FlatOut

A lot of fun. The graphics still look quite good for a 5 year old game and the physics are still impressive. A very addictive arcade racer and the bonus stunts (throwing your driver through the windscreen to do a high jump or longjump) still makes me laugh.

Cars you can beat up, interesting tracks, great graphics and a Demolition Derby mode, what more do you want? This is a great LAN party game when you need a break from all that FPS action.

I found this game a little to easy, but I play a lot of racing sims (yes sims, not arcade racers). Still this game is heaps of fun, it also has a number of advantages over the console version (I have both PC & console titles) one of which is being the inclusion of AI in multi-player. Speaking of which, if your looking for a fun LAN game add this one to your list.

THE GOOD: The racing feels sharp and real (you can feel the car, the speed and the grip) and the graphics have aged well. Tactics are called for as well as learning the intricacies of the track in question. THE BAD: Unless you've got someone to shout at via LAN, the whole thing has a dead feel to it. There are no crowds, and no interaction except via cars smashing into each other. Don't get me wrong, the staged pseudo-drama of typical NFS is awful but this is maybe a tad too skeletal. THE MEH: The southern, DoH, white-trashy theme (soundtrack, cars, ragdoll, etc.) is sort of half-hearted. They should either have gone crazy with it, cartoon-style, or not bother with it at all.

Try to beat one lap in this game without making both your car and a track a mess. This is quite a challenge. Flatout is a crazy racing experience. Standard races on "Derby" cars? Spice it up with destructability of the track props and relentless opponents! Want to destroy their cars? Demolition Derby mode is in here, and better than ever. How about a game of Darts.. with your Driver as the Dart? Also featuring Bowling, "Throw you Driver as far as possible" contest and more! .. and absolutely no blood. It has (nearly) everything a racing fan loves, and even more.