14 DAY TRIAL // 
Now that the 2007 Games Convention has ended, we're left with tons of demos, trailers and interviews that reveal what's coming in the following months. One of these upcoming titles is Fatal Inertia, which we'll first see on the Xbox 360 in September and on the PS3 next year. Koei Canada did a swell job with this game, making it one of the only futuristic racing titles that can rival the blockbusters from the Wipeout series. We checked out a few trailers and played the Xbox 360 demo of the game, to find out that Fatal Inertia lives up to the hype, but has its minor setbacks that were also present in Wipeout.
Concept and Gameplay This is not just "futuristic racing" as the developers are very keen on the term "futuristic combat racing". What else could a game using the Unreal Engine 3 be? After downloading the Xbox 360 Fatal Inertia demo from the Xbox Live Marketplace, you'll be able to select one of its three race types: Exhibition Combat Race, Elite Combat and Elite Velocity Race. The names speak for themselves, but keep in mind that there's also a neat split-screen multiplayer mode to have fun with. Jumping straight to the gaming experience, you'll find yourself frustrated with the game's controls in the first minutes, especially if you haven't played many Xbox 360 titles.
I've bumped into walls many times, setting my ship on fire and dying before reaching the finishing line. Since this is a futuristic combat racing game, you can't only rely on your piloting skills, so you'll have to do a little bit of aerial combat as well. The combat system features a primary and a secondary fire, allowing you to use the weapons that can be picked up from the environment while racing. You can also use a speed boost by pressing the brake and acceleration buttons at the same time and releasing them afterwards. Also, you might want to know that all the weapons can be discarded and left behind in order to create traps for your opponents.
I bet that you're going to bump your ship on the walls, rocks or any other solid parts of the environment, so you should use that reset button as often as you can. There's also the possibility of performing strafes and barrel rolls that can come useful at high speeds while trying to avoid obstacles and shake off some magnets. Your weapons change the physical performance of the ships, either enhancing your own or damaging the others'. Since all the races take place in a distant world in the 23rd century, most of the weapons are magnet based, so they can create drag effects and have an effect on the ship's handling. The classical rocket is of course included, packing a punch, but also being a useful tool that thrusts you. Fatal Inertia features 6 main environments and most of the races you'll participate in are held in the wild. You'll surely love the canyon races, but hate the continuous bumping on the canyon's rocks.
The starting ships are pretty basic in Koei Canada's title, so you'll probably want to unlock a few more futuristic rides as you play. According to the game developers Fatal Inertia features 4 main ship classes and the possibility of customizing your vehicle with 1.6 million visual combinations and 15.000 different performance combinations. That will surely help you recognize a champ in the online multiplayer mode, thanks to his tricked out ship and attributes. If you're out to unlock the game's achievements, you should know that there are about 15 of them, at least in the Xbox 360 version. In the meantime, you'll be satisfied with unlocking weapons and upgrades, for your ship, ranging from bombs, to Emp or shields. Will there be any environmental interaction in the game? You bet it will, because the Unreal Engine 3 is featured in Fatal Inertia, after all, so you'll see the effect of your ship crashing into the environment more than once.
The best example is one of the weapons you can pick up, that's basically a cable which allows you to slingshot around the turns, after attaching it to rocks, or trees. Checkpoints are very important during races and I could see that for myself, when I missed one of them while battling it out with a friend in the multiplayer mode. Of course, we were not yet accustomed to the game's controls and we finished the race on the seventh and eighth place. I was way ahead of him, but my effort didn't matter, because I had missed one of the checkpoints, while speeding past the competition.
Video Visually the game is a stunner and I don't think that there was ever a Wipeout title to feature such top notch graphics. The backgrounds look great, at least those I've seen in the demo and trailer and the level of detail in the canyon race is breathtaking. Once you start taking serious damage, you'll see your ship in flames, or shortcircuits running loose all over the vehicle. Every weapon you use will generate a short animated sequence which will surely be loved as the eye candy it is.
From electric sparks to smoke screens and shockwaves, all of the weapons look great and feel great, especially when they deal a lot of damage to your opponents. The environments react to the blasts and collisions of the ships, so you'll see falling rocks and avalanches every now and then. The ships look great and you can switch to the first person view at any time, in case it makes it easier for you to fly the futuristic ride.
Sound The demo's soundtrack was typical for this sort of games, featuring techno and rave tunes, that make you want to speed up to the rhythm of the many beats per minute. Nothing impressive and no major artists or bands from what I know so far... The blasts sound great so do most of the weapons, but you'll surely come to hate the audio effect generated by the collisions, since they happen a lot during races.
Multiplayer In the demo version of the Xbox 360 Fatal Inertia game, a split-screen multiplayer mode was available and it turns out that we'll see an online mode as well in the full game. Older games pertaining to the futuristic racing genre only allowed 2 player battles so far, so I was happy to see that you can race the AI and a human opponent at the same time. It all comes down to the best Xbox 360 joystick wielder and the player with the best accuracy... I wonder if the gamers that play this title on Microsoft's console will be able to participate in racing tournaments held by the ones that play the PS3 Fatal Inertia... We'll just have to wait and see...
Conclusion Fatal Inertia promises to continue the legacy of the Wipeout series, adding a little bit of extra feeling and some futuristic combat racing elements to the mix. The controls take some time to get used to, but in the long run, the title delivers a great gaming experience on the Xbox 360 for now and on the PS3 next year. The Unreal Engine 3 performs great and this is the first time I've seen such a high level of detail in a game pertaining to this genre.
