FlatOut

By Patrick Garratt Published 11 August, 2004

What do you do after making a precise rally game with classic cars? You throw your toys out of your pram and smash everything up, obviously.

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Bugbear Interactive probably has an unhealthy relationship with cars. In all probability, the people who worked on arguably the most underrated rally game ever made, Rally Trophy, dream of cars. The chances are, rubber, pipes and "suspension" feature heavily. There's no other way to explain such ludicrous attention to physics detail. Ever seen a fetish magazine? There are underground car mags. Dirty ones. Kazanori Yamauchi subscribes to them. And after the release of Rally Trophy, it became obvious Bugbear does too.

Obviously tired of trying to be nice to cars - Rally Trophy demanded precise driving in the reams of classic autos on offer - Bugbear decided that this time out it was going to be nasty. Vicious. The team obviously started reading the stuff even Yamauchi balks at, because FlatOut is rougher than a bear fetishists derriere.

Hit me! Harder!

'FlatOut' Screenshot 1

FlatOut is a dirt racer featuring fully destructible, highly modelled power cars and tracks specifically designed for you to break. You and seven others - either computer-controlled or on Xbox Live in the appropriate version - slew around tight tracks on tarmac, through forests and over generally lumpy stuff in a rear-wheel drive hurricane of a machine in what appears to be a highly exacting case of, "Get it wrong and you've lost".

Real physics are on display everywhere. Tracks are strewn with water towers, tyre walls, smashable fences, barrels and log piles, all of which act individually and have ostensibly accurate weight. Objects remain right where they are for entire races, including torn wings and fenders from offending cars. FlatOut impresses on a technical level immediately. That's what you get from obsessing about the width of exhausts for too many years.

And while the demo version we've played features only a few tracks and the Quick Race mode, the final version - arriving for Xbox, PS2 and PC in October - will apparently ladle on 45 tracks and 16 "fully upgradeable cars". Hot rubber and mud. So wrong: Yet So Right.

Tech it to the bridge

'FlatOut' Screenshot 2

Slight concerns do arise, though, in the fact that our preview build feels distinctly, how can we put it, "tech demoey". Hopefully the game itself won't play second fiddle to some extremely polished physics modelling and wide-open environments, because at the moment, playing against computer-controlled cars, it's far too easy to become a victim of physics and lose after leading for three laps. It's all very impressive, but we're hoping there's more of a balance in the final game. We found ourselves having to reset the car on the track more times than a woman wearing a gimp mask needs to smoke.

But that aside, FlatOut looks promising. The handling's light and slick with definite differences when driving on various road-types and the openness of the physics provides for some quality moments. We jumped over a water tank and landed on another car. Laugh? The granny next to us was doing cartwheels. Seriously, it's good fun. Multiplayer should be amazing. For those without Xboxes, PS2 will have a split-screen mode, apparently.

Did we mention your rag-dolled driver flies through the car's windscreen when you crash? It feels a little like an afterthought at the moment, and Mr Censor isn't going to like it, but when you pummel into the side of an opponent's car on a track littered with barrels and wood, flipping vehicles screaming over your head as your character shatters through the glass, you can't help but be impressed.

Where would we be without car fetishists? We'll find out whether Bugbear manages to go "all the way" in the coming months.

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About Patrick Garratt

Read more articles from Patrick by visiting the Patrick Garratt archive page.

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Comments (22) Latest comment 8 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Ali #1 8 years ago

    "Ban this evil game! It encourages dangerous driving! Waah waah waah!"

    /Mail mode

  • Razz #2 8 years ago

    Ohhh... are bloody entrails sprawled all over the track as well?

  • ssuellid #3 8 years ago

    News has been quiet on this for a while. Sounds like it will be great multiplayer.

  • C13 #4 8 years ago

    Oooow, this is gonna be a hard one...

    I see a Burnout 3 vs FlatOut coming up...

    Either way, not a lot of the scenery and other drives will rest untouched... unharmed... intact...

    Whohahahahaahha... *evil laugh*

    This is gonna be SUCH an awsome autumn... :D

    ___________________________________________________________< br />
    The horror, the horror...

  • Amajiro #5 8 years ago

    what appears to be a highly exacting case of, "Get it wrong and you've lost"

    I really hate that in driving games

  • pjmaybe #6 8 years ago

    Been waiting for this one for some time...

    Bout time we had a proper "this gen" destruction derby game!

    Peej

  • perilikid #7 8 years ago

    Hmm. Some interesting similes being knocked around as well.

