Split/Second

Split/Second, released in the UK as Split/Second: Velocity, is an arcade racing video game developed by Black Rock Studio and published by Disney Interactive Studios for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Revealed in March 2009, the game was released in May 2010^[1] and was later released for OnLive in June 2011.^[2] In the game, players take part in a fictional reality television show, consisting of a variety of events, each focusing on destructible environments triggered remotely by driver actions known as "powerplays".^[3]

Split/Second was ported to the PlayStation Portable.^[4]

Gameplay

In Split/Second, players take part in a fictional reality TV program where participants race for money and glory. Throughout a race, players can build up their "powerplay" meter by performing stunts such as jumps and precision driving such as drafting and drifting. As the player builds up their meter, special events can be triggered which create obstacles for other players, create shortcuts or alter the race course entirely.^[5] These triggers are also activated by the player's AI opponents.

Target-rendered screenshot showing cars driving past an exploding airport.

Such events include explosions, aeroplane crashes and building collapses. The severity of the events available to trigger varies depending on how full the player's meter is. The first level of events are available when one of the three bars on the HUD are full and the most extreme can only be triggered once all three are full. Event locations, and the vehicles they will affect, are highlighted with blue icons for the level one powerplays, and red icons for level two, and the player must time the action accurately in order to hinder his or her competitors as much as possible. One section of the powerplay meter resets once a level one event is triggered, so the player must also choose whether to activate the less destructive first-level events as soon as they are available, or save their powerplay points and build them up further in order to use the top-tier actions.^[6] There are also certain powerplays that reset for the next lap, such as bombs dropped from helicopters, small environmental changes and secret shortcuts, but some other powerplays can only be used once in a single race. Black Rock Studios also wanted to make the HUD as simple as possible by taking away all unnecessary elements such as the speedometer and the track map (rendered useless due to the dynamic nature of the track) leaving only the lap count, position that the player is in, and the powerplay meter, all positioned behind the car itself, to leave more room to display visuals.

The game also has a multiplayer mode, with both 8-player online and 2-player split-screen offline available. On winning more than 60 times in multiplayer mode, unlimited powerplay as a bonus is unlocked.

Downloadable content

A "time savers" downloadable content pack was released upon the game's launch which unlocks all cars, tracks and modes without the player having to unlock them by playing through the game's "Season" mode. The "High Octane Supercar" pack was released on August 31, 2010 as a paid download. In addition, the Elite Vehicle Livery and Ryback Cyclone Special (an upgraded version of an on-disc car) packs were released as free downloads. The next paid download was released as the "Survival at the Rock" pack and included a new Survival mode track (Minepit Park) and a new multiplayer-only mode (Survival Race; a racing variant of the Survival mode). It was released on October 12. Another vehicle pack, entitled the "Deadline" pack, was released on October 20. The Deadline pack included three new cars and an enhanced version of the Coyote vehicle. Also included is the Deadline mode, a variation of Detonator where pickups spread across the track can pause the timer. The final known pack is the "Quarry Onslaught" pack, released to Xbox Live Marketplace on November 2. Included with this pack is the "Quarry" race course and the "Onslaught" game type. During an Onslaught event, racers are challenged to pull ahead of the competition while the helicopter fires missiles onto the track. Points are awarded based on how close to the front the racer is and the game will end after twenty missile waves.

All the downloadable content, with the exception of the two free addons, is available in Europe as part of the "Ultimate Edition", a complete bundle which also includes the digital version of the game.

Steam version

As part of Disney Interactive's new offering on Steam in late 2014, Split/Second was included alongside other titles such as Epic Mickey 2. This version of the game does not have support for online multiplayer matchmaking,^[7] but virtual private network services can be used to facilitate online connections through the game's LAN features.<ref name="How to play Split/Second online. "" Split/Second General Discussions">"How to play Split/Second online. :: Split/Second General Discussions". Retrieved 2014-10-13. </ref> There are also game cards from Split/Second that can be earned and craft badges.

PSP version

The PlayStation Portable (PSP) version was released on November 17, 2010, with porting and development duties handled by Sumo Digital. The PSP version of the game features, among other changes, an extra track based on the "Docks" environment. The track (simply called "The Docks") is a composite course that takes the drivers through areas from each of the three other Docks environment courses (Dry Docks, Ferry Wharf, and Port Bridge) in a single lap. The PSP version also adds new gameplay modes that offer variants on the core game (such as drifting around the training course to earn points). The PSP version also offers some changes to the game itself, such as revamped physics to make driving easier on the PSP. Subtle changes to track design, event rules, and car statistics were also made to the PSP version.

The PSP version supports ad hoc multiplayer for up to four drivers.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings 84% (PS3)[8] 82% (Xbox 360)[9] 80% (PC)[10] 65% (PSP)[11] 60% (iOS)[12] Metacritic 84/100 (PS3)[13] 82/100 (Xbox 360)[14] 82/100 (PC)[15] 63/100 (PSP)[16] Review scores Publication Score 1UP.com A[17] Eurogamer 8/10[18] Game Informer 8.25/10[19] GameSpot 7.5/10[20] GameTrailers 8.4/10[21] Giant Bomb [22] IGN 8.5/10[23] Joystiq [24]

Split/Second has received positive reviews, and currently holds an 84, 82, 79 and 63 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation Portable versions respectively, at aggregate site Metacritic.^{[13][14][15][16]}

Cancelled sequel

After finishing Episode 12, a cutscene is shown in which all powerplays in the city are activated by an unknown reason, and a black screen reading "To be continued..." appears. However, in May 2011, Eurogamer spoke to an anonymous source that confirmed Disney Interactive Studios had made a reduction at Black Rock Studio's workforce. Due to Disney's new management the game was cancelled in December 2010 despite attempts to fit with their new business model.^[25]

References

External links

• Official US website
• Official UK website