Split SecondAs we’re sure many of you are aware, Split/Second is the explosive new racer currently being developed by Black Rock Studios. But what makes it different from any other racer out there? Well, when we said explosive, we meant explosive. Split/Second introduces a new gameplay feature called Power Plays to set itself apart from the rest. These Power Plays can range from nudging a few parked cars into the path of rivals to exploding an airport control tower to change the route of the race. Now this all sounds a bit Burnout-y, and believe us this isn’t the first game to try its hand at destructive gameplay. But do Disney, of all people, have the power to take down the Burnout series like so many others have tried? Unfortunately not quite, but it’s the best attempt that we’ve seen yet.

Now we’re sure any avid racing fans out there are currently, like us, in a dilemma. Three racers are out next month, Blur, ModNation Racers, and Split/Second – two of them releasing on the same day. With ModNation Racers taking the creative edge; Blur taking the ‘real life’ edge; and Split/Second taking the destructive side of things, which one do you choose? Now very few of you will have either the funds or the patience to buy all three in one go. So let PlayStation Future clarify things by sharing our thoughts on the first of the three racing newcomers, whether we find a winner, well, that’s for you to decide.

First off, let us shed a little light on the situation at hand here. Split/Second is set in a fictional world where a reality TV show has built entire cities for the sole purpose of racing. Sounds great so far yes? Now obviously any TV studio could set up a race track and throw a few cars around it, so this show decided to rig the track up with several explosive opportunities to take out the competition. Your job, as a participant in the show, is to win a series of tournaments to prove that you are the best (yada yada yada)…

Right, so the demo starts up, gives you a quick tutorial showing you all the buttons, and how the power play system works, and you’re in. The only playable event in the demo is a simple race round an airport. So you start, and everything happens as you’d expect, but that soon changes.

Whilst racing round the track, you will notice a meter under your car which fills up whenever you tailgate, drift, get air etc. The meter is split into three segments, fill one and you can press X when you see a blue icon over one of your rivals, which momentarily throws an obstacle in their path – timing is quite a necessity here, as you can imagine. Fill two bars, and you simply have two opportunities to take out opponents; but fill three bars, and you unlock a Level 2 Power Play. If you see a red icon at any time in the circuit, pressing O will unleash hell upon anyone who’s near, for a level 2 power play can take out multiple rivals, open a massive shortcut or even rearrange the track. Great. Until you realise that your rivals can do exactly the same back. The addition of this feature is pure genius, as it not only provides a whole lot of eye candy, but it can change the shape of a race in mere seconds (hence the title of the game we presume).

The airport itself is a beautiful track full of, well, aeroplanes and such. There are many power play opportunities such as a petrol station, a container crane, a bridge, and a flipping aeroplane (which assaults you on the last lap of the race). Like we said before, timing is a necessity and a few metres could be the difference between first and last place.

The feel of the cars takes a while to get used to, but that’s an obstacle you have to overcome on nearly every racing game, the drifting can feel a bit clunky at first, but eventually you’ll be power sliding round corners like a pro. The AI also hold their ground well, unleashing power plays on you just when you think you’ve nabbed the lead. The graphics aren’t incredible, but they more than suffice for their purpose, the cars are detailed, the environments full of colour, and of course the explosions are well defined.

Which leaves us with our original dilemma, which game to get next month. We were really hoping that this demo would provide us with a fantastic reason to get this game over both of the others, and it has, but they’ve pulled out their weapons as well, making our job twice as difficult. We sure as hell love ModNation Racers, but Split/Second fights its corner incredibly well too. The battle of the titans continues…

In the full game, there will be other environments including a downtown section, and other game modes, but our real question is: Will this game be able to hold our interest and contain varied gameplay for the entire game, as well as online? We certainly like the idea of collapsing a bridge on top of a load of friends and the game itself certainly has the potential, but whether it holds anyone’s interest for more than a passing fancy remains to be seen. Split/Second: Velocity is currently due to be released on Friday 21st May in the EU.

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