    We found ourselves having to reset the car on the track more times than a woman wearing a gimp mask needs to smoke.

    Eh?

  • C13 #8 8 years ago

    Well yeah...

    Don't remember the famous punch line 'Bring out the gimp'

    And we all know what happened then... right?


    NO SMOKING!

  • simiankid #9 8 years ago

    "We found ourselves having to reset the car on the track more times than a woman wearing a gimp mask needs to smoke"

    Perilkid, I think Mr Garret is referring to the fact that most gimp masks don't have opening for the mouths. Hence, after spending a certain amount of time in said mask, you'd be gasping for a ciggy (assuming you smoked in the first place).

    Effects would likely be comparable to the more common 'transatlantic flight fag distress syndrome'.

    Oh and the game does look quite tasty too. That took way too long to explain, off for a smoke : )

  • Vroom #10 8 years ago

    "Did we mention your rag-dolled driver flies through the car's windscreen when you crash? It feels a little like an afterthought at the moment, and Mr Censor isn't going to like it, but when you pummel into the side of an opponent's car on a track littered with barrels and wood, flipping vehicles screaming over your head as your character shatters through the glass, you can't help but be impressed."

    Hurray !!!
    I've been waiting on this for an AGE.
    Imagine Burnout with this.

    /runs to confession

  • duke of earl #11 8 years ago

    always look forward to a game that has 'fully destructible' in it somewhere.

    and seriously, don't smoke whilst wearing a gimp mask.

  • gamingdave #12 8 years ago

    what appears to be a highly exacting case of, "Get it wrong and you've lost"

    I really love that in driving games .... sometimes.

    F355 once mastered is an absolute joy, specialy link up on 2 dcs with wheels (never did bother with PS2 version, maybe should look for a bargain bin version). Dont like the way in GT3 and PGR you can win races with a super car just bouncing of the walls instead of braking.

  • C13 #13 8 years ago

    You must have a totally different kind of PGR2 then...

  • pjmaybe #14 8 years ago

    Looks like it'll have some eerily similar competition too

    Peej

  • MoFo #15 8 years ago

    Judging by the screenshots on their website I'd say these guys have been reading too much "Tyre Monthly"

  • Kengro #16 8 years ago

    He He. You ain't winning races in pgr with wallbounce. But then i agree, realism is too much overlooked. But this seems fun. I like to destroy

  • urban #17 8 years ago

    yeah i remember reading something about this ages ago, i was the biggest ever fan of destruction derby so ...this is right up my alley, cant wait for it to total its way into my drive.

  • C13 #18 8 years ago

    Yeah, i'm a bit concerned over the real racing gameplay too...

    Although ppl always loved the Testdrive games, I as a real car games lover didn't really like them. I never liked the strange way the cars behaved... Even for an arcade game

  • krudster #19 8 years ago

    I'm not going to bow!

    I don't care about whether it's real or not, I just want it to be *fun*.

    If by going for realism they make it a painful arduous experience, then what, pray, is the point? Some of my favourite driving games are realistic, but it all comes down to entertainment for me...

  • UncleLou #20 8 years ago

    Where would we be without car fetishists? We'll find out whether Bugbear manages to go "all the way" in the coming months.

    Release date for the PC version apparently is September 15, so there's not too much time left if the date is correct.

    Looks like it's great fun, though.

  • pjmaybe #21 8 years ago

    "If by going for realism they make it a painful arduous experience, then what, pray, is the point? Some of my favourite driving games are realistic, but it all comes down to entertainment for me..."

    Well said Kristan. Was Outrun realistic? Naw! Was it fun? Hell yeah, at the time it was unrivalled. Level the same criticism at games like Burnout 1 / 2 / 3 - are they realistic? Bugger are they! Are they fun? Damned right...

    In fact the only "realistic" driving games I've played have been painfully annoying experiences. Too damned realistic (in the case of Toca 1, and I do mean TOCA 1, not Race Driver), Grand Prix Legends (painfully annoyingly realistic but appreciated by a few). After all they're games aren't they? And the point of playing games is....

    Peej

  • ManicMiner #22 8 years ago

    Grand Prix Legends was (is?) one of the most realistic driving games written. Either love it or hate it. I loved it. Never did win many races, but just to hear the sound of that ferrari engine as you hurtle down a straight at 170mph with no traction control, abs or 'computer help' was a joy to behold. Many, many crazy crashes where had! :)

    Back to the point, FlatOut looks like it is taking the sim side of things AND the realism with added FUN. I'm certainly looking forward to some multiplayer nonsense on this. Afterall, GAMES = FUN, right?