Online Play
When you take FlatOut online, the experience gets a little bit better. Playing with human opponents is considerably more fun than getting run off of the road by cold, unfeeling AI and just goofing off and causing havoc is a blast with other people. One major problem with the Xbox version of the game, however, is that you can’t do demolition derbies online. Crashing up cars is the most important aspect of this game and is the first thing most people are going to want to do online but you can’t. Thankfully, the game runs smoothly online so it isn’t all bad.
Graphics and Sound
Visually, FlatOut is a nice looking game. The environments you race in are detailed and look good and there are a lot of nice special effects such as smoke and dust trailing behind cars as they tear around the track. The car designs aren’t spectacular, but they look good and fit in with the overall look.
The sound is also pretty good. The car sounds won’t blow you away, but they get the job done. One interesting note about the music is that since this game was developed in Europe it uses a lot of European rock bands so there is a lot here that most American players haven’t heard yet which is kind of cool. There isn’t any support for custom soundtracks, which is unfortunate, but it isn’t too big of an issue.
Bottom Line
FlatOut isn’t a bad game, but it would have been received a much warmer welcome if it had come out about a year ago. In a world where Burnout 3 is a Platinum Hit and Burnout Revnge is just around the corner, there isn’t really any room for a car crash simulator that is only average. A year ago it probably would have been a hit. Now, not so much. It isn’t a bad game, not by any means, but it just doesn’t ever scream greatness at you. Give FlatOut a rental if you are interested, but there are considerably better racing games out there that are far more deserving of your time and money.
