FlatOut Ultimate Carnage

E3 2007 Preview

Through several iterations in the franchise, FlatOut has managed to entertain with huge crashes, humorous rag-doll physics (which usually were tied to launching the human driver through the air) and solid graphics. The franchise is stepping into the next-gen space and it has never looked better.

FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage (developed by Bugbear and published by Empire Interactive) really puts the ‘car’ in carnage. Shown on the 360 at the E3 Media & Business Summit in Santa Monica, the game is bigger and more entertaining than before, with superior graphics, a great physics system and just more of everything else … like up to 12 cars per track and 8,000 objects per track. The tracks are all done in a persistent environment, which means that if you crash through walls or knock items all over the place, they will remain there each time you circle the track – well, unless you bang them around again.

There are 10 environments and 30 individual tracks in the game. There are two main modes of play – FlatOut mode (which is a career mode) and Carnage mode (which consists of 36 challenges). The game also sports an online mode that will allow up to eight competitors. Everything you see in the single-player experience is also available online. The developer showing off the game estimated that there is approximately 10 hours of Carnage mode gameplay and 10-15 hours of FlatOut mode gameplay. But as this is a game with competitive online multiplayer, the fun can continue as players compete for bragging rights and top scores.

“We wanted to see how far we could push things,” the representative said, and it shows in the graphics of the game. The cars look terrific and the physical damage done to the cars and track is what one would expect. The races are point based, for the most part, which means that damage to other vehicles and the environment is not merely encouraged, it is mandatory. You may want to slide back to the middle of a pack, rather than be the frontrunner, simply for the opportunity to put another vehicle into a wall, or create more mayhem and therefore more damage for those around you. The points will roll up and you can take home the gold cup for the effort. As you achieve certain levels, text flashes onto the screen to chart your progress.

And what would a FlatOut title be without catapulting the driver through flaming rings, or trying to launch him (or her) across an open space and into a basket (a la basketball). FlatOut comes with those competitions as well, and as wrong as it may seem, it is still funny and fun.

FlatOut is slated for release in the fall, FlatOut is heading for the 360, PC and PSP platforms 

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