Split/Second: Velocity
From: Disney
For: PlayStation 3 Hayden Meikle
Because the market is now flooded with cheap imitations and rip-offs, it has become increasingly rare to find a game with that sort of genuine surprise value.
Even the best titles - stuff like Grand Theft Auto IV and Halo 3 that you know is going to be good - can be lacking in that signature moment that reminds you why you have stuck with gaming all this time.
Imagine, then, my shock when what appeared to be yet another formulaic arcade racing game turned out be a gob-smacker.
I knew NOTHING about Split/Second Velocity before I eased it into the PS3.
Sometimes it's good to have heard no advance buzz, but equally it can sometimes be a sign that you've got a donkey.
This ain't no donkey, nor a dog.
It's genuinely the most fun I've had in a driving game for ages.
Sure, it all sounds a bit naff: you're part of a reality TV show called Split/Second, in which cars compete in unusual races that feature a lot of bangs, crashes, explosions, crazy route changes and the like.
Velocity is the name of the fictional setting, hence the title.
The game is split, appropriately, into "episodes", each containing multiple events, each of which in turn offers multiple credits for high placings.
But beyond the relatively predictable set-up is some first-class excitement.
Because it's an arcade game, the driving controls are kept nice and simple.
A bit of acceleration, a brake to start those fancy drifts, and you're away.
The only real extras are "power play" buttons, and these are so simple they are brilliant.
Drifting and drafting build the power play meter, and when you see the symbol above other cars, you whack circle or X, and BOOM, something takes out your opponents in a shower of sparks and vehicle parts.
Fiery barrels.
Devilish cranes.
Gates.
Exploding sheds.
See, this is the essence of the game.
Remember that Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, The Running Man? This is sort of a motorised version, a game show where car drivers try to take each other out.
By now, you are thinking: hmmm, sounds like a Burnout game.
And, to a point, you would be correct.
The structure and intent of Split/Second does feel quite Burnout-ish.
But then you have that moment, that glorious moment when a runaway passenger jet comes menacingly down the road towards you, and the chill down your spine tells you that, yes, this game has something special.
