Customer Reviews

Split / Second

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First off, I am by no means a racing game enthusiast, actually it's the complete opposite. Honestly the only racing game I've played and truly enjoyed as of late has been Mario Kart Wii, which is a blast by the way. I've purchased Split/Second after hearing the premise of the game, I thought it sounded really interesting and very unique. Looking back I'm very happy I took a chance on this title, I wasn't let down at all and have been really enjoying it.

Once you play this game and understand what it's trying to do you will come to the conclusion as I have that the "cons" are what makes this game different than most other racing game out there. "Rubber banding" is necessary to play the game as it was intended to be played. Consider this, if you were able to break out in first place and never have to look back it takes away from some of the main points of this game which is to cause destruction and to trigger traps on your opponets. Besides, if you can't pass the car in front of you do the next best thing, which is to drop a plane on him! Also, a lot of people complain about "drifting", which I must agree there is a lot of, however there are many other ways to fill up your power meter like "drafting" which in my opinion is the easier way to play. My final point is in regard to the lack of customization as far as the cars are concerned, again this is not what this game is about so if that is what you're looking for invest in a different title. This game is not about the cars (as strange as that is to say) it's about the havoc you can cause and to what extent you can cause it.

I hope my review has been helpful to you and thanks for reading, sorry for being long winded LOL. If you like to play games for fun, and not take things too seriously look me up, my PSN ID is MikeJMele.

Big Surprise from Disney! The last 2 reviewers compared it to Pure. I bought Pure after playing the demo, and actually didn't see what was special about Pure as compared to the demo. Pure was just the demo with similar environments, and not much added. I was expecting to see the same with Split Second, but saw that the developers weren't so lazy this time. The S/S demo features a car which is a lower end car, in which drifting is difficult, and not very fun. In the complete game, you are rewarded cars that are easier to handle through drifting, and makes more sense. The tracks (not in the demo) also make drifting more conducive.
There are 72 races in this game with 12 episodes and 6 races for each episode, some with new environments. There will be a couple of different challenges you have to complete to move onto the next episode. In one of the more fun challenges, you must pass semi-trucks while they are dumping barrels of oil, and avoid the oil barrels. The other main challenge featured is an elimination mode, in which the car in last place gets eliminated when the timer hits zero. Some of the other challenges require no drifting, and focus on avoiding hazards which actually brings a new type of racer to the game. The challenges are various, and much more fun than I expected.


(There is also a 2 player mode which offers a split screen, but I haven't played in this mode to comment on it.)

Taking a page out of Burnouts books, Split Second serves as an arcade type racer that isnt concerned with simulating the aspect of the intricateness of the real life racing experience, but more of speed, daring close calls, explosions, and destruction. The game succeeds in taking this motive and making it last through the 12 or so episodes (features at least 4 different types of races and events in each one).

Similar to their previous game PURE, the game is a gorgeous experience through its many locales. The camera angles used emphasize the action well. For example, whenever an opponent or multiple opponents fall victim to a power play (you can trigger these to slow down opponents, leading them to crash), the camera will occasionally zoom in to their location and show an up close view of the wreckage; when a level 2 power play (usually also results in a course change, in which the track will change), the camera will zoom into that location and even allow the option of an instant replay view from like a camera cam to show the wreckage and devastation. These camera angles and sheer scale of some of the powerplays leads to numerous mouth dropping moments. The games story is told through amazing adrenaline filled sequences that are full of explosions as well. The music played through races is always quite on point for the high adrenaline and is there to pump the player up and make it more suspenseful, truly it all works.

Although there are a limited number of locations through the game, there are many opportunities in races for the use powerplays and shortcuts, the experience can really never get old. The game has opponents with high enough intelligence that they will always keep at the players rear and make each finish a nail-biting one. Enemies utilize shortcuts and powerplays extensively, so even though a player could be 5+ seconds ahead of a car, they are still within distance to be caught in a play and go all the way back to last place. The challenge in getting first place on all tracks is definitely there.

The game has numerous unlockable cars and modes. The player will experience all modes in the story mode and some are able to be played in the offline splitscreen multiplayer and online. Races are capped at 8 players as well.

