11/27/05 >> Flatout (PC)
Genre: Racing / Vehicular Damage
Destruction, Carnage, Racing… all three of these things rolled into one game. FlatOut has plenty of races, which require you to smash and crash other cars to win. With all those races, it feels good to take a break every once in awhile, so Empire Interactive put mini-games and good old destruction derby, with a few even more mini destruction races. This game has plenty of fun packed into it to keep you busy for hours.
Gameplay
This game will keep you busy for awhile, It is very fun to crash other cars into walls, almost everything in sight is destructible. Things like poles, water towers, fences....etc. The AI in this game is pretty good; they usually keep up to you. Only on the snow levels is where I found that the CPU players were always overshooting corners. The controls in this game are standard, they are like any racing game, and I recommend a controller or steering wheel to get the best feeling of the game. But a keyboard is still ok to handle. On corners, it will seem like your cars back end slides a little too far, but you get used to it and hardly notice it after an hour or two.
Story
Racing games usually don't have much of a story, just simple stories like if you win a race, you unlock a new one. This goes on till you get to the Silver and Gold levels. Once you finish a level, new cars are available to get. In this game, you have to win money to buy upgrades for your car, and to buy a new car.
Graphics
This game has very good graphics, everything looks really nice. The car damage is very detailed, if you get hit in the right side on the door, the dent will be on the door, not the whole side will be pushed in like back in the old days. You can even see scratches from the cars that rubbed against you.
Sound
For a racing game with an arcade style, it has pretty good engine and collision sounds. The music can get a bit repetitive after a few hours of play, yet the songs are very catchy tunes to keep you pushing the pedal to the floor in your car.
Play Time/Replayability
This game will keep you busy... for awhile. There is no online play, which is what most people wanted. There are LAN and hotseat modes. Hotseat is up to four players, and they play the mini-games, like long jump and high jump. You may go back and do the old races at any time, so if you liked a race, you can do it again and get some more money to upgrade your car.
Final Recommendation
If you like smashing other cars into fences, poles, and other debris, then you will love this game. If you’re looking for good multiplayer, or a game that will keep you busy for awhile, then I wouldn't get this game.
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Game Score: 8.4
Reviewed By: Chris
