Split/Second Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

System: X360, PS3, PC	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Black Rock Studio	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Disney Interactive	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: May 18, 2010	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-2	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

Despite the game's lack of modes, its arcade style of gameplay makes this title very easy to pick up and play. The controls are very simple: use the triggers to accelerate/brake, and use two of the face buttons to use your Power Plays. Navigating and steering your vehicle is simple enough, but using the drift function is a little tricky, as the game doesn't have the quick handbrake drift and instead uses a reaction-based, simple brake system to initiate drifting.

Split/Second screenshot

Still, after you get the hand of the drifting, the game is very easy to control and requires no precision to handle. Although this stays true to the game's arcade format, it can make the gameplay feel a little shallow, and automotive fans may be a little disappointed with how simple the driving mechanics are.

Visuals in Split/Second, much like other aspects of the game, are fairly good, but not outstanding. Cars sport some detail, but they all follow a generic template. Tracks also feature some detail, but have a lot of common elements. The only real area where the visuals shine is the explosion animations, which look fantastic.

Split/Second is certainly not the best automotive title we have ever seen, but it gets one thing right: arcade-style racing. This game is ridiculously fun, and using the Power Plays to blow away the buildings, structures, and vehicles around you is a great gimmick to get players into this new franchise.

Unfortunately, this game suffers from being a little too shallow, and after playing the same tracks over and over, it's a little too easy to tire of the game after the main story mode has been completed. Still, I would hope that there will be a sequel to this title, as the premise is solid. The execution just needs a little fleshing out.

By Amanda L. Kondolojy
CCC Staff Contributor

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.0

Graphics
Tracks sport a decent amount of detail and explosion effects are spectacular.

4.2

Control
Controls are very simple to learn, and while drifting can take awhile to master, the rest of the mechanics take mere seconds to pick up.

3.0

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Music is generic, and sparse voiceover is unremarkable. Car noises are realistic but repetitive

3.6

Play Value
There isn't much to do beyond the initial career mode, and the online offering is rather thin.

3.8

Overall Rating - Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Split/Second, an intense action racing game set within the world of a hyper-competitive reality television show. Competitors vie to be the first across the finish line in a made-for-TV city built for destruction, with the ultimate goal of becoming the season champion.

Competitors in Split/Second don't just collide with other vehicles to knock them from the track -- they can also trigger explosive events that drastically alter the dynamics of the race.

Players must use strategy and pinpoint timing to derail opponents, tactically alter the track or create entirely new routes.