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FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage

EMAIL PRINT xbox360

9.2 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 44 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 36 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Empire Interactive

Developer: BugBear Entertainment

Genre(s): Racing, Driving

Players: 12

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: October 2, 2007

Summary

FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage is rebuilt from the ground up and specifically developed to utilize and take advantage of the additional feature sets and improved processing ability of the Xbox 360 to produce an entirely new FlatOut experience. Features include: 12 cars racing on screen up from eight cars in FlatOut 2; Five all-new single player and two all-new Xbox Live multiplayer modes including ‘Hunter & Prey’, ‘Beat The Bomb’ and ‘Frag Derby’; Downloadable content support; Widescreen HD resolution (1280x720); Dynamic lighting and shadowing with real-time environment mapping on all vehicles; Increased polygon count, 20,000 per vehicle as opposed to 5,000 in FlatOut 2; 7,000-8,000 dynamic objects per track, up from 5,000 in FlatOut 2; Dynamic shadow maps for every single moving and static 3D object on each circuit; Parallax mapping for skid marks used in the off-road tracks and mud surfaces; Improved particle effects, e.g. dust, dirt, smoke and water. [Empire Interactive]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: FlatOut FlatOut 2

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central GameFAQs

Also On The Web: Official Website

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...

Play.tm

It's a game with a huge sense of fun, it knows what gamers want and isn't ashamed to deliver it in spades. Its unforgiving elastic band AI and relatively steep learning curve may put some people off but they'll be missing out on one of the most enjoyable racers around and should be taunted accordingly.

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1UP

Anyone who's ever laughed with glee at taking down a rival racer in a game of Burnout should be all over it.

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Planet Xbox 360

Ultimate Carnage makes excellent use of what the Xbox 360 has to offer including fantastic online play and superb graphics. If you like console racers and destroying cars and scenery, this title is worth a look. The fact that this game was released as a $50 bargain title, and has strong replay value, makes it a no-brainer.

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Computer and Video Games

Exciting, carnage-fueled, arcade racer with great track design. But wonky difficulty balancing and N64-era rubber-band AI hold it back from greatness.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

A robust, well-rounded, highly enjoyable and easily recommendable racer with a twisted sense of humour and a good all-round sense of fun.

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TeamXbox

A likeable mixture of wheel-to-wheel racing and extreme racing modes is sure to satisfy the Alpha-male motorsports fan. The A.I. is a bit suspect, however.

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Xbox World Australia

FlatOut Ultimate Carnage is fun. Immense fun. It's hectic, action packed, violent and features plenty of stuff that no other series offers.

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GameZone

For those who missed out on FlatOut 2 for the original Xbox, FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage for the Xbox 360 is a wonderful upgraded port that not only looks great but handles beautifully as well.

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Digital Entertainment News

Kind of a Burnout Lite and slightly more fun than frustrating. Minigames hit that exact right "just one more" sweetspot that'll keep gamers playing long after they meant to stop.

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Games Master UK

It's "Flatout 2," given a seriously pretty makeover and superior solidity. Win! [Aug 2007, p.77]

MS Xbox World

FlatOut Ultimate Carnage is a fun filled, balls out adrenaline fuelled, challenging and addictive game which improves on its predecessors whilst remaining faithful to what made them so popular.

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IGN

A solid game, and its Stunt Mode alone can be played for endless hours without a trace of boredom seeping in.

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Pelit (Finland)

Looks spectacular and the driving is even better. An almost fully destructible environment and totally wreckable cars are the true soul of the game. FlatOut has never been better. [Aug 2007]

IC-Games

In our opinion you’ll return to play Flatout Ultimate Carnage time and again and deservedly so. This game might not be a ‘must buy’ title, but you’ll still be glad you did.

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Electronic Gaming Monthly

It's fun as hell. looks great, and might have the most visceral destruction-derby gameplay since those old "Destruction Derby" PS1 games from Reflections. [Nov 2007, p.111]

GamePro

Get past the frustrating difficulty and you'll find a beautiful, rewarding game that is easily the best yet in the series.

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GameDaily

Although a few items remain unchanged from Flatout 2, what's here still works impeccably well.

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Xbox World 360 Magazine UK

With a bit more refinemente this could have been superb. Instead, it's very good. [Sept 2007, p.68]

Thunderbolt

Although the game has minor flaws, it is largely an exciting racer that offers huge thrills and spills.

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Play Magazine

Seemingly everything in the world of FlatOut is destructible, and you wouldn't believe how many crates and barrels there are lying around old country roads. [Oct 2007, p.88]

PALGN

FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage comes highly recommended for anyone who enjoys arcade racing titles. This is a game that definitely lives up to its title.

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X360 Magazine UK

It's the same game as FlatOut 2 with a graphic makeover and a generous pinch of "So what? We're not pretending it's different. This is still fun to play." [Issue #22, p.78]

Boomtown

Flatout Ultimate Carnage is a very solid racing game, it’s fast, it’s fun, has an extensive single player side to it with plenty of variety, which is carried over to a decent online multiplayer, doesn’t hurt that it looks great too. Sadly though that just isn’t enough in this day and age for it to be successful, in a market that is flooded with similar games and coming in hot on the heels of more publicized games it is unlikely that this will get the recognition it deserves.

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AceGamez

It's seriously good fun, and whilst it may be very aggravating at times, it'll have you coming back for more until your thumbsticks are worn down to tiny stumps.

