FlatOut

"Talented and Reckless Drivers Wanted"

Do you all remember the first Burnout game and the mixed reviews it got. Well Flatout is the new racer on the block. But, Flatout cannot be compared to other street racers because it is a Destruction Derby racer. And all I can say, is that Flatout is the best Destruction Derby racer on the PS2. Flatout falls in the line of the past fun games such as Destruction Derby 1, 2 and 3 (Raw). Flatout may have mixed reviews, but it is only the first game in a series of games. Flatout 2 has already been announced.

Flatout has destruction derby bowls, mud bowl races, destruction derby rally races, and driver ragdoll Olympic mini games such as bowling, dart board, long jump, high jump, and two others. Where Flatout stands out is in the ragdoll physics (drivers fly out of their windshields when they hit something really hard). Also, Flatout stands out in the car progressive deformation/damage modelling (many pieces fall of the car and the car shape gets badly deformed). The ragdoll physics is really good and very enjoyable to watch as the driver is thrown out into bowling pins, or sent 100 meters in the air or crashing into and through a dart board. When the driver hits something, he/she comes down with a hard satisfying "THUMP".

There are reviews out there that say that the driving physics is to loose. The cars tend to slide around out of control to much. I say to them, this isn't Burnout. Three quarters of the races are on dirt or ice, and when you car is travelling 100 km/h (60 miles/h) it will slide out of control. So, with aggressive AI and have to balance careful driving with reckless driving. Not only are you racing on cement, ice, and dirt, there are lots of things to crash into scattered along the tracks. Some of these things are not breakable, and other things are. While you drive both carefully, fast and dangerously at the same time, you have to decide whether to hit some of the movable objects to fill up your boost meter (that is the only similarity between Flatout and Burnout). So, personally, I like the driving physics in Flatout, because it keeps you concentrating on your driving skills. Yes, it takes skills to beat this game. The AI is aggressively fast and hard hitting while you try and keep the car under control from the dirt and ice conditions.

People complain that the driver being thrown out the window of their car waste too much time and is a "flaw" like the "loose" driving physics. But, those are not "flaws" in the game. That is how Bugbear set it up. Hence, drive with a balance of speed and careful skillful driving. There are only 8 cars in a race including ours. That doesn't sound like much, but there is lots of destruction and intensity to be had in Flatout. The only complaint I have is that in multiplayer offline racing only includes you and your friend. There is no CPU racers. That shouldn't be the case in a Destruction Derby game.

The Destruction Derbies (DD) and bone shaped race track are extras in this game and they are so sweet. The Destruction Derbies are very well designed and are cluttered with tires and other things. The second DD has large water puddles and the ground is uneven due to all the hilly bumps. The third one has a smooth crater in the middle. My favorite is the bone shaped race where there is some awesome head on collisions and car parts flying everywhere.

The graphics in Flatout is quite good. There is a lot of detail on the country tracks and I have had no problems with any slow down. The car deformation is totally satisfying. There are so many parts that fall off the car and lay on the track for the next time you come around the track. The graphics could have been better, but again, this is the first in a series, and I will assume that the second Flatout will be even bigger and better looking.

I don't have online, so I cannot comment on that. But at least there is an online for those who can go online.

The special effect sound are good. I love the rough engine sound on the bigger cars. The music is European Modern Alternative Rock Metal of which I cannot stand. But, music is a matter of opinion and I just turn it off

Replayability is in the eye of the beholder. If you are a fan of Destruction Derby racing and find that the racing in of itself rewarding, then you will enjoy playing the career mode over and over. But, if you see certain things negative like thinking that the racing physics is too "loose", and the ragdoll eventually boring then Flatout may not be for you.

Overall, Flatout is a great game for its first time out. It could have had more stuff, but it is the first game (the 2nd one already announced) in a series. If you are a fan of destruction derby racing, more likely then not you will like Flatout. You should buy it. If destruction derby is not a favorite concept of yours in a racing game, then you may want to rent first and see if you like it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/21/05