In the carnage, it’s often very difficult to distinguish what’s destructible from what isn’t, and also what’s a legitimate shortcut from what’s a race-ending object or out-of-bounds area. The problem, really, is more about object placement and rendering generally. If you’re a glutton for punishment, this might appeal but, on my sixth attempt at the same race, it started to grate. Without a flashback option, there’s no way to rectify the result, either, other than re-running the entire race.
See, while it’s great fun to clatter through pallets and destroy sheds, you’ll soon become petrified of doing so: run a little wide, aim for a shortcut and – bang! – you actually hit an immovable metal pillar indistinct from all of the destructible items. Despite the promise of destructible environments, what it actually delivers is mostly destructible environments, with incredibly solid and irritatingly placed obstructions frequently hidden behind them. While this does mean winning is a real challenge, even on the lowest levels, it also creates vast frustration when you plough into a solid object and wreck your vehicle within sight of the finish line.Īnd that’s a lot more likely than you’d think. Part of the problem is the lack of a flashback button like the ones we’ve come to expect in Codemasters titles. Yes, it’s rewarding (and relieving) when you finally nail it but, boy, does it take some effort. Because the courses are all off-road and weave through odd environments (such as industrial plants and muddy forests strewn with farm equipment) reading the road is quite a challenge, and encounters with walls are commonplace.Įven if you’re good, you’ll probably end up replaying the first round repeatedly until you finally manage to place in the top three. Handling is a lot less arcade-like than you might expect, with understeer a common problem, especially when you’re carrying a lot of speed.
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In fact, at times the learning curve feels as steep as the one in Dirt Rally, despite the fact that this is a series famous for hurling people through windscreens.
See, while the destruction is violent and the nitro boosts rewarding, FlatOut 4 is also incredibly hard to master – largely because it’s so ruddy unforgiving. Perhaps the biggest problem with FlatOut 4, then, is its indecision: this demolition derby can’t seem to figure out whether it’s a serious racer or a carnage-packed romp.