Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

Games

Sony

PS3 | PSP | PS2 | PS One

Microsoft

Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo

Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64

Other Platforms

PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

Upcoming &
Recent Releases

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.

FlatOut

EMAILPRINTps2

FlatOut
70
8.4 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 30 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 12 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game >

Game Info

Publisher: Empire Interactive / Vivendi Universal

Developer: Bugbear Entertainment

Genre(s): Racing, Driving, Action

Players: 6

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: July 12, 2005

Summary

Experience the drive of your life as you throw yourself around 45 challenging tracks in one of 16 fully upgradeable cars. Fences will shatter, tyre walls will explode, water tanks and barrels will fly across the track into other cars. Every time you lose control, you will truly feel the weight of the car as it collides with and destroys a barn, or smashes into the pack of cars ahead of you, and with 40 deformable pieces on every car sparks are guaranteed to fly! Anything you destroy or alter stays a part of the race, increasing the carnage to unprecedented levels! Broken fences, free rolling tyres, and even mangled parts of cars are left scattered around the track, increasing the mayhem with every lap. An extensive championship mode will keep you 'FlatOut' for months on end, as you battle through a huge variety of races, mini-games and the most outrageous arenas of destruction you could possibly imagine. Unparalleled realistic scenery and debris damage with fully destructible driving environments with 3000 + items on each track to smash. [Empire Interactive]

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90

Computer and Video Games

Get FlatOut and prepare for the most fun you've had since that day you laughed so much you splurted milk through your nose. It's one of those driving games that tickles all your fun buttons at once, leaving you with a massive grin.

Read Full Review >
90

AceGamez

I'm not exaggerating when I say that Flat Out's graphics are nothing short of outstanding, surpassing most other racers out there and with the detailed physics surrounding both the courses and the vehicles, the graphics gets a big thumbs up.

Read Full Review >
90

Sydney Morning Herald

The handling is remarkable, and the fact the tracks are littered with obstacles that bounce and crash realistically makes it all the more fun. Throw in excellent damage modelling and it's plain to see that this game has nailed the core mechanics of an addictive racer perfectly.

Read Full Review >
90

Worth Playing

Tight car handling, a career mode that's fun without being too technically involved (unlike "Gran Turismo 4" or "SegaGT") and that same sense of speed we've come to love as of late in our racing titles establish Flatout as a worthy companion, if not successor, to "Burnout 3."

Read Full Review >
88

Next Level Gaming

And most important, who doesn't love a good crash where the driver flies out the window into a tree? There is a little of something here for everyone who is just looking for a little fun. Definitely worth the purchase.

Read Full Review >
84

BonusStage

A solid bit of destruction derby/road racing hybrid madness that’s well worth picking up. Bugbear has the tools and talent to make the next game even better and I’ll definitely be along for that ride.

Read Full Review >
80

GameSpy

The inclusion of the ridiculously over-the-top mini-games instantly helps this game move ahead of the pack, and the online action is highly entertaining.

Read Full Review >
80

Total Video Games

The ‘instant gratification’ test from Flatout is very high which is always a good marker. Flatout does not profess to be anything but an out and out ‘revving foot on the pedal and try to waste the opposition’ game.

Read Full Review >
80

3DAvenue

Bugbear Entertainment have put together some truly challenging tracks, a great amount of fictional cars and also added a bit humour to the mix with the lack of seat belts and great mini games.

Read Full Review >
80

Times Online

The truly suicidal, meanwhile, will be in awe of the driver’s ability to launch himself fatally through the windscreen, screaming, while the rest of us will love the game’s easy and responsive controls, and the authentic feel of the cars.

Read Full Review >
79

GameZone

The problem is that since this game has some flaws that hamper the gameplay, and the fact that there have been a couple of games that have reset the bar for games of this nature.

Read Full Review >
79

GameSpot

For those who just want to race fast, wreck hard, and look good doing it, FlatOut fits the bill.

Read Full Review >
78

eToychest

The use of physics brings a genuine uniqueness to the title, but it ends up feeling more like a gimmick than anything else. Without these physics, FlatOut would fail on all fronts to be memorable. With them, it only succeeds in being only slightly above average.

