SimHQ.com - Motorsports Zone

At the start only races designated "bronze" are available, and you have to place at least 3rd in the races in order to unlock more tracks and after you're through "bronze" you can move up to the "silver" mode. Same procedure in the "silver" mode, until you have unlocked "gold". Each mode has 12 tracks, making 36 tracks in all. This should provide for hours of entertainment!

In addition, there are a number of bonuses in each game mode; a figure-eight track where the crossover section can become very scary as the race progresses; Demolition dashes where the object is to be the last car running; or a dirt oval, listen up dirt track fans, yes he said a dirt oval, and it is really one of my favorites. Even has the "safer walls" in form of old tires lining some of the outer wall!

The game is named FlatOut because you accumulate nitro as you hit things, and this nitro you can then use to give you a bit more speed for as long as the nitro button is pushed, or as long as you have some nitro left in your tank. With this nitro-boost, you go "FlatOut" and it is looking a little bit like good old Star Trek; Warp Speed 8 Mr. Zulu!

The Graphics

The graphics are stunningly beautiful, with cars, tracks, skies and surroundings rendered in great detail, and the game runs perfectly silky smooth and fluently.

There is no slowdown at all, not even with the maximum 8 cars on screen and literally hundred of objects flying around: Oil cans, logs, fences, tires, wooden towers and assorted structures will destruct and scatter when you hit them, and debris will stay on the track for the duration of the race, thus creating new obstacles in different places.

These obstacles can cause you to loose momentum if you hit them subsequently, in worst case they can cause a huge wreck, throwing your driver out of the car.

If this happens, either through hitting an obstacle, or being hit hard by another car you can tell your driver to get back into the car by hitting the reset button.

During races that usually last from 3 to 8 laps, doors, bonnets and bumpers will depart your car as you are constantly in a furious scrap for position with the AI, and at the end of the race your car will look like it has been in several huge accidents. Which it has!!

Once the race has completed you can watch the instant replay of the mayhem, accompanied by the exquisite soundtracks which IMO fit the game perfectly. It is great fun watching the mayhem unfold as the cars get smashed to pieces. The running game looks even better, even more exciting than the screenshots can document. For some reason I find it hard to catch the right moment when making screenshots, so bear in mind that the running games looks far far better than my measly screenshots.

Sadly there is no option to save the replays and thus documenting your stunts. This is a great shame, especially when considering the ragdoll olympics. Just what this is will be explained in greater detail elsewhere. It would have been very beneficial for players to be able to exchange replays of high- and long jumps, comparing achievements.

Pleeeeease Bugbear, pretty please... would you consider fixing this in a patch, you graciously patched RT to include savable replays.

The AI: The AI will fight you all the way and will really give you a run for your money. I can't begin to tell how fun it is to battle it out with these AI as they take no prisoners and don't yield a quarter of an inch. It's side by side racing for several laps.

In the special events like the destruction derby and the demolition bowls the AI are only too painfully aware of where you are, and they seek you out in a cat-and-mouse game in order to render your car inoperable, and to be the last surviving car, thereby winning such an event.

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