Fatal Inertia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fatal Inertia
Fatal Inertia EX

Developer(s) Koei Canada
Publisher(s) Koei
Engine Unreal Engine 3
Foliage - SpeedTree
Aspect ratio 720p/1080i/1080p (HDTV)
Platform(s) Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release date Xbox 360

JA September 31, 2007
NA September 11, 2007
EU September 11, 2007
AUS October 23, 2007

PlayStation 3

JA May 29, 2008
NA June 5, 2008
EU TBA 2008
AUS TBA 2008

Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer, System Link (Xbox 360), Online Multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: Everyone (E10+)
PEGI: TBA
Media DVD-DL, PlayStation Store download

Fatal Inertia is a futuristic hovercar racing game from Koei. Originally an exclusive for the PlayStation 3, it was released for the Xbox 360 in 2007 and was released on the PlayStation 3 in May 29, 2008 in Japan and will be released in North America in June 5, 2008 as a download on the PlayStation Network under the title Fatal Inertia EX. The PlayStation 3 version was delayed because of difficulties with the Unreal Engine 3 on the console, due to the cell processor's architecture.[1]

The game is set in the mid-22nd century Earth, and a handful of immense corporations control virtually all business, politics, and entertainment. Extreme sports have become one of the main sources of entertainment with Fatal Inertia as the most popular.[2] Competitions take place far from cities due to the high level of danger. [2]

There are six different racing environments that are divided into fifty-one courses [3].

Contents

[edit] Race Craft

Fatal Inertia has four main Craft types, each one having advantages and disadvantages over each other:

  • Phoenix Class: craft that, though they do not excel, are well balanced on most parameters.
  • Aurora class: the fastest of all the classes, though with questionable reliability. Suited for adept or advanced players.
  • Mercury class: light, fast accelerating vehicles with superior handling in contrast to other classes.
  • Titan class: massive machines that can demolish the competition with its heavy armor and greater fire power, compensating for its poor handling and acceleration.

Though there are only 4 classes there are numerous upgrades that can tune each class to its own unique look, stats, and handling.

[edit] Weapon

Fatal Inertia has a set of non-lethal weapons, mostly centered around magnetic behavior. Most of the weapons have primary fire which projects forwards, and a secondary fire that is projected backwards.

  • Magnets: Small magnetic spheres that attach to the hull of the targeted vehicle and weigh it down which, in time, overload and explode, damaging the craft. A craft may use a barrel roll to remove any attached magnets.
  • Cluster Magnets: A canister of magnets, with a metal proximity sensor that explodes near to one or more crafts, unleashing a barrage of magnets.
  • Rocket: A thruster weapon that, when fired at an opposing craft, attaches to it, igniting the thruster and throwing it off balance. The secondary fire uses the thruster as a booster to your own vehicle, propelling it forward.
  • Force Blast: a bomb that, when projected forward, unleashes a powerful wave of energy which violently disrupts the course of any craft within the blast radius of the explosion. Secondary fire works a boost to your craft and also shakes of any weapons attached to it.
  • Smoke Bomb: creates a smoke screen to blind opposing pilots, either in front of your craft (primary fire) or behind it (secondary fire).
  • Cable: Elastic cable that can be used for multiple purposes. Primary fire releases a magnetic-ended cable, for example to stick enemies together, whilst secondary fire releases a spike-ended cable, which can be used for attaching to an enemy craft and then anchoring them to the terrain.
  • Force Field: provides temporary protection from magnetic weapons and minimizes damage from environmental impact.
  • EMP: generates a spherical field disrupting any electrical and magnetic forces, deactivating any magnets and shutting down any nearby crafts.
  • Time Dilator: slows down time for all opponents.

[edit] Trial Versions

On August 2, 2007 a playable demo of Fatal Inertia was released on Xbox Live Marketplace [4].

On May 29, 2008 a multi-language playable demo of Fatal Inertia EX was released on the Japanese PlayStation Store[5].

[edit] Fatal Inertia EX

The PlayStation 3 version of the game is a download-only title, and appeared on the Japanese PlayStation Store in May 29, 2008[6];t will be released in North America in June 5, 2008. A number of tweaks and improvements have been made to the title, notably the difficulty level; to this end, EX will include a training venue with eight new tracks, known as the "Fatal Inertia Proving Grounds Facility", as well as a Master difficulty level for veterans[6]. The development team have also adjusted gameplay, including weapons and physics[6]. Controls will support the DualShock 3 along with SIXAXIS tilt control for craft steering[6].

[edit] Reception

The reception for the Xbox 360 version was mixed, with a Metacritic average of 61%[7].

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Languages