On top of that, there’s multiplayer, a kicking disaster movie soundtrack by Marc Canham, a campaign structure that invites replays to unlock new cars, elimination races, and even challenge missions that have you try and dodge missile attacks from a helicopter or survive a chase with giant trucks dropping explosive barrels. Two console generations later, it’s still visually impressive, even if the entire affair runs at 30 frames per second. ![]() With Disney involved, the concept changed to a TV show and the title to Race Against The World - before arriving at the final name, Split/Second - but the epic destruction its creators envisioned stayed very much intact. Towers topple, dams burst, airplanes crash, and entire railroad bridges buckle under onslaughts of explosions that send train cars flying everywhere.įormer studio lead Nick Baynes told me that the original concept of Split/Second, then to be called Driving Storm, was focused on natural disasters rather than man-made ones. Nearly every race is doused in spectacular, perpetual sunsets, only to serve as the backdrop for over-the-top pyrotechnics and Avengers-level urban destruction. It’s a bit as if Roland Emmerich made a Need for Speed game, crossed with Michael Bay’s take on Beetle Adventure Racing. A game where the environment – and its gradual destruction – is every bit as important as the four-wheeled opposition. Released for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in 2010, Split/Second is a rare breed of “disaster racer”. Its first game, Pure, is an excellent ATV racer released in 2008, but it’s the second game, Split/Second, that still holds a special place in my heart today and doesn’t have a worthy successor – actual or spiritual – to date. While Black Rock was shut down in 2011 and its talented team scattered to other development studios, it managed to create two racing games under Disney that didn’t just impress our reviewers back then, but hold up perfectly well to modern scrutiny. Disney’s ambitious plans also included bringing Avalanche Studios, Wideload, Propaganda Games, and Warren Spector’s Junction Point Studios into the fold – with Black Rock doing what it’s done best and laser-focused on developing great racing games.Īnd that it did. Added to Disney Interactive’s growing portfolio of developers, Black Rock was going to be a cornerstone of a new Disney gaming initiative that went beyond kids and family entertainment. Acquired by Disney in 2006, Black Rock had established itself as a racing game specialist with the MotoGP and ATV Offroad Fury series for THQ and Sony, respectively. Split/Second was the brainchild of Black Rock Studio, a company formerly known as Pixel Planet, then Black Rock Studio, then Climax Brighton, then Climax Racing, then… Black Rock Studio again.Īnd as you may have guessed, the studio’s story doesn’t have a happy ending. ![]() Largely forgotten - or rather, unknown - it may be, but it’s still easy to find and play (see bottom of this article). If you’ve never played Split/Second and you’re into arcade racers, know that it’s not too late.
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