It’s a split second race!

If you were unlucky to be donned with a PS3 (I use this as loosely as possible), you had to wait for at least two more weeks to try the demo of Split/Second. But now that it’s out, we can finally taste the carnage and destruction that this game brings!

Before anything, the demo is  currently out only in the UK PSN Store. So if you’re eager to try it out, just create a UK PSN account. It will be available in the US PSN Store come next week. The file size is 762 MB so delete those old demos if you’re running out of space. Also, this was the demo used way back in 2009. What you can experience here is just the core gameplay. Everything else (AI, framerate, graphics) is subjected to be a whole lot different from the final game.

As you may know, Split/Second is an arcade racer. What makes this different from all of the other racers is that the track or environment is your weapon. You are set in a reality TV show that has every inch of the track rigged to blow just to mess with your rivals.

In this demo, the only mode offered is the standard 3-lap race. It doesn’t even give you a glimpse of the menu, it throws you right in the middle of the race.

Graphics are nice. It’s a bit jagged at some parts but really nice. The track you race in particular is quite a sight to see, everything so colorful yet teeming with a touch of carnage, giving you that sense of tension. Then comes the part where you race in it.

The first few seconds of the race will have you racing like a normal arcade racer: just scurry around the track, rubbing up against opponents, hoping to get the always important first place. But then, the track comes to life. Explosions occur and it leaves some of the racers distraught. This is when Split/Second becomes a totally different experience. You can trigger these “Power Plays” (yes, that is what they are called) but to do so, you’ll need to fill up your Power Play meter, which is located right beneath your car. That’s another innovation for this racer, the HUD is completely behind your car. The point of this is to let you behold the spectacle that is the race. The HUD is surprisingly not bothersome and is pretty cool. So anyway, you can fill the Power Play Meter by drafting, drifting, jumping and having close calls with other players’ own attempts at taking you out with their Power Plays. Once you have your Power Play meter filled up, you can activate either a level 1 or a level 2 Power Play.

A look at the aforementioned HUD and a Power Play currently taking place.

Level 1 Power Plays are your basic explosions. These vary from track side explosions to several parked vehicles all spontaneously blowing up. They can either take your rival down or just let them drift uncontrollably. These Power Plays use one bar of the three from your Power Play meter. Level 2 Power Plays are the big ones. In the track in the demo, there are several of them. The most eye-popping of them all is bringing down an airplane to the track (not kidding!) but more importantly, they can be used to switch routes. Yes, in this game, you can blow up a segment of a track to reveal another segment of the track, always for the better if you’re trailing dead last or are just aiming for a better time. In the track, there are a total of 3 route changers. These Power Plays can only be used if all three bars are filled up.

Power Plays are kinda a strategic piece in the game. You can splurge all the level 1 power plays you like but this leaves you without a critical route changer. Route changers are a big thing here as it literally cut a ton of seconds off your time. The first go I had around the track, I did a 4:11:xx, triggering one route changer. I’ve since tried to do a perfect run with all 3 route changers being activated and that landed me a staggering 3:38:xx. It’s not just a gimmick but rather a strategic way to race as chaotically as possible just to get enough power plays to activate all 3 of them. There are also some times that you are completely dependent on other racers to activate power plays for you (like the shortcut) so it really gets you thinking if whether or not activating this power play is to your advantage or not.

Sucks to be you!

The controls take some time to get used to. For instance, the drift is not so easily executed. It’s a strange mix of Burnout’s and Ridge Racer’s drifting. It’s hard to explain but let’s just put it that it has grip when drifting (unlike Burnout’s which completely lets the car slide). It’s not so bad though. Once you get used to it, you can use drifting as an advantage and rack up some Power Play bars. There has been some speculation that drifting slows you down. This is true if you’re trying to snake (trying to drift around while in a straight) but not so true when tackling corners. I find myself as fast or even faster then the other cars when doing a nice, controlled drift. The handling is grippy, in the sense that your car feels like a magnet in the track. It’s pretty good and handles well.

Overall gameplay is a blast. Everything’s over-the-top that it keeps you on your toes. Too bad though that the AI is quite dumb. I can’t make judgment yet as this is only a demo. But as of this demo, the AI is just too easy. Once you get them off your back, they’re off your back for good. An interesting thing though is that when you’re in the lead, the only Power Plays you can activate are the Route Changers and the Shortcuts. This gives ample opportunity for other players to catch up to you and try to blow you away using offensive Power Plays. The game feels fast enough, granted that you’re racing one of the slowest cars in the game. I didn’t notice anything about the framerate (something that has been brought up quite a lot), all I can tell is that it’s smooth and hasn’t stuttered once.

Music is fitting. The tense, orchestral music just gives you the feeling that this is one epic race you’re in.

And that’s probably it. These are my impressions of the Split/Second demo. If you don’t trust me, well, just go on and try playing it yourself. As for me, I know that this will be a blast and will definitely be a first day buy for me.

Thank you for reading and good day!