Full Auto

Written by Nick Doukas  on July 07, 2005

First Impressions: Racer X...

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It's funny, but I am so ready for the next generation. Not that there aren't amazing gaming experiences to be had right now, and in the near future, but something about the new deal is intoxicating to a seasoned gamer. The idea that textures, lighting, character models, and physics Ц not to mention AI Ц will blow away anything we're seeing now, and that it's happening in the next 6 months? Yea, I'm excited. Oh, the cynics will tell you it's too early, and that it's all about money, and that things don't look much better than the current gen, and you're being lied to with a bunch of unattainable tech demos. You know what? They're all full of crap Ц jaded gamers non-withstanding, from what I've seen, we're in for a real treat in the upcoming console wars. Full Auto is a fine example of just what I'm talking about. I see the launch night of Microsoft's new baby being split between Perfect Dark Zero, and the ultimate car combat simulator, as Xbox Live 360 roars out of the gate with some serious steamЕ.

Coming from Sega, who are showing strong launch support for the new hardware (they're behind Condemned: Criminal Origins as well) Full Auto is an insane racing game that combines the best of straight up competition with massive weapons and amazing, fully-destructible environments. Literally, you can take out any building or other structure you see, and all the mayhem is completely unscripted and created on the fly by the game's impressive physics engine. As you race through incredibly detailed environments - the virtual city of Staunton is your playground here, and it features several different areas including an industrial setting, and an entertainment district Ц you'll quickly realize that everything in your path is meant to be destroyed. The unbelievable chain reactions that occur spontaneously are so over the top, you'll laugh out loud as you careen through a phone booth and a chain-link fence, all the while watching the gas station you just blasted two rockets at go up in a huge fireball that subsequently ignites half the block. Of course, those spontaneous events are triggered by unleashing the massive armory strapped to each competitor's vehicle. Weapon's loadouts include machine guns, dumb and smart fire missiles, grenade launchers, mounted shotguns and even a variety of mines. You won't need to replenish ammo, but expect to have your weapons overheat and become nonfunctional for a short period of time when things get particularly hairy.

The sheer amount of onscreen detail, in the environments, as well as in the explosions and debris, really display the power of the next gen hardware, and all of the cars are wrapped in numerous layers of textures and sport impressive reflections and lighting. In fact, the visuals in Full Auto are pretty amazing, and considering that the game is still far from completion, that's something to seriously consider. Cars tear past your field of vision and blast red-hot tracers that stitch across the blacktop as splinters, shattered plaster and mortar fill the screen with realistic detail. It really looks fantastic, and having seen the game in action, I can say with all certainty that Full Auto is going to be one seriously hectic and wild ride. Audio-wise the game is shaping up nicely, with the roar of high performance engines, as well as the sounds of heavy weaponry (not to mention the broken glass and violent explosions) coming across convincingly.

Full Auto features an interesting play mechanic called УunwreckФ. Basically, this allows you to actually rewind time so you can have another crack at jumping over the parking garage you just smashed head on into. This is accomplished by holding down the Y button, and will let you to correct otherwise fatal mistakes. You'll be limited in the use of unwreck by a meter that keeps track of how much time you have available during any given section of a race. You can refill the meter by destroying as much of the landscape as possible, and you'll have plenty of tankers, fuel stations, and propane tanks to help you accomplish all of the wanton devastation you'll need to survive. You'll also receive a score for property damage and the dollar amount of said damage at the end of each heat.

You'll be able to use a nitro boost to help you tear-ass around the city, and you'll also have access to a handbrake maneuver that will have you power-sliding around corners like a seasoned pro. Just watch out for any missiles or other ordinance as you come around those blind curves. There will be plenty of shortcuts, as well as alternate pathways around the courses, and players can look forward to 20 different playable cars (that can be customized with weapons load outs to a certain extent), over 60 events in career mode, and 10 single player modes. As well, you can play with up to 8 players total online, and we can assume there'll be a good amount of customization for Live play.