Preview by: Mitch Dyer

Black Rock Studio’s Split Second leaves a strong first impression not just because it looks ridiculously good (talk about a killer use of shiny things and perfect lighting, yeesh), but because of its unique approach to claiming the top spot. Where the classic Burnout games encourage you to crash your opponents, Split Second demands you willfully crush, explode and incinerate them with the environment. I don’t need to tell you this, though. I’m willing to wager that, by now, you’ve had a chance to check out the Split Second demo on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. If not, check out Danielle’s lovely hands-on preview . Since our initial hands-on time, though, we’ve learned a few new things about Disney Interactive’s upcoming arcade racer. As it turns out, game development is some exciting stuff.

“We’re always looking at new, innovative ways we can bring fun and exciting gameplay to racing games,” explains Nick Baynes, Game Director at Black Rock. He continues, “This idea’s been around the studio for a long, long time… about three years.” That puts the early stages of Split Second around the time Black Rock’s last game, the excellent Pure, started wrapping up. This explains why a sequel to Pure, which was relatively unknown until rave reviews exploded all over the internet, isn’t happening just yet. Baynes is clearly proud of what Black Rock is doing, declaring, “As a studio, our goal is to stay in the realm of racing, but not to stand still and to do the same thing over and over again… At the same time we’re really proud of the games we make… we wouldn’t rule [Pure 2] out.”

What’s interesting about Split Second is that it’s basically the same game Black Rock envisioned in 2007. Oftentimes a game’s focus will adjust to accommodate trends or other interest within the market, but Baynes says, “The core concept we wanted to achieve was amazingly consistent throughout development.” That focal point revolves around what we’ve all since come to adore: Taking opponents out of the race with the tap of a button. The concept of removing the opposition on the fly circulated early, but earning the ability to detonate gas stations and topple tall structures wasn’t necessarily the first idea in line. Baynes admits, “We talked about some kind of weaponry, like missiles or something. That was the easy option… but it’s been done before.”

The solution is Split Seconds Power Plays, events that unfold at the will of each of the game’s eight racers. Jumping, drifting and drafting fills a three-level meter, each with its own impact on the environment when activated. The first level Power Plays “are small scale,” Baynes says, “but in the world of Split Second, small scale is like a gas station blowing up.” Entry level actions also open up shortcuts. As you go up you’ll gain the ability to unleash multiple small scale attacks simultaneously, or, as seen in the demo, cause a plane crash after crumbling a control tower. The team put a deliberate effort into ensuring that Power Plays are balanced by adjusting who can activate them. For instance, if you’re in first place you won’t be able to destroy things others could use against you. That would kill the fun for everyone else, really. Furthering the idea of a shortcut, opening alternate routes, each with its own subset of unique contextual Power Plays, keeps each race interesting. Baynes wants “the player to be constantly blown away by the effects and the set-pieces we’ve created.”There’s also the desire for players to discover. Baynes emphasizes, “In the tracks we’ve got in the game, there’s so much content hidden away.”

Baynes successfully assuaged my worries about repetition ruining Split Second in its later hours in explaining the depth of the tracks, and that we’ll see a few extra game modes with interesting twists. (Racing without Power Plays, and evading helicopter fire? Count me in.) That said, I’m still skeptical about the career. Unlocking muscle cars, sports cars and trucks doesn’t feel like enough incentive to progress, and without much in the way of personal development, I wonder where the longevity is in Split Second. Unlocking emblems to slap on your car isn’t enough to hook me, personally. When my biggest concern is my personal progression, rather than something serious about the gameplay or design decisions, I think I’ll let my excitement get the better of me. I’m stoked for Split Second. May 18 can’t come quick enough.