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VideoGamer

If you can't get a sick sense of joy from using a man as a stone in a stone skimming competition, making him convulse as he bounces off the water's surface, what kind of mentally deranged person are you?

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Eurogamer

FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage isn't perfect, and doesn't quite live up to its promise; but it's sitting on the doorstep of absolute, legendary greatness. Everyone with a spark in their soul for high speed, ultra-destructive fun should play this game, and cross their fingers that just that tiny bit of extra care can be lavished on the next game in the series.

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GameTap

With so much content, from racing to destruction derbies to ragdoll bowling, this title will hold your attention for some time to come.

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GameSpy

A smorgasbord of rock 'em, sock 'em vehicular insanity that, while not without its quirks, will at least temporarily addict anyone with a pulse.

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XboxAddict

Overall, FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage is a really good 'had a crappy day at the office and need to blow off some steam' game. There is enough solid racing action and wanton destruction to appeal to fans of all ages and just about any genre.

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Cheat Code Central

While this is one of the best last-generation updates yet on the Xbox 360, I can't help but feel a little cheated. With all of the upgrades in graphics, gameplay, and play modes, I don't understand why the core of this game remained FlatOut 2.

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ZTGameDomain

If you have never played the series this will likely feel like just another racing game to you. If you are a fan and passed up on FlatOut 2 then this title is a must own, however if you did take the plunge last time around there really isn’t a whole lot here to warrant shelling out another 50 bucks for mostly the same game.

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GameSpot

It might not offer enough new stuff to make it worthwhile for owners of FlatOut 2, but Ultimate Carnage is still a riotous racer in its own right.

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Game Informer

While it’s not like you’re tearing up Forza 2-quality looking rides, the step up to the next generation makes all the flying debris and mayhem pretty alluring.

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Official Xbox Magazine

Destruction is simply more fun than obsessive tuning, assuming you've got a few screws loose to start with. [Nov 2007, p.84]

Gamers Europe

All in all then, it's almost there, but not quite: a good game, a good edition to the genre and a sound purchase - especially for driving game fans, but not an essential one quite yet.

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Game Over Online

The end result is a very mixed bag.

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Game Revolution

The graphics are mediocre in this next-gen world. The environments are nice enough, but the framerate is still a little choppy when compared with the slick polish of PGR 4 or Forza.

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NTSC-uk

It may not be the definition of next gen, but it is solidly old school in its delivery. It’s not often that a title comes along so devoid of hype and once again many gamers may pass this by, but if you have yet to sample the delights of the series, you could benefit from effectively three games worth of development that has honed a rough diamond into something getting closer to perfection.

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Edge Magazine

Ultimate Carnage is a generous package that can be highly entertaining. But it’s a pity that it fails to apply a comprehensive design overhaul to FlatOut’s robust engine. [Aug 2007, p.91]

games(TM)

FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage has been aimed squarely at those who are sick and tired of fluffy and generous racing games. Indeed, this is harsh, uncompromising, over the top and at times incredibly frustrating. This feels like the point-blank shot in the face that racing games so sorely need. [Aug 2007, p.123]

Total Video Games

Given the lower-end price of FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage and its obvious strengths, it's easy to look past the lack of imagination and next-generation refinement.

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Official Xbox Magazine UK

Poor car handling pulls down an otherwise impressive package.

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Gamestyle

However, it’s difficult to recommend FlatOut wholeheartedly given that the practically non-existent difficulty curve and frustrating physics might be enough to deter those in search of simple arcade crash ‘em up thrills entirely.

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G4 TV

Undeniably fun. It’s also incredibly derivative and still, after three tries, flawed.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 36 User Votes

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

Zac M gave it a10:
Best racing game on the XBOX 360, if any you like the old Burnouts before then went open world and all 'EA' silly this game is for you, but even more fun. Stick with it, its hard at first then just gets amazing. The AI is not that bad really, good enough to have a fight with. Its also an amazing technical feat.

Hank H gave it a7:
Not worth the money if you have played FlatOut2. If you havent' then it's a great game, as FlatOut2 was awesome already and this is identical but little tweaks in graphics (tracks are identical etc.).

Nicolas gave it an8:
Great physics, great package of maps (larger than the first look might reveal), good car handling if you choose the right enhancements or cars. Very challenging when you try to top score your races. Definitely worth his price.

JB gave it a10:
Best, great fun and most underated, longest lasting racing game yet.

Andyman gave it a9:
Yeah OK, so it's more than a little similar to FlatOut 2 on the original Xbox (some might even say this is just FlatOut 2.5, but hey). So its career progression hasn't evolved much either. So its CPU racers are still more than a little cheap. Yeah, so frickin' what! The point of FlatOut (in case you missed it) is to race and cause as much mayhem as possible and well... the graphics powerhouse that is the Xbox 360 delivers that mayhem easily 5x the amount seen in FO1 and 2. The aforementioned lack of innovation is the only thing keeping this game from a perfect 10. Yes, really. Oh, and you really should play this game online for the full experience.

Joe A. gave it a9:
One of the best racing games I've ever played, reminds me somewhat of good ol Carmageddon. Awesome graphics, good multiplayer, very fun single player.

Adam G. gave it a10:
This game is freaking brilliant. I played Forza 2 to death and grew tired of the online play (constant cheating and crashing out). Also I have never met a more uptight online community! I took the plunge and traded my copy of Forza at Game for £28, added the extra £1.99 and got my copy of Flatout Ultimate Carnage. I have not looked back since - this game is both fun and challenging, the online experience is great! BUY THIS GAME!

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FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage

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