Sometimes a game just slips under the radar. Whatever the reason for this occurring, be it bad marketing, classification problems or a strange concept, some games just fail to find their audience. Here at Player2.net.au we want to highlight these rough gems and that is where “In Case You Missed It” comes in. Some games just deserve a second chance.
Back in May 2010 there was two racing games released at the same time. The first was Blur which was a load of fun and basically played like Mario Kart with real cars. It garnered a lot of attention and seemed to sell quite well. The other racing game seemed to go under the radar and not get the attention it deserved which is a shame because it was arguably the more unique package
The game was Split Second: Velocity and it was Developed by Blackrock Studios, creators of the excellent ATV racing game Pure. Split Second was a blast from start to finish, literally. Players could swing cranes, drop explosive barrels and blow up parked traffic all in an attempt to take out their opponents. The big payoff however was if you could hold off from using these traps and earn enough power to set of a massive level changing explosion. These charges ranged from collapsing skyscrapers, crash landing 747’s, exploding cruise ships and even a series of smoke stacks collapsing like dominoes. These events evened out the playing field like no other, enabling players to shot from last to first in the blink of an eye completely changing the course in the process.
The fact was you needed these tricks. The AI was vicious and they would just as happily crash a train into you as you would into them, meaning no matter how far ahead you were victory was not assured. Very few games create an “on the edge” feeling like Split second did. Victory was always agonizingly close yet at the same time tantalizingly far away.
Split Second was released to little fanfare and almost no marketing meaning that despite solid reviews the game was missed by many. The game is available for cheap on Steam quite often so it is easy to get hold of however the PC port isn’t the bet so if your old PS3/360 are still hooked up to the tele it may be a better idea to track down a second hand copy for those systems. So if you find yourself in the mood for some destruction with a side order of racing, Split Second should fit the bill nicely. It may be a one trick pony but god damn it is one hell of a trick.
Matt Hewson
