If for some odd reason you don't want to listen to over fifty-six minutes of the conference call than let me give you some of the key points for Split/Second.
If you do not know by now or haven't picked up the demo for the XBox (PS3 is tomorrow 5/11/10), Split/Second is of course a racing game that takes place in a reality T.V setting where you will drive courses where you have the ability to blow up just about everything that is around you. It will feel like as if Michael Bay made this game from the sound of things. The tracks are ever changing from one lap to another as you trigger hidden content to open up new paths and block other racers by triggering events during the race.
Nick also explains why they have the HUD system the way they do, in which I agree with his points. He explains why the majority of the racing games out there give you meaningless information for an arcade racer. So they decided to take the majority of the information and put it behind the on screen car. Which looks really nice and it does free up a lot of the screen for better gameplay.
Since the game takes place in a reality show setting, each race is consider and episode as you are going through the season. As you are go through the game it certainly feels like you are in a car chase scenes from 24, Transporter and so on. The team certainly used those type of shows/films as inspiration when making the tracks for the game.
As you are go through the season you will go through different modes of the game. Of course you have your Race Mode, then you have Elimination Mode, Detonator Mode and Survival Mode. Let's assume we all know what Race Mode and Elimination Mode are going to be about, for time's sake. Detonator Mode is a time trial mode with explosions. Can't beat that. Survival Mode is a mode where Trucks is in front of you throw barrels at you that explode in front of you. Some fun modes to play right there.
Nick also touched base on the power play, or in other words the events that happens when you are racing. If you have been playing the demo you have probably know what I am talking about. There are 3-4 different kind of Power Plays and in order to use the Power Play you need to raise your power level bar. Something you do by drifting, drafting, jumps and near misses. Once the bar is filled an icon will appear on the screen to let you, the player, know when you can activate a small or large power play which can derail other cars that are on your screen. What I mean by that is that you can't be in last place and and trigger a Power Play and take out the first place racer or if you are in first place you can't trigger the Power Play at all.
Split/Second Conference Call
My Take:
After sitting through the conference call, it was certainly a real eye opener on what Split/Second is going to be when it releases next week. As a average gamer I cannot wait to get my hands on Split/Second to see first hand what Disney and Blackrock Studio have created with Split/Second. I want to thank Nick Baynes for holding the conference call.
