FlatOut (video game)

FlatOut is a racing video game developed by the Finnish developer Bugbear Entertainment and published by Empire Interactive and Vivendi Universal Games in 2004 and 2005. Gameplay in FlatOut places emphasis on demolition derby-style races, and features a sophisticated physics engine. 16 different cars are included, each with 5 different skins for them. The game is most known for car drivers flying through the windshield.

Features

Modes in FlatOut include standard lap races, in either open environments or stadium laps, and demolition derby deathmatches, in which the driver of the sole-surviving vehicle declared the winner; both modes pit players against 7 computer-controlled opponents. The game also includes special events which require the player to toss the driver off of his/her vehicle and meet certain requirements. In career mode, pick up your future top racer from the junkyard. Winnings come in the form of cash, which allows players to purchase vehicle upgrades and new vehicles.

FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction

FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction is an action racing video game developed by Team6 Game Studios and published by Strategy First. It was, unlike all other titles in the FlatOut series, not developed by Bugbear Entertainment and not published outside the digital market. The game was released worldwide on 13 December 2011.

Reception

Unlike its predecessors, FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction was met with very negative reception upon release, with GameRankings giving it a score of 26.90%, while Metacritic gave it 23 out of 100.

FlatOut 3 is one of the two games Edge has ever given a score of one out of ten to in its history (the other being Kabuki Warriors).Eurogamer also gave it a one out of ten score and criticised all aspects of the game, especially the controls and the AI. It also lamented the fall from grace of the FlatOut series as a whole and summed up the review by saying "You could go mad trying to rationalise Flatout 3. It is not bad in the way that a game like Boiling Point is bad, where things coalesce into a kind of awful greatness. This is a tacky and technically incompetent production with no redeeming features whatsoever, devoid of fun and an insult to the name it bears. Flatout once burned bright, but now is gone - and if there is a driving hell, this is surely it."GamesMaster also gave the game one out of ten and said "Some games are so bad they're good (for a laugh, at least). FlatOut 3 is just plain bad."GameSpot gave the game its highest score by giving it five out of ten, praising the Demolition mode and the wide range of game modes, but like in other reviews the AI, controls and the bad collision detection were criticised.

FlatOut 2

FlatOut 2 is a racing video game developed by Bugbear Entertainment and published by Empire Interactive. It is the sequel to the 2004 game FlatOut.

This game is themed more on the street racing/import tuner scene than its predecessor. A notable change is the tire grip; players can now take more control of their car, worrying less about skidding in tight turns. The game has three car classes: derby, race, and street.

It was first released in Russia on June 29, 2006, in Europe on June 30, 2006, and in North America on August 1, 2006.

In 2008, an OS X version of the game was released by Virtual Programming.

In 2014, a Linux version of the game was released on GOG.com as part of the launch of Linux support.

Gameplay

Ragdoll physics

The ragdoll physics in the sequel have been greatly updated. During the race, the driver may be thrown out of the car if slammed into a wall at a high speed. In the numerous Stunt minigames the goal is to shoot yourself out of the car and complete objectives like knocking down a set of bowling pins, hitting the designated spots on a dartboard, score a field goal or fly through flaming hoops. Players must use 'aerobatics' to control the driver in-flight, but overusing it will increase drag, which will slow the driver down and possibly prevent him/her from reaching the designated target. If the driver falls short of the target, players can use the "nudge". This gives the driver a small upward boost and slightly reduces drag. In the Stone Skipping Stunt minigame, the players must use nudge just as the driver hits the surface of the water to skip the most efficiently and reach the furthest.