quite challenging thanks to its surprisingly aggressive AI,
which gives even the early races a tension and difficulty most other
racers lack. The good news is that the controls and gameplay are quite
aggressive, and most players should be able to jump right into this
arcade-style racer with none of the tedious license instruction and
training levels that makes many simulation titles so intimidating.
In
addition to standard point-to-point racing, FlatOut includes some
interesting alternative gameplay modes. The first of these is the
destruction derby mode, where you can battle it out against a pile of
other cars until only one vehicle remains. There are several levels of
increasing difficulty in these derbies, and the rival vehicles are
ruthless in gunning for your vehicle. This is a fun mode in its own right,
and effectively showcases the game's excellent damage modeling system. In
addition to these all-out battles, Flatout includes several mini-games
such as High Jump, Long Jump, Darts, Bowling, Bullseye and Clown. Each of
these offers a similar mechanic, where you accelerate the car, then have
to throw the driver out of the vehicle manually, hurling them towards a
target. Some of these require you to reach a certain height, while others
measure distance. They're loads of fun but playing them isn't quite as
easy as it sounds, requiring some good timing skills and anticipation to
succeed. These offer a unique challenge and can be quite addictive all by
themselves and definitely add to the game's variety and challenge.
From a visual standpoint,
the game looks solid with an acceptable level of detail throughout. The
cars themselves show an impressive amount of details, with realistic
damage that actually affects their performance. FlatOut's courses are
intelligently designed with challenging layouts that include sharp turns,
jumps, obstacles and occasionally, branching paths that can be used as
short cuts. A variety of trackside objects on each course are scattered on
the track. Some of these are minor obstacles, and you can crash into some
of these without taking much if any damage. Smaller objects usually slow
you down, while crashing into barriers and larger objects can stop you
dead in your tracks, putting a serious dent in both your vehicle and
position. The developers say there are thousands of these on each track,
including cones, barrels and, larger objects that can cause extensive
damage. Of course, you can also smash into other cars. The game engine is
decent with good lighting effects and sound effects. The game doesn't
quite match the polished appearance of high-end Xbox racers such as
Burnout and Forza Motorsport, but it still looks decent. While the game's
visuals lack the polish and sophistication of other racers, Flatout's
engine is still quite good. The level of damage in the cars is great, with
dented fenders, hoods flying off and lots of body damage evident
throughout. FlatOut's use of rag-doll physics when the drivers are ejected
and their bodies crash to the ground is cool in a sick sort of way. This
definitely has an edgy feel to it, and
While
there are other, more sophisticated racers on the market, FlatOut's simple
arcade-style play and violent crash mechanics definitely give it a unique
feel. The game's standard racing modes are fun and challenging, making for
an enjoyably untethered driving experience. Its exaggerated physics,
aggressive AI and intense crashes makes for an exciting game that's
accessible for newcomers, yet challenging and offers enough variety to
keep veterans interested. Adding to the fun are the game's all-out
destruction derby mode and its array of addictive mini-games that adds a
significant amount of replay value to the game. While there are some
similarities, the game really isn't a clone of Burnout, though you can be
forgiven for thinking as much, due to the games' similar titles and
themes. Instead, this qualifies as a sleeper title that hasn't gotten as
much attention as it deserves to. It isn't quite as slick as other titles
on the market, but it makes up for this with solid, enjoyable gameplay.
FlatOut's unique features, clever gameplay modes, such as the destruction
derby and its clever mini-games, make for some addictive play that should
please gamers looking for relatively mindless racing action.
