Test System:
Athlon 64 3200+ @2.5Ghz
Asus A8N SLI Deluxe Motherboard
1GB PC3200
Geforce 6800GT 256MB
Creative Audigy2 ZS
Custom made 5.1 speakers.

The Introduction

Have you ever felt like getting behind the wheel of a car and go racing on mud tracks? Or have you ever felt an urge to smash someone's car in a demolition derby? Well if you have then FLATOUT will satisfy your desire. There are games that are almost perfect, give lots of attention to finest details and are aimed to be as close to reality as possible. And then there are games which are aimed to be just fun, FLATOUT falls in the later category. It's all about action packed fun racing and smashing your or someone else's car, tossing your driver high into the air. Surprised? Well you ought to be. This game has something original and funny. Read on.

Gameplay

The game is simple and uncomplicated. There are 16 cars in total, fully upgradeable. You start with some basic cars in single player career. You race against others on the tracks. And this is one game where everything goes. Smash it, break it, do whatever you want except leaving the track. Put the opponent into the wall or into the ditch. Everything goes. And if you don't give them something then be assured, the AI will change the look of your car. In career mode you start with $4000 and you purchase your car. Race against the computer. Earn money when you win.

You must finish all 4 races in the first leg in one of the top 3 positions to move to the second leg. There are 3 stages. Bronze, silver and gold in the championship. And then there is freaking funny BONUS tracks. Bronze tracks are easy. There is track circuit, off-road circuit placed in imaginary world. The Silver and Gold circuits are basically a little modified and little tougher to beat. Some tracks are pretty tricky and tough to handle depending on the kind of car you have for that circuit. There are some circuits in the GOLD level where you have a very powerful car at your disposal, but the car is simply too powerful for that track. Then there are some circuits where you have an open circuit but you have a very slow car. But overall it's a pretty simple, no brainer game. Put the pedal to the metal when the race starts. Don't worry about the damage.