Split/Second

Kinda weird that Disney just randomly decided to publish a racing game that flopped so bad commercially that they shut down the dev studio...but it ended up being one of the greatest arcade racers ever made. This game is so wild that there's literally a message that displays before the game even starts warning you to NOT drive like this in real life. Split/Second features one of the greatest singular gimmicks I've seen in the genre: Powerplays. Drifting, drafting (which is a cool mechanic that rewards you for staying in an opponents slipstream), and jumping all increase your power meter. Once you've banked enough of this resource, you can unleash a Powerplay. These are map contextual events that you can trigger to wreck your opponents, open up shortcuts, or even alter the entire course itself. Timing is key here, as missing your mark on that swinging wrecking ball can not only miss your target and waste your power—it can hit you as well. This extends to shortcuts too, with them only opening briefly to let a vehicle through. Mistime this, and you'll give your opponents just enough time to follow you. Through repeated laps, you'll come to recognize where and when these powerplays can occur—and the fear that accompanies driving past them. It's almost like watching a horror movie and preparing for a jumpscare that may or may not come, but in a racing game—you'll never feel safe. Red Powerplays are the hardest to earn, and are appropriately impactful. These devastating events will destroy any vehicles in its path, and fundamentally change the layout and dynamics of the race. These spectacles will have you racing across a runway while a 747 crashes down from above, or dodging through a fleet of sliding F-16s while speeding across a recently marooned naval carrier. This is Split/Second firing on all cylinders, and is the heart of what it is trying to achieve with its design. It feels like a blockbuster—with its cinematic blur and bloom, almost no HUD, and an aggressively 'golden hour' aesthetic. This works both for and against the game, as this lighting makes a lot of the courses look visually samey, despite being mechanically unique. This had me pining for the few night courses in the game, as they were a refreshing visual change of scene. The game is told through the lens of a dangerous reality television series, and the courses are broken up into seasons. The game modes are fantastic. You've got your standard races, a time trial mode (except you're alone and power plays constantly trigger around you at all times), a sudden death type mode (has a timer that counts down and eliminates the person in last place once it reaches zero), and even a mode where a helicopter chases you and tries to blow you up (also with a revenge variant that lets you activate powerplays that send missiles flying back at the chopper). My favorite mode is probably Survival, which pits you against giant trucks that drop blue barrels that slow you down and red barrels that instantly kill you—and you have to try to pass as many trucks as you can while surviving the onslaught. It's an absolute blast, and I've come to realize that strong game mode variety and uniqueness is really what makes an arcade racer standout (big reason why I love Jak X so much). My biggest problem is that the game runs out of new modes and experiences to offer like three seasons into the game (and there's twelve total, so that's kind of an issue). These seasons also lack any sort of distinct theming (whether visual or mechanical), and map elements are frequently reused throughout the runtime. These issues seem substantial (and they are), but the foundation and fundaments of this game are so riveting and well-designed that I can't hesitate to call it one of my favorite racing games ever.

All my homies hate Disney (deprive us of a sequel is machiavellian)

Really fun and original driving game.

Best racing game I've ever played

what a game!

Feels a little souless and the AI is simply unfair