Multi-Player: Race Mode (by: Micah Seff)

Video game press events are a surreal experience. All too often, they are way more flashing lights and smiling faces than they are actual hands-on time with the games they're supposed to promote. Disney's Split/Second event seemed no different as I entered the ABC studios in SF. Checkered stripes adorned the walls and warning lights strobed away as we made our way through the labyrinthine hallways on our way to the event. Luckily, once we at long last found our way to the actual demo area, I realized that my fears were unfounded. We would be getting some serious time with this game tonight, and boy am I glad that we did.

Split/Second was high on Andre and Schuyler's very short lists of favorite games on display at PAX East (read our single-player impressions here). While I enjoyed my time with the game there, I didn't really get to spend as much time with the title as I would have liked. What I did see reminded me so much more of Beetle Adventure Racing (pretty much the high-water mark for arcadey racing games) than Blur could ever hope to. Naturally, I was excited as I sat down to clutch the controller, but I tried to temper that enthusiasm with some skepticism. Sure on paper BAR + (Michael) Bay = Split/Second sounds awesome, but does that work in a multiplayer environment?

The answer to that question might not be as straight-forward as I would have hoped. Using the Power Plays (earned by performing cool feats like drifts and jumps) to cause impossible levels of damage to the environment in an attempt to fight your way to the finish line is certainly thrilling. It just isn't necessarily all that balanced. The real problem with influencing the environment rather than directly attacking your adversaries is that the outcome of each Power Play is really hard to predict. You sometimes just have to fire off a Power Play and cross your fingers hoping that you'll find your opponents burning to death in a fiery wreck in front of you. My other minor quibble was that when you're in front, all that Power Play meter that you've stored up is totally useless. I sort of wish that you could use your meter to protect yourself from attacks from behind, so that at least there would be some way to help secure your lead.

Nevertheless, Split/Second does pack in the adrenaline at every moment. Despite having some issues with the flow of the races in the long term, I still found every individual race to be compelling and engrossing. The Power Plays help to dynamically change the tracks so that every race is different from the last. I assume that discussing the Power plays themselves is pretty passe at this point, but good Lord, are they crazy. Watching steamliners topple across the racetrack as you deftly take out every racer ahead of you is just too awesome. Even at this press event while surrounded by people, I was shouting expletives at my opponents and cheering after massive Power Plays.

Though I still have some doubts about the multiplayer longevity of this title, I am mostly anticipating the game's release. It seems to merge the Action and Racing genres in a way that feels fun and unique. I'm just not sure if the Power Play system can hold up to the thrilling arcade-racing innovations of games like Burnout, Mario Kart, or Rush 2049. Power Plays are certainly flashy enough. They just might be lacking in a cohesive risk/reward system to tie together all of the insane over-the-top action.

Multi-Player: Survival  Mode (by: Andre Segers)

In addition to trying out racing with multiple people for the first time, Disney also unveiled Survival mode--a unique take on Split/Second's twitch moment-to-moment  gameplay. Here's the jest: You race around a circuit (a concrete storm drain, in this case) endlessly while on a timer. There is no rallying for position here; instead the goal is to evade and pass by as many semi-trucks as possible. Passing a truck not only nets points, but also increases your multiplier, so the more trucks you leave in your dust without wrecking, the higher your score.  Now here's the twist: the scattered semi-trucks dump an endless stream of explosive cannisters all over the track, some blue, others red. If you collide with a blue one, you'll get knocked around a bit, slowing you down, but the red ones will not only destroy your vehicle, but also your multiplier. 

This mode proved to be rather fun and very addictive, similar to Burnout's Crash mode. Trying to weave around the bouncing barrels while scraping by the semi-trucks was quite thrilling (especially when one of those bastard trucks attempt to ram you into a wall). Curiously, Power Plays--Split/Second's greatest distinction from other racing games--is no where to be found in this mode. In fact, there's minimal interaction at all with your fellow opponents, putting the focus solely on your ability to weave around the track without destroying yourself.

In addition to Survival, there are several modes that Disney isn't yet ready to reveal. Luckily, we don't have long to wait for the full game, as it touches down on May 18th.