FlatOut

Written by Troy Matsumiya  on April 26, 2005

First Impressions: Seatbelts and helmets are for wimps!

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Racing games are typically about skill Ц hitting the line through a corner, tapping the brakes at just the right moment, driving with smooth finesse. But most gamers know that skillful driving can get a little boring after a while, and that deep down inside, we all have a guilty burning desire to smash the crap out of everything in our headlights.

If Project Gotham Racing, RalliSport Challenge and Need For Speed: Underground are serious, Уwhite-collarФ professional racers, then FlatOut is the crazed redneck version. Developed by UK-based Bugbear Entertainment, FlatOut is an over-the-top demolition racer with a healthy dose of those hilariously morbid elements that drive politicians and parent groups into conniptions. Originally released in Europe last summer, FlatOut has been reworked for the North American market to include Xbox Live support for up to eight players.

The game features 16 unlicensed muscle cars racing on 36 tracks across five different environments, including snow, a forest, construction yards, quarries and backwater towns (like I said: it's redneck racing!). Each track contains a mind-boggling 3000 interactive objects Ц and by УinteractiveФ, I mean УsmashableФ. Fences, water towers, crates, signs, barrels, even buildings Ц if you can see it, chances are you'll be able to plow into it and enjoy the beauty of destructible physics. The debris from your vehicular mayhem will also persist, so by making a mess, you could slow down your opponents or make them crash (call it Уstrategic destructionФ) Ц but then again, you could end up getting a taste of your own medicine on the next lap if you're not careful.

You will also be rewarded with bonus money each time you smash something Ц not that you'll need any incentive to do so. However, you won't be able to careen into everything in sight with wanton abandon because your car will suffer damage with every hit; take too much damage and your car's performance will suffer. Each car is made up of 40 parts that individually morph and degrade as you take hits, resulting in impressively realistic damage modeling.

Naturally, you will race to earn money, but need to be careful how you spend it. For example, you will start off with a small amount of cash that you can use to buy a cheap used car, or a pricey brand new one. While it may be cool to have a new car, you may not have enough money to upgrade and repair it later on. Upgrades will be fairly basic (this isn't Forza, after all) but include things like new engines, turbochargers, tuning kits, suspension, exhaust, tires and bodywork (upgraded body work will give you extra hit points so you can take more damage). Eventually, though, you will have to abandon your upgraded car and start over with a stronger, faster one as you progress through the game.

You earn money mainly by working your way through Career Mode, which will consist of Bronze, Silver and Gold leagues, with 9, 12 and 15 races, respectively. As you progress through Career Mode, you will unlock new cars, tracks, race types and bonus games, including three Demolition Derby arenas filled with destructible light towers, tire walls and aggressive AI opponents.

What will really set FlatOut apart from the average racer is its hilarious use of ragdoll physics. That's right, ragdoll physics Ц something no respectable first-person shooter would be caught dead without Ц in a driving game. Who'da thunk it? Unlike most racers where your driver is stuck to his seat, in FlatOut you can eject your driver in deliciously violent and painful ways. Smash into something head-on hard enough and he'll fly through the windshield, smacking into and spinning off of anything in his trajectory. Get T-boned and he'll squirt out the side window like fleshy toothpaste. For those worried about the violence, relax Ц the ragdoll physics are comically exaggerated and over-the-top, with no blood or gore.

Naturally, if your driver is ejected, you lose the race Ц but feel comforted in the knowledge that you will be able to take out your opponents by making them do a windshield swan dive as well.

Bugbear could have stopped there, but instead expanded on the ragdoll concept by including six morbidly funny УRagdoll OlympicsФ events, each of which will have you drive down a short runway and slamming into a barrier to launch your driver like a human javelin. For example, Bullseye requires you to throw your driver into a giant dart board; High Jump and Long Jump are pretty self explanatory, as is Bowling. Clown will have you firing your driver through one of several holes in a giant carnival clown face for points. From the looks of it, the agonizing contortions of the drivers will have you both grimacing in pain and doubled-up with laughter. Best of all, you can earn extra cash competing in these events.

FlatOut has the potential to make a great party game. Not only can you play with up to seven others on Xbox Live, but you can also enjoy four-player split screen and System Link as well. Imagine the fun you can have with your friends as you compete to see who can create the most painful driver ejections.