8.2 /10 1 Votes
79% Metacritic Genre(s) action, racing Series FlatOut | 9/10 Steam 7.5/10 GameSpot Initial release date 22 June 2007 Developer Bugbear Entertainment | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Distributor(s) Vivendi Universal Games (retail) Platforms Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable Publishers Empire Interactive, Valve Corporation, Strategy First, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Modes Single-player video game, Multiplayer video game Similar FlatOut games, Bugbear Entertainment games, Racing video games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage is the third game in the FlatOut demolition racing series, known earlier as FlatOut: Total Carnage. FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage was officially announced February 1, 2007, and was released on July 22, 2007 in Europe, on August 1, 2007 in Australia, and on October 2, 2007 in North America for the Xbox 360. The game is an enhanced port of FlatOut 2 featuring new gameplay modes and graphics as well as at least two new cars.
Contents
A demo for the Xbox 360 version was released on Xbox Live Marketplace on July 19, 2007. The Microsoft Windows version was released through the Steam network on August 26, 2008, and then in game stores on September 2. There is also a handheld version of the game for the PlayStation Portable called FlatOut: Head On, which was released in Australia on March 12, 2008, in Europe two days later, and in North America on April 4, 2008.
Gameplay
Ultimate Carnage introduces a brand new series of tracks which are based anywhere from busy streets to storm water drains.
The cars are more detailed than previous games in the series, employing the latest in dynamic lighting and shadow technology, and a greatly enhanced damage and physics engine where each car is made of up to 40 separate destructible parts. The single player game supports up to 11 other AI-controlled cars in each race.
A new multiplayer format is also included; this runs on the Games for Windows - Live system which requires you to either sign in to your Xbox LIVE or Games for Windows LIVE Gamertag, or sign up for one for free. The LAN function is not available in FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage, unlike the previous two FlatOut games for Windows.
Reception
The Xbox 360 and PC versions received "favorable" reviews, while the Head On version received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.
Hyper's Maurice Branscombe commended the Xbox 360 version for "looking and playing better than ever before". However, he did not like the soundtracks and stated that "the game's load times are too long". In Japan, Famitsu gave the same console version a score of three sevens and one six for a total of 27 out of 40.