When first starting online, you have an online form of 99, and the intention is to reduce this to single digits. Of course, online multiplayer was included but it had a very bizarre ranking system that to this day I have not ever seen since. So, the helicopter in the sky could be seen and triggered because there was no unnecessary clutter on the HUD.
This helped massively, because as you learnt the track layouts you also needed to take into account where you could trigger destructive elements, and these pinged on the screen when they first became available. It would only display lap number, overall position and the Power Play meter even things like a speedometer were considered surplus to requirement. Rather than opting for crowding the HUD with different elements – and in turn detracting from the action on-screen – all the information you needed was displayed on the back of the car like a little hologram on the bumper. The presentation was also something given a lot of attention. But whilst you were earning all this juice for your meters to perform the Power Plays, so were your opponents… Smaller ones would only require a small chunk to perform – and could be done more than once – while the larger ones would require more effort and could only be done just the once. And it was far more tactical than the previous description gives it credit for Power Plays could only be performed when you had built up your meter far enough by performing jumps, drafting, drifting and other manoeuvres.
Split/Second delivered a mix of arcade racing and destruction that was undoubtedly in the same vein as the Burnout games, but was also original enough that it could stand on its own. So, you had to drive fast, dodge missiles, survive and score points if all that sounds like exhilarating fun then trust me, it definitely was. You couldn’t just drive slowly though and expect to score points, as Split/Second was wise to that and would pop up telling you that you were “TOO SLOW”, not awarding anything for surviving that missile barrage. You were also awarded points for doing so. Again, it was just you on the track, but you were against an attack helicopter that would launch missiles that you repeatedly had to dodge. Most of the actions in the game involve only a few quick button presses, but the level of teamwork and communication involved in playing out each and every scenario is where this co-op experience truly shines.Perhaps my favourite – and most difficult – were the Air Strike events. In all of this, there is a huge emphasis on simple teamwork and simply "talking it out" as opposed to bloated or tricky mechanics. You can boost each other up ledges and even row a boat together down a raging river. Some sections will involve one player watching for guards while the other carries out objectives like unscrewing wall panels or sneaking around. In another, one player will be driving while the other is shooting from the back of the vehicle. In one section, you'll be climbing up an elevator shaft together by coordinating quicktime button presses. Sitting next to each other on the couch as you plan and coordinate each and every move between the two playable characters can be a really enjoyable gaming session. Since the game relies on mostly simple mechanics, there's very little frustration involved, and that leaves a whole lot of room for fun. The team based action gameplay is just plain fun Everything in the game is structured to be one big cooperative experience that will have you and friend relying on one another to get things done.