In praise of Split/Second and Split/Screen

johnny_ultimate

Poor Split/Second - a game released to only lightly positive reviews and at the same time as other prominent arcade racers (Blur, most notably). Its underwhelming performance regrettably forced Black Rock Studio out of existence.

Yet, almost four years after release, every time me and my friends have a gaming night, Split/Second is the game we always end up devoting hours to. Indeed, in a generation that offered Rock Band, the Wii with its Wii Sports / Mario Kart / New Super Mario Bros. and many more, CoD Spec Ops, Left 4 Dead and many other wonderful local multiplayer offerings, Split/Second might be the finest of them all.

In single player, Split/Second - which could be semi-inaccurately described as 'Michael Bay does Need for Speed', but we'll go with that for the moment - is diverting but flawed. Particularly frustrating is the rubber banding AI, who always seem to artificially sneak up on you as you're about the burst across the fireworks surrounded finish line. Still, the basic mechanics are fantastic and engaging throughout, and the Elimination events are magnificent. But it's with a friend that the game shines.

For those who haven't played it, the game is an arcade racer with a significant twist. The silly lore of the game suggests you're in a reality TV show, but if this was a reality TV show there'd be so many driver deaths it would be cancelled fairly sharpish. But this is an excuse to have lots and lots of explosions. The track is littered with driver controlled 'powerplays', accessed by 'energy' players gather by driving well (drifting, drafting, narrowly avoiding danger etc...). There are two types. Blue powerplays require one of three energy bars, and the effects range from mini-explosions designed to spin opponents temporarily out of control to (brilliantly) briefly open up shortcuts for you to whizz through. If you store your energy, however, you eventually gain access to the 'red' category of powerplays, which unleash unholy havoc and radically alter the layout of the level (usually taking out many other racers in the process).

All this makes for an intensely involved and tense splitscreen experience. Several of the maps - most prominently Dry Docks, Airport Terminal and the dam level - have been honed to perfection, featuring radical powerplays that can change the game and racing route in mere seconds. For the two players (or eight online), this turns into a fierce battle of wits, both players always attempting to stay a step ahead of the other. The AI racers, so unfair in SP, become mere pawns to be taken advantage of as the players attempt to control the map.

The result is an unpredictable, deeply involved racing experience that looks and sounds as intense as expected. If a player is lagging behind, Split/Second ensures they have the tools to creep ahead if they play well enough - collapsing the dam or radar tower, for example, can literally level the playing field. If a player is ahead (although it's rare indeed any player will not have a few racers right on their tail throughout), they need to drive defensively (with severely reduced energy gaining options) to ensure someone behind doesn't get the edge - triggering a red powerplay might not wipe out any other players if you're in first, but it ensures no-one can unleash it on you moments later. There's a delightful sense of risk / reward. Opening a shortcut, for example, means another racer neck and neck with you might be able to squeeze through behind you without having to waste one of their energy bars themselves. However, time it well enough and said racer might go crashing into the shortcut as the gate suddenly falls down in front of them. With two players familiar with the map, this becomes particularly exciting, both knowing the exact spots where a (splitsecond) decision could spell victory or catastrophe.

Above all, it's the fact that the human players play such an instrumental part in the chaos that makes it such a joy. Whereas a blue shell or invincibility star is something of a cheap advantage, here all players are on the same level - all susceptible to a level's nasty surprises, but also in control of the same. Far more than just another arcade racer, even if you've played the game in SP it's worth digging out and having a go with a friend. You might just find yourself losing quite a few hours.

Oh, and Michael Bay could not frame a massive catastrophe with quite the same verve as the folks at Black Rock managed Nothing like racing at top speed with a full on train wreck, crashing plane or dam collapse altering the course of the level in front of your eyes.

mayordenis

Yea I bought both this and blur around the same time, I would guess within weeks of eachother, Blur was essentially a cash grab at making a more grown up mario kart for the non-nintendo home market, in the end it was bland, local multiplayer was still a bit of craic.

Split/second on the other hand is everything you've described it as, if I can add to you cinema based analogy then you should really mention 'Running Man', as the premise is along those lines except in a car. The single player I think was maybe a bit more fun than you give it credit for, certainly some of the mini-games/diversions were pretty good craic.

I've got a lot of time for this game, so I do.

CiDeRmAn

It's pretty outstanding alright, kinda takes the Burnout 3 and later automotive destruction and turns it up to 11, I got it on release and really liked it, never played on multiplayer though.
Blur, I wouldn't compare the two at all, it being a cross between PGR and Mario Kart, and I enjoyed it a bit, but got really bored really quick.
Closest thing to Split/Second imo was Full Auto, which got a release on the 360 and PSP, it was a Sega product but it too failed to find a market.

Back to Split/Second though, there was something special about a 747/A380 coming down on the runway/racetrack as you hair along it.

I don't know why I ignored it after a time, something else shiny came along to distract I suppose!

