Demo Round Up - 5/03/10

This week we have a wide variety of demos to cover. Whether you enjoy hugging tight turns or pummeling your opponent to a pulp, we've got something for you.

Split/Second

I was eagerly awaiting the chance to get my hands on Split/Second. I'm a big fan of Black Rock Studio's last release, Pure. It featured addictive gameplay, simple controls, and a large assortment of off the wall tricks. Split/Second promised to deliver a similar fantastical experience with hot cars traveling at blinding speeds. The gameplay revolves around the ability to trigger environmental changes in order to trip-up your opponents. The demo features one track, one car and one race. For those of you who have a tough time making decisions, this demo will be easy on the nerves. Split/Second is based around the premise of a television reality show in the same vein as the film "Death Race." However, it isn't violent or gory in anyway. This is a Disney game after all. The objective is to fill your momentum meter by drifting around turns, and drafting by driving directly behind other racers. Once the meter is full, you can execute environmental hazards to take down opponents. The Tier 2 takedowns are often spectacular and include crashing jumbo jets and helicopter missile attacks. Split/Second is the sort of game that can interest gamers that aren't even particularly big fans of the racing genre.

Verdict: Download it!

UFC Undisputed 2010

This one is a tough nut to crack. I can see that the bones of the game are strong. Somewhere in there is a strong and competitive fighting game, but the presentation in the demo is terrible. UFC Undisputed 2010 assumes you are a well-learned MMA fan with knowledge well above that of the average gamer. I'm not even foreign to UFC and I had a difficult time working through the controls and fighting styles. For every situation there is a unique set of actions depending on offense or defense. This is confusing and more often than not has you button mashing hoping to gain the advantage. There is an action list included, but it requires you to sift through an endless array of menus to find the exact situation you are currently in. More often than not the computer opponent made me tap in 20 seconds. I won a few of the bouts thanks to slamming the punch button until the other fighter was napping on the mat. If you've mastered UFC Undisputed 2009 you are going to have a much easier time in the octagon. Hopefully the full release will feature an in-depth traning mode to break-in newcomers to the franchise.

Verdict: Skip it!