by Jamie Love - 11.05.09

Epic Mickey might be getting all the hype as far as Disney Interactive titles go right now, and rightly so, but Split/Second still occupies plenty of space on my wish list. It’s been months since I got the chance to take it for a ride, but the game won me over with the handling, which strikes me as an entirely difficult feeling to explain properly.
There’s a sweet spot between simulation and arcade, which probably leans more toward arcade, but is still in the middle enough to be compared to the porridge Goldilocks picks, and encourages me to make driving sounds outloud while zipping around the track. Of course, Split/Second is better than porridge, because porridge doesn’t help you blow up bits of the track to open new routes and destroy the competition.
I suppose in that sense Burnout is the apt comparison, though it’s not entirely the same, and I made my decision with the porridge.
I’m not sure how the game will stack up against the competition, with licensed vehicles and simulations being all the rage, but assuming I survive the holidays, it’s still high on my hope list for 2010.
There’s a new bit of video out, which is far more teasing than informative. Check it out after the break.












personally i am more interested in Blur. almost entirely because it has licensed cars. and in-game Volskwagen GTI W12-650 = UBER WIN
kojo87 - 11.06.09 1:19 am
I”m interested in both games–this one being with a little more interest.
I would like to know how Need 4 Speed: NITRO (the Wii title just released) compares because I hear it’s a lot of fun. However, I’ve never played any NFS game that was consistently fun.
Jamie, I wish you could elaborate more on the handling. Is it tight and precise or does it seem like the vehicles float (DiRT) a little bit?
Nat - 11.06.09 11:28 am
@Nat - I earnestly have every intention of writing more about the handling specifically. I’m trying to pester for some more time with it now that I’ve played some other releases since my last hands on, and to see if they’ve made any changes. I want to say that there’s some float in the sense that you can dart around obstacles with some ease, but I also didn’t have to work hard to keep from veering off course. I’ll definitely be trying to follow up on it before the year ends.
Jamie Love - 11.06.09 3:14 pm
The Split/Second trailer only cements the idea that a revitalization of the Interstate ‘76 franchise is LONG overdue. No game has ever come close to matching the style, creativity, and sense of humour of that driving/fighting sim. It took the Car Wars idea and created something totally worthwhile. I’m totally sympathetic to the driving model in Split/Second, but I can already tell that it’s trying to replicate a dead (or dying) gaming metaphor.
Chris Lepine - 11.09.09 3:53 pm