Its difficult to describe Split/Second without using wit.

To say its Michael Bay’s remake of Ridge Racer.

Or to say that its almost like playing a Saturday Night Live parody of an actual racing game.

It’s difficult because almost everything that comes to mind is true.

Including terms like “Most entertaining racing game since Burnout Revenge” and “So delightfully simple I’ve been wanting to play something like this for years”.

But none of that is witty.

And when you’re playing a game where explosions are going off in the options screen.

Wit may not be necessary.

Graphics

Racing game graphics are usually autocentric. They tend to fold out from the car in the center, then the attention goes to the road. Then the surroundings whose importance is ranked based on automobile proximity.

Split/Second is different. The surroundings explode. Any of it. All of it At any time. So the love went into the scenery. The tracks boast a summer blockbuster feel. The visual expression of completely fake movie sets made to almost feel like living, breathing environments. And that is not a bad thing. There’s no need for me to feel like I’m watching breaking news when a train full of explosives derails onto busy traffic. It need only look properly spectacular and glossy.

The sense of scale, abundance of explosions, and addition of adventure game-style lighting give a hit to texture quality. Above average at best and quite blurry at worst, the game is fortunate that its overarching presentation is one part stable and two parts spectacular.

Much like Call of Duty, whose 60 fps engine seems designed for the player to be flicking around in every direction, Split/Second’s (S2nd? S/2ND? S/2?) engine is designed for the user to be scanning the entire screen at all times. This plays into the hands of the twisted developers at Blackrock who deemed it neccessary to …

Rhythm

… create a racing game where everything can explode.

And create a racing game where everything explodes so perfectly.

The game is simple. Race to win. Not unlike Ridge Racer. Between its 1995 release and now its become vogue to reward players for performing extreme maneuvers. Many different rewards have been experimented with. Nitro boosts. Weapons ejected from the uncanny valley located behind the grill of every car in every videogame. Blackrock decided that flipping the idea on its head would work. And it does. Almost too well. In S/S each daring maneuver gains you the ability to activate various traps for the purpose of ultimate victory. It makes each race an overwhelming sensory experience that has you watching the road for traps, the road for actual turns and bumps, your opponents, AND anticipating their intentions.

Example:

You are in … 4th place. It is lap 2 of 3. And ACTION.

“Long straight. Taxis on the right explode slide across road to the left must stay right. Who is behind me? Is he close enough to detonate the taxis? He didn’t detonate the taxis. What’s his plan? On which side does the bridge collapse? Can I activate it close to enough to me to scare the 3rd place guy and make my move? Hold on is that building falling down? Oh f-”

And SCENE.

That was a mental excerpt of roughly 11-13 seconds of action.

If your eyebrows just went up then don’t hesitate to jump in. The premise is simple …

Arbitary Numerical Grade: 9.1/10.

… accelerate with the right trigger, brake with the left trigger, make things explode with the A and B buttons. So simple you’d think I’m reading an instruction booklet circa 1995. However the trip from your brain to your fingers should cover the last 15 years or so.

-A.

Worthy Note: Split/Second’s design is such that it makes being in 1st place an overwhelming experience. Being at the mercy of the net of traps in front of you because of the racers BEHIND is a superb touch.

Adrenalin achieved.

Boredom defeated.