Didn't Motorstorm Apocalypse try the same thing, more successfully but with not half as much fun and spectacle?

mayordenis

Probably right not to compare the 2 really but I think based on them coming out so close to eachother, and (not really fair for me to argue against it based on this) the wankfest around Blur it just made me kinda enjoy the superior game all the more.

Duggy747

Split/Second was really enjoyable, I loved setting off the really big main events where you have..............eh..............a split second to react to the area crumbling around you.

The main problem I found was that the cars drove like tanks but gameplay was always enjoyable with multiplayer being solidly addictive and unpredictable. I got Blur around the same time but got bored of that real quick, didn't understand the insanely high praise for what essentially a bland Mario Kart game.

This, at least, had some real danger to every race which could easily change on who the leader was at any given moment.

I still play SS every now and again, tried playing it with the Oculus Rift but it ran like complete shìt.

johnny_ultimate

I think Blur is a solid but unspectacular racer. It mostly falls back in terms of presentation, which is one area where Split/Second absolutely excels. Forgot to mention the brilliantly overdramatic soundtrack and the way the sound all dips for a moment when you trigger one of the big powerplays. When it fades back in it sounds like the music has a renewed urgency, and that gets the adrenaline pumping even harder.

One sad quote from Destructoid's review of the game:

The reality-television fiction that is Split/Second delivers a brilliant first season, Disney Interactive Studios has published what is undoubtedly just the beginning of what is sure to be an outgoing series.

Duggy747

It definitely deserved a sequel and what could've been had they gotten the chance to refine everything from SS.

Grumpypants

I really enjoyed it, there were a lot of mid tier games that were one off's. I was always sorry Singularity didn't get a better look in too. Really enjoyable.

djkeogh

Split/Second is easily my favourite arcade racer of the last few years and the game that brought me back to a genre I'd more or less given up on. You can keep your Forza and you PGR. Give me a racer with destruction in it anytime.

Split/Second is the pinnacle for me and nothing has managed to hit highs of it since. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and Blur being the 2 I've tried most recently and while fun for awhile they do not have the staying power and pure joy that SS brought to the table.

Some of my best times online were spent playing this game into the wee hours of the morning. The community who were playing at the time were great and there was none of the usual douche bag encounters I've come to expect online.

Real shame this didn't get the widespread acclaim it deserved and I'd love to get a sequel.

CiDeRmAn

Rollcage 2 on the PS is probably the racer with the racer I have the most love for, alongside Need for Speed on the 3DO and NfS:Hot Pursuit on the PS2.

johnny_ultimate

Two other games worth a comparison. Stuntman is a clear predecessor in terms of 'cinematic driving', and some of the player prompted explosions can be seen there. But unfortunately that game aggressively, even unfairly punished breaking from the preset route. Split/Second rewards improvisation and chaos, the Stuntman games seemingly despise them.

Second is Motorstorm Apocalypse, the most obvious recent point of comparison. When you take away the player's agency in the chaos, though, you lose a lot, leaving a semi-hollow obstacle course. There's some memorable moments and tracks, but overall one would very much miss the opportunity to have some role in the destruction unfolding around you. Also, I kind of despise the handling model in the Motorstorm games - Split/Second's model is pared down even in arcade racing terms, but there's something weighty about it that makes achieving a close call even more satisfying.

deathrider

I borrowed Spilt/Second last summer and absolutely loved it. I've always had a soft spot for arcade style racers (your Need For Speeds and Burnouts) and this one was up there with the best of them. It's fast, intense and a huge amount of fun.

CiDeRmAn

I gave Motorstorm Apocalypse a blast when it was free via PSN+, having enjoyed the previous two outings on the PS3, but I found it very disappointing, principally in comparison with Split/Second.

Josey Wales

I remember buying both S/S and Blur at roughly the same time. Myself and my wife must have played Blur every night for 3 weeks straight. She is a huge Mario Kart fan so she immediately felt at home with Blur.

By the time we tired of Blur I needed a break from racers. So S/S didn't really get a fair shake from me.

cherryghost

Split/Second LAN on PC was our groups personal favourite for a while. So much fun.

Grumpypants

http://www.xvmarketplace.ie/Split-Second-Velocity/Movies-Games/pd/42286?path=Category__PS3__4-for-15-ps3

A fiver in case anyone wants to pick it up

sarumite

I enjoyed it, but they hid too much of the game behind progression.

corcaigh07

Blur was the better game imo but S/S did look like a very polished game, both games suffered from being released so close to each other, big shame

sarumite

corcaigh07 wrote: »

Blur was the better game imo but S/S did look like a very polished game, both games suffered from being released so close to each other, big shame

Blur felt a bit rigid for me. Plus I had played the weapons racer with wipout and karting games so it felt like I had been there before. I think it was fun online, I just wasn't interested in online play.

Jerichoholic

Rubberbanding ruined the game for me, it's a shame since they could have possibly easily fixed it in a patch. Blur was a bit better for me.