Read Full Review >
75

Jolt Online Gaming UK

FlatOut is a fun racer in the vein of Destruction Derby that just about manages to carve a niche for itself. If you’re looking for a physics-heavy racer with some demanding courses then its worth checking out.

Read Full Review >
75

TotalGames.net

Crisp and detailed car models and detailed tracks filled with things to avoid or risk destroying makes for some impressive sightseeing.

Read Full Review >
75

IGN

In stark contrast to racing proper, the developers at Bugbear have neglected to take FlatOut's bonus mode far enough. I don't think they knew what they had with this extra mode until it was too late.

Read Full Review >
75

Game Over Online

It would've been nice to see more cars, deeper customization, or tighter controls, but FlatOut gets the job done.

Read Full Review >
75

PSM Magazine

Undeniably fun and seriously pretty - it's just not as polished as a AAA game like "Burnout." [Aug 2005, p.82]

70

Edge Magazine

This is a game that’s as riotously entertaining as it is viciously random... It’s gleeful automobile slapstick, but not for anyone who values skill and achievement more than taking a wrecking ball to their opponents’ racing lines. [Dec 2005, p.114]

Read Full Review >
70

Play Magazine

Upgrades on the variety of cars gradually up the speeds and intensity. [Aug 2005, p.50]

65

Game Informer

FlatOut desperately wants to be the trailer park version of EA's slicker racer, but without the polish, it succeeds in being only a pale imitation. [Aug 2005, p.98]

65

Stuff

Like a late-night hookup with the town floozy, this game might look promising when you take it home, but trust us, the next morning you're going to wonder why this disc is snuggled up inside your Xbox. Rent.

Read Full Review >
60

1UP

FlatOut basically feels like a slightly more frustrating successor to the original "Destruction Derby" series on the PlayStation 1 (well, the first two games). It does have a lot to offer, but it all feels a bit soulless somehow.

Read Full Review >
60

Yahoo! Games

A respectable weekend time-waster. It's got enough going on to fill a late night or two, and not so much that many gamers will pine for it when it's gone.

Read Full Review >
60

G4 TV

Like a miniature fashion model: short, quite pretty, and as insubstantial as it is fun.

Read Full Review >
50

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

There just isn't enough here to hold your attention. [Aug 2005, p.83]

49

PSX Extreme

The racing is fun for a while, and the appeal of launching your driver like a human dart can’t be denied, but even those who love that aspect wish you could skip the drawn out animation after awhile.

Read Full Review >
47

Electronic Gaming Monthly

When a racing game's gimmick relies on un-seat-belted drivers forcibly ejected through windshields during crashes, you know you're in trouble. [Aug 2005, p.110]

40

Maxim Online

Unfortunately, when it comes to actual racing, FlatOut is about as interesting as a public service announcement for seatbelts.

Read Full Review >
40

Cheat Code Central

FlatOut has all the makings of a great budget games, except that it's not great and that it's not budget priced.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 12 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dragon Knight of Final Fantasy gave it a4:
The graphics are good I thought they looked nice. The sound was nice as well sounds pretty average so far.......now the gameplay thats were it fall flat on its face. Besides the mini-games and the demolition derby style stuff was okay the racing which is supposed to be the point of most driving games is frustrating and boring to get even close to your oppenents is to use Nitrus and to do that you have to hit stuff slowing you down taking you all the way to last place with everyone way ahead of you, you have to get to first. Oh yay. This was so annoying and the only way to get the mini-games is to race and its not worth it. Rent it if you fell like you need to but I wouldn't advise it.

Santtu R. gave it a10:
Very Good!!!

Marko E. gave it a10:
Perrkeleen kovaa menoa.. Kyllä me suomessakin osataan :D aright.. flatout rlz.

Michael R. gave it a 9:
Suberb destruction derby, great fun.

Matti S. gave it a 10:
Ultimately the best race game on ps2 .. after burnout 3.

Popular on CBS sites: SEC Football | NFL | Video Game Cheats | iPhone | Video Game Reviews | Notebooks | Antivirus Software

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy (UPDATED) | Terms of Use