Although the racing part of the game is not too extraordinary, the carnage mode is brilliant and addicting.
Gameplay: 3.5/5
+ There are basically two types of gameplay modes: Flatout and Carnage. Flatout is your typical racing mode where you race around a track for a certain number of laps and try to get in first place. There are four classes of races: derby, race, street, and grand finals. Within each of these classes are a number of cups (where you race on three to six courses) as well as special events like time trials and other derbies. You are also given a garage where you can buy, sell, and upgrade cars from each class (derby, race, or street--derby being the low-end cars and street behind the high-end ones). Now, the racing itself is pretty straight forward but there is a definite emphasis on causing damage. The more damage you do to other cars or to scenery the more your nitro gauge will fill, which you can use at any time for an extra speed boost. The AI can be pretty aggravating once you begin to reach the higher level races since they play very aggressively and can easily spin you out and cause you to drop out of first place quickly. At times this can be challenging and fun but at other times it's downright frustrating. The other mode in Flatout: Ultimate Carnage is the Carnage mode. This is where the real fun and unique part of the game lies. Here you perform in special events like Carnage Race, Stunt, Deathmatch Derby, and Beat the Bomb. Carnage Race has you drive a normal race except that the time decreases and each checkpoint will add more time. The point of this event is to cause as much damage to other cars or to the scenery as you can, and then depending on how high your score is when time runs out you will get a bronze, silver, or gold medal. Stunt has a wide variety of events from high jump to basketball to stone skipping to darts. Each of these requires you to launch your driver into the air, maneuver them in special ways, and perform certain tasks like flying through a basketball hoop or hitting part of a dart board. This event is really lots of fun and in my opinion one of the best parts of the game. Deathmatch Derby has a set time limit and you must try to destroy other cars in a rectangular map, where each car will shortly respawn after it is destroyed. Again, you are rewarded with bronze, silver, or gold depending on how much destruction you do. Beat the Bomb places a bomb on your car and you must then race a course by yourself and try to reach each checkpoint so that the fuse on the bomb is lengthened and you don't blow up. This is probably the hardest Carnage event because you really have to find the most efficient route and you can't slip up or else the bomb will explode before you survive long enough for a medal. Overall I really wish that less time was put into the Flatout part of the game because there's really nothing too special about the racing. Instead, I wish the developers beefed up the Carnage mode (which seems short even though you can go back and try to top the global leaderboards) which to me is the one feature that separates this game from the others.
Story/Presentation: (N/A)
+ I suppose there is a story because the other drivers have a name and a short description about them during the loading screens. But there is never anything formal and the loading screens go by too fast for me to be able to read them. Still, no story is really needed here.
Graphics: 4/5
+ The graphics are actually pretty impressive. From the car models to the tracks to the lighting. What is also neat is that the cars are made with 40 destructible parts, so when you take damage or cause damage your car will begin to deteriorate and lose pieces.
Value: 4/5
+ Although this retails for $20, I got this game for just a few dollars during Steam's sale. Either way I think this game has a lot going for it. I've already put over 20 hours into it and I still haven't fully completed the racing mode. Most of my time was spent on the Carnage mode which, like I said above, is a real blast. And since there are leaderboards for the fastest lap in the Flatout races as well as the high scores in the Carnage mode, you are given plenty of reason to play again and see if you can climb up the boards. Definitely a good value for the price they are asking.