Pure was my favorite racing game of last year. It was utterly shocking when it was released - no one saw it coming, and it managed to bring all of the fun of the snowboarding genre to ATVs, somehow. When it was announced that Black Rock Studios, the developers of Pure, would be making a more traditional racing game, there was obviously a level of excitement. After playing it at E3 it managed to become one of my favorite games of the show, and one of my most anticipated games of 2009.

There were other racing titles at E3, but the only one anyone was talking about seemed to be Split Second. It's actually the only demo I went back to a few times, ignoring "schedules" or "meetings" in favor of returning the the airfield, where I raced against a few other cars through and around an airport. When the race started, it played like a typical racer, with a bunch sports cars revving their engines at the starting line. Within just a few moments it was utter chaos, as gas stations exploded, highways collapsed, and 747's crash-landed in the middle of the street. Not only that, but all of this madness was caused by players.



See that screenshot above? See the orange and white dish? That thing rolls across the road, smashing anything in its path. The one above that? The tower exploding? Sends gigantic chunks of concrete and metal flying towards the vehicles before smashing down into the road, modifying the path and opening a new route. As the race progresses, drifting, speeding, and being generally mean slowly fills up a bar that can be used to activate different events. The game is a reality TV show, apparently, which means the cities around the tracks and the actual roads themselves are rigged for entertainment. The events can lead to utter destruction of everyone in the race, and give an additional tactical importance to Split Second. It seems like it would be hard to control, but Black Rock studios was able to figure it out pretty well, and it's usually fairly easy to know what would trigger what and who it could effect.

It will likely grow even better with extended play, as players memorize paths and the best possible route to destruction, but even in my short demo with the game I found myself finding an immense amount of joy in narrowly escaping cataclysmic events. There's a rush, that's to be sure, and it's one I haven't felt in a driving game since I first laid hands on Burnout. I'm excited - giddy even - and I can't wait to play more. Be sure to check back soon for an interview with one of the game's producers, and watch closely as I do my best not to hug him and utter "thank you, thank you" over and over again.