The game will probably hold most players for the 40 hours if they aim for all the trophys for the game and is definitely worth the $60 buying price. The future of DLC possible is also there as there is a section called Downloadable Content on the games menu. The only con to the game is perhaps that drifting mechanisms, which takes awhile to get used to, but once done it can be used to keep up the speed in racers.

So definitely try this game if you liked Black Rock Studios previous high definition console racer PURE, and also if you are looking for an arcade racer to fill the void in your library of Playstation 3 games.

I have completed 8 out of 12 'episodes' in this game, and I am thoroughly impressed with the production value and challenge offered by this title. The AI is indeed challenging, sometimes to the point of 'cheating' as some might claim, but this game is meant to challenge your skills and ability to strategize accordingly and use the environment to your advantage to come out on top. Sure there will be frustrating moments when you lose a race by mere seconds (or even less at times), but this makes it even more satisfying when you trigger a powerplay that wrecks several opponents seconds before crossing the finish line to take first place!!

This game can best be described as a simple, no-holds-barred epic racing simulator that strips away all the fluff and gets you right to the action, every single time!!! This game is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to anyone who is remotely interested in racing games!!

EDIT 7-3-2010

Just completed 11 out of 12 episodes. I found that you do NOT necessarily have to finish the final race for each episode ('Elite' race) in 1st place in order to be first in the season competition. This gives the player some breathing room seeing as the AI is quite unforgiving in some races, so finishing first in all would probably have been a frustrating requirement.

Who would have known that Disney could make something as cool as this! Prepare to get goose bumps BIG TIME!
The right combination of thrill, special effects and music (finally a game w/o the omni present emo rock music) will blow you out of the water!

I wish I had ordered it from Amazon now, price dropped $10 since yesterday :(

The Good. This game is well made and exciting. The graphics are amazing, and the sound packs a punch. The cars are pretty cool, considering the fact that they are not modeled off of real cars too much. The racing (besides the power plays) is straight forward and simple enough for anyone to play. Disney did a good job on the important aspects of this game.

The Bad. There is not much to complain about, but a few small things keep this game from being perfect. All of the cars, regardless of the specs, seem to be a little drift and slide happy. The AI seems to get a performance increase once you get out in front, and they become a little more difficult (but not too much) to outrace. The Hud is very simple, and there is no speedometer or minimap. Damage does not seem to be that great. The only time you see damage is when you wreck, and that just shows your car parts flying off. Other than that, the cars are pretty much invulnerable.

Overall, this game is stunning visually and a lot of fun to play; and it is definitely worth buying.

I didn't have much interest in this game at first but then it went on sale for $20 so I got it with some friends. It is amazing!
The game is mostly about building up your meter to set off traps and destroy the other racers. There is no NAS or speed boost like most other games, but it actually makes the races better. The traps are visually outstanding in graphics and destruction.
Not to spoil much but in one level a trap is to have an airplane land while driving a down an airstrip which if timed right can take all others out.

A must get if you are looking to get a racing game, it's close to Burnout but in my opinion better.

It has been awhile that I had a good action game. Disney realy did an excelent job on makeing this game. Also with high end action keeping me very busy on my driving and what to blow up next.

I've been a racing game fan from day one, Need For Speed series, Gran Turismo and Burnout are a few of my faves. When I saw the Trailer for Split Second, I knew right away I had to have it. Does the game deliver? Gorgeous, crisp graphics, fast arcade style driving, the ability to trigger explosions and obstacles for cars in front of you, extremely easy to pick up and play and plenty of different vehicles make for an awesomely fun driving game. BUT it has an inexcusable omission. Considering how fast paced and explosive the game play is, there is no way to watch a replay of the race you just finished. Why? The game play is based on the idea that you are racing on a TV show so you would think you should be able to watch an exciting replay like pretty much any other racing game. Very disappointing.
Despite that, I still love playing this game.

