The story for this game is as
follows. It is the middle of the 22nd century and the world has grown bored of
sports events that we know and love today. Their thirst for excitement has
spawned a new racing event that combines rally racing, destruction derby, and
high-performance racing all in one. To further make this racing game more speed
thrilling and challenging, all race tracks are held out in the wild so that
there are always new challenges that will await them.
The graphics for this game look
great. All of the course environments have a distinct unique look and feel to
them. One of my favorites is Glacier Bay, as it is in a snow-swept region in the
north Rockies where you see glaciers floating in the waters. You will navigate
though forests, ice caves, and even snow storms. Each environment has different
tracks built for different reasons such as speed or complete mayhem. Also each
environment has different times of day and even weather to race in, bringing the
total course allotment to more than 51 unique courses to race on.
There are a couple issues though
with the graphics. The first being the occasional pop-up that the game gets, and
this can have deadly consequences, such as running into a cave wall. While this
doesn’t happen that often it is still annoying to see trees and other textures
pop up and is annoying. Another issue concerns the game framerate. In any game,
much less a racing game, slow down is a real killer, especially if this game is
all about speed.
The last issue that I have with the
graphics and game overall is that it has a serious lack of the sensation of
speed in this game. While playing the game I look over in the corner and see how
fast my vehicle is traveling but it doesn’t really feel that at all. This is
always a serious issue in racing games and even more so when the game is a
“futuristic speed racing” game. This is something that needs to be corrected
before this game shipped out, but unfortunately it wasn’t.
The vehicles that you will have
access to are supplied by the four different corporations that sponsor this
race, and they all look pleasing to the eye. The Mercury Corporation vehicles
have great acceleration and maneuverability while the top speed is lower than
the other crafts. Aurora Group race craft is built from the ground up and is
well known for its top speed, which means a serious reduction in
maneuverability. If you are looking for the most durable craft that can hold the
most weapons then the Titan Industries vehicle is for you; while this craft is
slower than the other ones it can handle almost anything you throw at it. If you
are looking for the most balanced craft in all areas then the Phoenix
Corporation vehicle is what you are looking for.
Having only four base vehicles will
disappoint you in the beginning of the game that is until you realize that you
can customize the ships to make them way better than their default stats. There
are numerous parts and paints that you can put on your craft to make it the best
racing craft on the circuit. The parts range from engines, cockpits, and even
different wings. Halfway through the single-player game your craft will, and
should, look completely different then how it started out. You earn these parts
by winning races through the game’s single player mode.
One of the things that made this
game enjoyable was the various weapons that you have access to during the race,
and most have a main function and a secondary one. Unlike many games out there
these weapons actually provide a unique experience while playing. The main
weapon in this game is a simple magnet that attaches to your ship’s hull and it
will affect your speed and handling of your craft. You can shoot these forwards
or even backwards. Rockets can shoot forward, or you can use the secondary
function and attach the rockets on your craft and use it for a speed boost.
Another weapon slows down time for everyone but you so you can get an extra
moment in time to get ahead. In my opinion, the best weapon is the cable, you
can use it to tie two enemies together or even clamp it to the side of a tree,
mountain, or anything else and use the momentum to sling shot you around it, you
just have to remember to detach it or else you could be stuck.
The music for this game is also
seriously lacking. It has a very generic sound to it that will have you muting
the sound for sheer boredom. Also the sound effects are not inspired either,
instead they are just as bland as the music. If anything you will want to turn
on your custom soundtracks to listen to something good while you are playing
this game.
Fatal Inertia is rated Everyone 10+
and contains fantasy violence.
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Gameplay: 6.1
The game is pretty easy to understand how to play. I really liked the
fact that there are unique weapons to use instead of using the same old ones
seen in numerous games. If you can get by without the true sense of speed this
game offers you will have some fun with it.
Graphics: 5.9
The environments look really and vehicles look nice, but the graphics overall
are seriously hampered by constant pop-up, framerate issues, and a serious lack
of the sense of speed.
Sound: 6.1
The soundtrack to this game is very generic techno feel to it. The same
can be said of the lackluster sound effects. Either way custom soundtracks is
the way to go for this game.
Difficulty: Medium
The game is relatively easy in the beginning or “exhibition mode.”
Later on in the game is gets difficulty and knowing the tracks layout is
extremely crucial to win.
Concept: 6.5
The concept of the game is nice, but the execution of this game is
(especially in the sensation of speed) is seriously lacking.
Multiplayer: 6.1
You can play this game online, split screen, or system link. It
contains the standard racing modes as well as ranked and unranked matches. If
you enjoy playing the single-player portion of this game then you will have fun
with the multiplayer portion as well.
Overall: 6.1
Fatal Inertia is a decent racing game that could have been much more.
The game purportedly focuses on “speed” yet while playing the game, you never
really get the sensation that you are actually going fast. Regardless this is a
good rental game if you are in need of a racing fix.
