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The second part of SEGA’s Xbox360 Launch portfolio, Full
Auto was first previewed at E3
2005, where it received praise but was ultimately recognised as
being flawed. Nine months have passed since then, and a lot has
happened to  what is one of the fastest moving industries in the
world. Residing between the technology and entertainment industries
and seemingly being pulled both ways by different firms, UK
videogaming has seen three console launches and three film
adaptations in the time Full Auto has taken to reach
completion. While that may not appear at first to have much of a
direct impact, Full Auto is the pinnacle of
Hollywood
dramatisation. Fast cars, fast trucks and heavy ballistics, big
explosions, big stunts and big crashes; everything a Hollywood
Blockbuster wishes it had the budget to do.
Full Auto is charismatic release from a team
comfortable with it’s produce. Cel Damage on the GameCube
was a remarkable achievement for a debut title from the studio, and
it’s slightly more discouraged sequel was of equal merit, even if
many publishers wouldn’t agree. Moving on from their Crash Demo
previewed at E3 and GDC in 2004, Pseudo Interactive decided it was a
wise idea to create an entire game around the Crash Demo’s
philosophy; mayhem.
The title plays through as most traditional Racers; the
Career Mode plays through a Tutorial and Classes with each featuring
a set amount of Trials. Each of these Trials will have a specific
requirement for each Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals - or rather
Survivor, Semi-Auto and Full Auto - ranging from
completion in a certain position with a specified amount of Wreck
Points, to wrecking  a pre-set number of civilian vehicles, to
eliminating set cars. With the Career Mode generally revolving
around the idea of winning, the game also features Arcade Races Mode
which isn’t concerned with losers, Multi-Player and the obvious
XboxLIVE! feature. The obvious twist in this mix is the
weaponry. Yes, you have guns. Guns to shoot things with - anything.
Wreck Points are acquired by, surprisingly, wrecking stuff. Almost
anything and everything on the screen at any time can be blown away,
if hit hard enough, with the right weapon.
The
courses are numerous and can be varied with different routes. The
race options too are plentiful, including Point-To-Point, Circuit,
Laps and Down-And-Back to name a few. Through Arcade Races or
Multi-player you may select any of the above which you have unlocked
while in Career Mode, as well as any vehicles you may have unlocked.
To further the distance from reality, two additional features
greatly alter Full Auto from the generic Racing titles
usually offered; something that Xbox360 releases Project
Gotham
Racing 3, Need For Speed: Most Wanted and Ridge
Racer 6 have been sorely lacking. The Turbo Boost Meter is filed
by sliding and performing stunts, whilst the Unwreck Meter refills
by simply wrecking stuff. Between the two features, with the
cityscape and desert backdrops and series of unlicensed cars, the
title feels very much like the pinnacle of the series that is
clearly it’s influence; BurnOut 2: Point Of Impact.
At
first, the infamous Unwreck Meter feels like an unwieldy tool,
designated fit for entry into the final product simply to facilitate
a marketers reverie, but through constant use and progression within
the titles Career Mode the feature becomes more akin to that of Prince
Of Persia: Sands Of Time allowing to retake a single mistake
which, once competent at the title, you may recognise an instant before
it hits, consuming less and less of you Meter. Surprisingly – but
certainly not to the disgrace of the title - the combat portion of
the game seems almost secondary in nature to the racing. Whilst
never presenting itself as such, the combat element sits behind the
racing in both terms of qualification through Career Mode, the
variety available and the sheer adrenaline rush – but the weaponry
association means that the difference is only noticeable almost
subconsciously, as opposed to Vigilante8’s more vehement
expression of vehicular combat.
The
Multi-Player presentation, as stated above, takes it’s cue from
the Arcade Races Mode, allowing you to play with anything you’ve
unlocked. However, for those of you expecting some clever
explanation as to just how that Unwreck feature works in
Multi-Player, sadly, there isn’t one. Developing
the feature into
the Multi-Player aspect would’ve taken ingenuity and a fair deal
of skilful programming, so, instead the developers have taken the
predictable route, and removed the feature. It would be hard to
blame the developers for doing so considering such early arrival in
the Xbox360’s life, however it would be so much easier to commend
them had they seen fit to let the fire burn, rather than extinguish
the flame. The XboxLIVE! functionality is almost flawless;
it’s quick and easy to play and the LIVE! Rank System works
will. A few minor bugs upon exiting to Menu Screens, and
occasionally there may be too few matches on offer, but these flaws
can easily be ignored when compared to the finished product.
The
title looks superb and handles at a fantastic pace. The Real-Time
Lighting effects are astonishing as is the attention to detail and
the frankly ridiculous amount things that can happen on-screen at
any one time, which is all the more reason why its more
disappointing why the Frame-Rate grinds to a halt when seemingly
little is happening on-screen. The beauty of the title is realised,
much as with it’s SEGA brother-release, Condemned, by
simply limiting the field of view – as detailed as it is, there
will always be buildings, rocks or some other such
horizon-infringement. The Texture Mapping is spot-on, with no
errors, bugging or Polygon Pop-up visible whatsoever.
The
sound featured in the title is used to great effect. The music will
dim into the background on use of the Turbo Boost or Unwreck
features whilst remaining constantly up-tempo, and will raise the
volume at moments of chaos with Rivals and other racers. Obviously
influenced by its
Arcade
theme, the title furthers this by allowing the gunfire and
destruction to remain loud, very loud.
Full
Auto is the first title released to actually feel
like an Xbox360 game. Having obviously been built-up from scratch
for the system, it reflects on the positive nature of the titles
origins and of that of it’s chosen format more forcefully than any
release so far, even that of Dead
Or Alive 4. It’s easy
to consider Full Auto as shallow; and it clearly is – but this only reinforces the
Hollywood
appeal of the title.
Inevitably, Full Auto glorifies the Xbox360’s early days as carnage and a visual spectacle.
While it may be flawed, it’s inarguably fun. 
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