Thoughts.

[Rathia]

This is probably going to come across as negative, but this game... Ohh, this game, where do I begin...

This is the epitome of "make one mistake, lose" racing. You race clunkers, and they handle like clunkers. The AI races clunkers too, but theirs handle like exoticas.

My biggest gripe, I think, is with the turbo system. The game doesn't reward you for driving well at all. In the contrary, it rewards you for driving like a raving lunatic and boosting your turbo meter by ramming through boards, scaffolding, tire stacks, what have you. These obstacles slow you down when you hit them, sometimes dramatically, and have a knack for sending you anywhere but forward. Which brings me to my smaller gripe.

The Reset Button. This thing is your best friend, because between the crazy AI slamming you around and the track having really ambiguous destructibles (Can you run through a fence? Sure! Can you run through a wooden pole? Nope!) you'll have one finger above the R key at all times. But this thing loves to set you back about 100 meters from where you were, easily shoving you from 1st-4th to 8th in a second. The game also thinks you'll get a kick out of watching your driver fly out through the windshield and so you're stuck waiting 2-3 precious seconds to be allowed to Reset your car, which just further guarantees your being set back behind every other driver.

I find myself hard pressed to finish first, ever. I'll get second if I'm lucky, usually third. If I can't be sure I get third I just restart the race because the career doesn't award you prize money below 3rd. Which is upsetting because you can drive like an ace for the first 2 laps and then one bump sends you barreling through junk and ruins any high you were having about doing well in the race. This is not the type of racing game where you can secure a considerable advance and keep it for a while. If the clunky driving with its heavily delayed turns and slow acceleration doesn't do you in, the obstacles on the track, those which choose to not be destructible though they look like they could be, will do you in.

[dksman]

Nice review of the game, agree with all points, but I do still enjoy the game. Couldn't tell if you enjoyed the game though; you start off saying "this is probably going to come across as negative" (giving the impression that the game isn't all bad) but you never say anything positive about the game.

I found that coming first IS difficult but not impossible, just upgrade your car to max HP and the best tires and then try your best to get in front and then stay in front; this is pretty much impossible on your first visit to a new track due to the fact that on most tracks there's no clear indication on where a turn is; other times it turns that once you get to the top of a straight incline there's a sudden drop and left turn on the edge of a pit. Once you figure out the track though it becomes much easier. The thing is, you usually have the most fun when you're racing in a pack drifting around corners at high speed, rather than trying to stay it front and leaving everyone behind...

Other than the points you made + my points as well as the rubberbanding AI driving skill (speed & cornering) and brickhouse AI cars which can't be shoved off track...I still think Flatout is a pretty fun game, and this is from someone who played the demo however many years ago, got the game 2 years back, played it and couldn't win, then got Flatout: Ultimate Carnage and enjoyed it and then finally went back and replayed Flatout and figured out how you were supposed to race.



Those are a lot of negatives though...

Uhhh....the music's pretty cool? And the game's pretty cheap. It looks pretty good for a game that's 7+(?) years old, and it isn't resource heavy. Also it's only 1GB in size.

[mkdefender]

I got the hang of both Flat out racing games, I wish you could slide better.. I finished all the tracks on Flatout 1 , ausome game Flatout 2 ? I acually like Flatout 1 better. hard to control at first but once you get the hang of it and Upgrades , help. Over all Fun and fast. Need for Speed sucked for me. This is a good crashem up racing game. But the over steering built into the game. I wish we could slide more Drift , It won't let you drift as good as you really could. I looked it up it has a automatic handling of controls built in. Don't like that .

[ralley]

Rathia,

I don't know if there is a difference between platforms. But I have enjoyed the PC version of FlatOut so much I've purchased it twice.

I find the game to be much different than you described. I have come in first in every single race, although some have taken a few tries before I got the hang of it. And your assertion that you have to drive a mistake-free course to win is very different from what I have experienced. There have been times when I was dead last on the next-to-last lap and still finished on top.

Sure, there are some starts that I choose to restart, and sometimes running into something can really mess up your day. And the AI cars seem to be better at driving me off the road than me them. On the other hand, almost every track has a secret shortcut or two that give you an advantage over the AI cars.

Like dksman said, upgrade your car as much as you can after every race, and try and learn the best lines. Although the name of the game is Flat Out, running flat out, especially on the dirt or ice tracks, is often not the best way to go.

I've played a few driving games and I have to say that the FlatOut series is my favorite. I love the physics, the graphics and the music. I love being able to watch the entire race afterwards. I enjoy the bonus games, even though they are often complete nonsense. The tracks and the scenery are cool, and the game is one of the most replayable of any computer game I've ever had.

/cake

[Silicon Vampire]

I use nothing but a keyboard and kick my stepsons ass, him using a 360 controller. He won't even play me anymore.

It's all about getting use to the controls. Yes, they suck. BUT, when you get a handle on it, the game is way too much fun. Wayyyyyy TOOOOOO Much.

[Sharp Income]

Rathia, I totally agree with everyting.

It's so stupid that you can't break through a pole, but then I want to hit a fence with the side of my car to slow down before a turn, but the fence shatters like it was made of toothpicks but then at the same time drags me to a stop like it weighs a ton!! WT*?

Have you managed to come off the line at the same time as the other racers? I'm always a split second behind no matter what I do: Hold down the gas, rev the engine then hit the gas at green, hit the gas a split second before green. NOTHING!

Have you tried the game "Ignite"? Similar concept, you can earn points for hitting obstacles and use those points to turbo, but the obstacles hardley slow you down, if any. And you can also earn points (to use for turbo) by drafting and driving well. And you don't race clunkers!

[Vimpster]

Flatout 1 is one of my favorite games. I have completed the game so many times I can't remember. It certainly takes some getting use to. But eventually you get so good that you can race bronze level cars on gold level races and still get 2nd and 3rd on most of them. Also it is not always advisable to upgrade the transmision of your vehicle since it gives you better acceleration at the expense of a fairly significant lower top speed due to the lowered gear ratio. Once you become really good at handleing your car you will find you can keep ahead of everyone even without nitro. Also I find I play much better using keyboard. I tried a xbox controller and I found it more diffecult. Could be that the PC version has easier handleing with keyboard.

[Bannor]

For me, it depends a lot on the track. Some of them, it's not problem to fall behind - even more than once - I can still win the race. But on other tracks this seems all but impossible.