Split/Second is a dream for the senses

Don't let the E rating or the Disney logo fool you.

Split/Second is a high-octane thrill ride that will grip gamers of any age and leave them breathless and salivating for more.

Welcome to the newest reality TV show Split/Second. In each episode, you'll speed through cities, airports, construction sites and a host of creative venues. The twist? Buildings and bridges are rigged to blow, ships and planes stand ready to crash and even helicopters hover poised with explosive payloads. As you swoop and swerve, drift and draft at mind-bending speeds, a power meter builds allowing you to detonate the world around you, unleashing explosive chaos on the asphalt, taking out the competition and paving a path to heart-pounding victory.

The stylistic elements in Split/Second are simply superb. Crisp graphics, slow-mo moments, and aggressive camera angles all pull you into a rich sensory experience, akin to something out of a Michael Bay film. The frame rate flows at a super slick 60 frames per second and even with the barrage of dust, debris and vehicles flying past you, there are no visual hiccups. Smoke textures, reflective lighting and fire effects are all immaculate. And though the explosions leave a bit to be desired, there is so much happening, you won't have a chance to notice, let alone complain.

Let it be said that if you're looking for a racing simulator, this is not it. The cars are completely fictitious and the racing physics and damage models are nowhere near as accurate as a game like Need for Speed or Forza. If these games are your forté, you might miss the heads-up display of more immersive racing games. That is, until you realize it's superfluous in a game like Split/Second. True, there's no map of the track, but really, you wouldn't have time to look at it anyway. There's no in-cockpit perspective; fitting as with so many things flying around, you can't afford to have any blind spots. And though there's nary a speedometer to be seen, it would really only read one speed anyway: ludicrous. Split/Second's immersion comes from its take-no-prisoners approach to racing.

The game is by no means perfect. It is virtually flawless in its presentation but the developers still fell short in certain spots. Despite plenty of extra challenges that unlock better cars, there seems little point in completing them because the game adjusts the difficulty of your opponents based on the car you're driving, leaving you wondering why extra races are there in the first place. And while you'll be dazzled by the game itself, you'll often wish for a less linear and predictable racing experience as the gameplay can get repetitive during the middle episodes.

But if you're yearning for a game that shows off your home theatre, this is it. Beyond the sound being spectacular in Dolby 5.1, the cars, locations and skies look immaculate in high definition. Combined with the game's split screen co-op, this is a great Friday night rental to play with friends.

You won't regret it. Few driving experiences compare to speeding across streets of asphalt, gravel and tarmac, skirting guardrails while fighting to maintain your drift, only to have an air traffic control tower in the distance come crashing down, forcing you into the path of a jumbo jet that bursts into a shrapnel-throwing ball of flames, with you narrowly skirting the wing by inches. Every race in Split/Second is filled with these vicious, oh-so-sweet moments of adrenaline pumping arcade bliss.

When he's not teaching junior high, Derek Mitchell St. Albert Catholic High alumnus Derek Mitchell can be found connected a gaming console.