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Two of my closest friends are committed gamers as well and as fate would have it we all decided to go for different arcade paths. Zero is as happy as hell with the ModNation Racers idea. M4rco will wait until May 25, 2010 for the Blur experience. But I think I've made the right choice, this is my experience with Split/Second so far:

First of all I'll like to thank Amazon for the same day delivery!! No extra charges for getting it a couple of hours after it was released for Prime Members -- delivered May 18, 2010 10:08:00 AM

Second of all I need to clarify that I haven't had enough time to test all the aspects of the game yet. I'm still getting familiarized with the tracks and timing before considering playing online (highly recommended if you want to avoid getting your *** kicked)

OK, here we go:

The Good:
-The environmental concept of the game is the main reason why I decided to get this title. To make it short, you play as a contestant on a reality show in which drivers must survive chapters and earn points to become the winner of the season and earn lots of money, girls and stuff, isn't that great?! I think most of us will enroll ourselves in a similar show if we had the chance!!
To wrap up.. It's something similar to Who has what it takes to become the Next American TM, but with collapsing buildings, falling bridges, extremely fast vehicles and critical explosions per second.
-I'm still waiting for a real variety in 1080p games, but the 720p output outstanding graphics that S/S delivers won't let anybody down. Even the most negative reviewers have agreed on that.
-Winning trophies and extras for pretty much everything rocks!! Which actually reminds me of the Burnout bonus addictive 'can't wait to see that is next' concept. If you like the Burnout series, try this one. Now you will have the 2 players split screen play mode vertical or horizontally without any significant cosmetic decrease.
-Did I mention this game is addictive? Well, the transition from race to race is so smooth and dynamic at the same time that I had to tell myself -- this is the last race four times before I was able to finally quit the game and get really for my job. I'm pretty sure the online experience will be even more destructive in my case
-The different type of races this game offers are a blast. You truly feel the adrenaline during each race, specially after being on a dangerous position while the elimination timer is about to run out of seconds.
- The stats interface is probably the best I've seen so far. I really like having all the information of the race in one single place. Your position 1st/8 is located right on your left tire and the Lap 1/3 info on the right one, meanwhile the Power Bar is shown in the back of your car. That allows you to have sufficient space to admire all the panorama, which can be a life saver when it comes to dodge collapsing buildings.
-And.. For the bottom line.. POWER PLAYS!! Surviving to a crashed falling plane accident is the coolest thing I have ever done in a Racing Game!! By the third lap the whole track is completely destroyed which actually test your driving skills thinking fast in order to make the right choices.

The Bad:

-Control settings can not be customized. I found the default ones a little inaccessible at the beginning, instead of pressing the X button to accelerate you have to use R2, since the X is set for Power Plays (last time I played a racing game the accelerator was right on my thumb, I'm I getting old?). Not a big deal, I actually got used to it in a couple of races.
-If you are into customizing everything -- like me. You have to be aware of the lack of vehicle personalization this game has, you only have 3 options at the beginning and changing their color could not be exactly that we were expecting. You will unlock more vehicles in the way, but the personalization restrictions remain the same, probably eventual DLC will provide us with more options.
-No Boost(NFS) .. No Weapons (BLUR) .. No Takedowns (BURNOUT). I think the developers wanted to have their own concept and avoid being compared with some other games already in the market, but there could be an improvement in these aspects on a second edition of the game.

The not necessary Good, Bad nor Ugly:

-Driving controls can be mastered easily -- not rocket science, just accelerate, break, learn how to use the camera angles, using power plays without getting self-wrecked in the way, dodging obstacles and opponents. Which can be excellent for kids or first timers, but not for hardcore gamers.
-If you consider yourself be to a serious driver and are into real driving simulators you won't find this ARCADE title challenging enough, in that case just wait for GT5 (November 1, 2010). In the other hand if you still feel there is an empty slot in your collection when it comes to racing games and want to fill it with a save purchase, I truly believe S/S will do the job, I don't know about the rest, but at least the fun is warranted.

Now I will make myself some time to test the Multiplayer interface, cuz at the end that's what will convince my friends to buy this game, otherwise I will end with ModNation Racers or Blur as well, thank you for reading!!
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