Parawind

I have to say I loved blur and I picked up split second a few months after release as it always looked like a lot of fun.

But it really irks me that people blamed the failure of both titles on the other being release at the same time. There were some huge titles released during the same week, like red dead redemption, mario galaxy 2 and Alan wake the week previous. Why both titles picked that week for a launch I will never know, they were doomed from the outset.

That of course doesn't detract from how good they both were.

Josey Wales

All this talk of Blur and S/S are making me want to play them again. It has been ages. I will have to go root them out.

daUbiq

Parawind wrote: »

I have to say I loved blur and I picked up split second a few months after release as it always looked like a lot of fun.

But it really irks me that people blamed the failure of both titles on the other being release at the same time. There were some huge titles released during the same week, like red dead redemption, mario galaxy 2 and Alan wake the week previous. Why both titles picked that week for a launch I will never know, they were doomed from the outset.

That of course doesn't detract from how good they both were.

I played and completed both - the Blur multiplayer is\was excellent - great fun!

gizmo

On a related note, the Game Director from S/S and a few ex-Black Rock guys are pitching this on Kickstarter, Rage Ride.

Alas with their lack of pre-production material I think this will be a hard sell but finger crossed it can come together. At least we have The 90s Arcade Racer to look forward to in the meantime.

johnny_ultimate

gizmo wrote: »

On a related note, the Game Director from S/S and a few ex-Black Rock guys are pitching this on Kickstarter, Rage Ride.

Alas with their lack of pre-production material I think this will be a hard sell but finger crossed it can come together. At least we have The 90s Arcade Racer to look forward to in the meantime.

Cancelled just around the time you posted this! Was discussing with a friend yesterday how we'd love to see a S/S spiritual successor, but they seem to have tackled this the wrong way indeed.

gizmo

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Cancelled just around the time you posted this! Was discussing with a friend yesterday how we'd love to see a S/S spiritual successor, but they seem to have tackled this the wrong way indeed.

Hmm, still no update either, weird.

Fingers crossed it's because they've gotten some publisher interest but a week into their campaign and with only £891 raised so far, that may be wishful thinking.

Yeti Beast

I posted about Rage Ride the other day but couldn't link to the site being a boards newb at the time.

As a backer, I got an email this morning from Nick Baynes himself explaining the cancellation;

IronFist Games says:
I'm writing to let you know that at this stage we've decided to pull the Rage Ride Kickstarter campaign. It was clear after just a couple of days that in it's current form it wasn't going to hit it's goals. I think this can be attributed to a few factors -

* The unfortunate timing of the Road Redemption preview in the press last week that caused some confusion/trepidation amongst fans ("why should we back Rage Ride's *ideas* when I can see Road Redemption in action already?")

* The proximity of E3 meaning that while we got some great coverage on some websites, there was a difficulty in standing out in a busy time of year.

* The fact that generally people seem to want more to go on before they back, whether that's concept art, first playable videos, whatever. We were aware this was a risk but felt going to Kickstarter to see if that was the case would cause no harm even if it ultimately failed.

The good news is that despite the lack of backers there has been considerable interest generally in the game which suggests the passion is still there for this genre. There are already some interesting conversations taking place that may see Rage Ride hit full development sooner than expected despite the Kickstarters failure.

Also I don't really see this as a failure, this is just the first step of what will be an eventually successful campaign. We'll go away, work into the concept some more and try again in a few months time.

Thanks for backing the project and showing faith in the ideas. I'd love you to remain part of the design process even though the Kickstarter isn't going to hit it's target, so if you'd like to be involved with bouncing ideas around and staying in touch with the project's progress then please drop me a mail at xxxxxxxxx.

IronFist is set up in a way that we can be experimental and try new ideas all the time, and while at this stage Rage Ride hasn't been a successful experiment, it's one of many and I look forward to publicly revisiting the concept at a later date, along with other projects that we're currently in the funding stage through more traditional means.

Thanks again for your support - it means a lot!
Nick

---

Nick Baynes
IronFist Games

So there's still more to come from him/them, which is good to hear.

Shiminay

I had a copy of Blur, my mate had a copy of S/S and we'd regularly bring and play both to one another's houses on our 360s. Both are great games, but my personal preference was for Blur.

I think the near identical timing release for both (May 2010) meant they cannibalized each other's sales because for all their differences in approach and implementation, they're both still multiplayer focussed arcade racers with cool stuff thrown in and were essentially both trying for the same market. Even a 6 month release gap between the 2 would probably have meant we'd be seeing sequels, but that woulda meant one of them trying to fight its way in a Christmas market which is a whole other ball game.

CiDeRmAn

Wow, can't believe it's been 4 years since their release.
Fecking hell, the last console gen seemed to go on forever!

Josey Wales

I dug out Blur this evening and had a blast. I was shocked that there is still people playing online. 142 to be exact. Think I will end up playing it some more. It really is one of the best racers of it's type to be released in the last eight or so years.