Developer: Pseudo Interactive
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Action
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 21 Feb 06

User Rating
6.7 (3 votes)

Score 10 (Best) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (Worst)

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Overview

One of the first Xbox 360 games that have garnered a lot of hype was one that Microsoft's J Allard was raving about, and that is Sega's Full Auto. Once used as a tech demo for the 360, Full Auto has now been turned into a full game that hopes to bring those hype to life right in your living room. So the big question is can Full Auto manage to take racing to the next generation? Read our full review to find out!

Gameplay

Those expecting a realistic racer look away now, as Full Auto is an arcade racer through and through. Full Auto ups the ante even further by bringing some major firepower into the mix, as each vehicle has its own weapon set that you can use to blow through your opponents throughout the race. The weapons in the game are pretty satisfying; whether you are using a machine gun or a shotgun, the amount of force you can use while driving at high speeds is pretty insane. The actual use of the weapons is a bit hard to get used to and doesn't always work perfectly. I found myself doing a lot better when I worried less about the weapons and more about the driving. But then again when you're playing with friends, that rule went out the window.

Full Auto does have a career mode, which was something I was very happy to see in the game. Just the fact that the game had a career mode was a good sign as many arcade racers don't even bother with that sort of aspect. The career mode in Full Auto is nothing overly special; it is basically a lot of races combined in one mode that allows you to unlock content as you win races. The career mode starts off pretty easy (following the tutorial mode) and then really ramps up the difficulty as the game progresses. The career mode is as simple as they come, but like I said I was very happy to just see one implemented in the game.

Outside of the career mode, you of course have the split screen racing and the more exciting Xbox Live support. Split screen racing works like any split screen racing game, and if you have played any other racing game in split screen, you already know that it can be difficult to concentrate on your half of the screen. But at the same time it still works pretty well. The Xbox Live support is where the greatness of the game comes in, and I have to say that I was very impressed with how well the game held up online. I very rarely was held back by any lag or latency issues; in fact most of the online experiences with Full Auto were smooth and played well.

So the game has great Xbox Live support and a good career mode now all it needs is great gameplay and this game could be a winner. And in fact Full Auto very well could have been great but sticks with just an average gameplay feel. The developers got the modes down pretty well, but I just felt like the gameplay had been done better before. The much-hyped ability to reverse time is fun at first, but after a while loses its edge and becomes more of a gimmick than a primary feature. I just felt throughout the whole experience that the game had the potential, but never did anything to "truly" separate itself from other racers on the market. Also the courses in the game are just bland, as none of them really feel different from the other.

Full Auto plays like a good arcade racing game, but unfortunately never makes it further than that. The modes in the game work to Full Auto's advantage. I should mention that the controls work well, but I just never felt overly comfortable with the weapon use. In the end, I have to say that I enjoyed my time with Full Auto. I just think they could have further refined the gameplay with some fresher ideas and dare I say some more intriguing courses.

Graphics

When you talk about the visual style of Full Auto, I have to say that there are two things you have to speak of, which are the visuals themselves, and then the frame rate, which unfortunately causes a lot of problems. Getting the bad out of the way first, I should say that the frame rate of Full Auto could have been much better as when you start to get to higher speeds in the game or when there is a lot of action on screen, I found that the frame rate dropped tremendously. In fact throughout my experience in the game, I found the frame rate to be very inconsistent and to really cause some issues for the game. The visuals themselves are pretty nicely created, with some great destruction sequences and good car models. In the end had the frame rate held up better, the visuals would have not have been as bad.

Fun Factor

I have to say that I enjoyed the time I spent playing Full Auto for a number of reasons. First off Full Auto does exactly what it sets out to do, and that is create a fun, easy going game that combines both high speeds and a ton of action. Of course the game is not perfect and does have some problems, but these problems don't necessarily detract from the enjoyment of the game. I hope to see SEGA come out with another Full Auto with more variety in the courses and some added depth to the games career mode. With that being said, if you like online racing, you're really going to enjoy taking Full Auto online.

Overall

In the end, Full Auto is just a good racing game that is plagued by a few problems that holds it back from being a great game. If you like arcade racers and maybe enjoyed the demo that was on the Xbox Live Marketplace, then I would highly recommend checking this game out as a rental, because it does offer a decent experience. Full Auto is not perfect, but it is still an enjoyable arcade action racer.

Gameplay
7.0

Graphics
6.0

Fun Factor
7.0

Overall
7.0

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