Play now: Split/Second Velocity
Streaming on PS Now, does this cult racer still drive?
Every track is a playground of curated destruction, each corner a blindside into a explosive trap or collapsing building. Where Burnout made shunting a rival into a siding a kaleidoscopic event, Split/ Second: Velocity takes the same approach to the entire world.
This is pure arcade racing that failed to launch (it sold less than 90,000 copies within a fortnight of release)1 but has since attained cult status among those who like their racers fast, frantic, and fun, with a side of mayhem.
Ther story’s simple enough: you’re competing in a reality TV show. Your goal is to finish first and at the same time to excite the baying TV audience which has tuned in to see mass destruction at speed. Powersliding, hitting jumps, and performing stunts all fills a Power Play meter – level one causes minor explosions while level two will explode dams, topple towers, and more. There’s a loose strategy to building meter and choosing when and how to use the stored energy. Some Power Play events refresh, while the large Hollywood set-pieces, including causing a mountain slide and derailing a train, can only be used once.
INTENSIVE CAR
Quick-moving games can put demands on a console, as we all know, but even streaming on PS Now this racer is fast
and smooth, its Burnout-like simplicity and intuitive controls intact after all these years. Despite the fact it launched on PS3 it’s a looker too, even ten years on. The cars shine, every eye-popping set-piece is immaculately presented, and the chaos happening all around you never completely obscures the racing.2
On PS Now you won’t be enjoying the robust multiplayer but you’ll be thankful the developer included offline split-screen a decade ago, so at least a friend can join in the fun. Split/ Second is probably the best arcade racing game you’ve never played.
FOOTNOTES 1 The sequel was cancelled and developer Black Rock Studios closed. 2 Everything is caked in an orangey Hollywood haze, and it’s quite beautiful.