It turns out today Flatout 4: Total Insanity, A new part of the once popular racing series. Over its long history, Flatout has seen a lot: there were Jackpot Village sister sites loud successes in her biography, and crushing failures.

What will turn out to be a new part? About this – soon. In the meantime, we will tell that for the series such Flatout is how it appeared and why it is loved even now, after a few completely disgusting games.

Favorite to many Stunt Mode, where players should “catapult” the driver through the windshield will be in the new part, along with five more classic trials.

Flatout 4: Total Insanity review. And everything will happen again as an arrow

Hot Finn guys

The story of Flatout often starts with the fact that the Finns came up with the series. And, oddly enough, in our case this fact is really important. The fact is that the Finns are a nation very close to racing, and races with their color. It was the natives of Suomi (the self -name of Finland) for many years that were the most successful rally racers: Marcus Gronholm, Tommy Myakinen, Yukh Kankkunen, Timo Salonen, Hannah Mikkola, Ari Vatanen, Marku Alain – on seven they took fourteen titles.

And fans of the royal class, Formula 1, are probably heard about the champions of Keke Rosberg, Mike Khakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen.

The fines have passed since the last major victories, but it is already difficult to imagine WRC and F1 without them.

In general, despite the leisurely manner of speech and stereotypes about “calm and measured” Finns, these guys know a lot about races. And they give an explanation of this simple: many have to grow on farms or in villages, away from civilization, where there are many empty forest roads, and getting behind the wheel from an early age is entertainment and working necessity. What played in the appearance of a series of Flatout a significant role – in its forests, cars and a common atmosphere, this is exactly this Finnish, flavor.

In the footsteps of the ancestors

The company that gave the world Flatout opened in 2000 in Helsinki. Although the Finns had no things with the horror nor with the adventure games, they chose a fun name for themselves – Bugbear , What can be translated as "scarecrow". Despite the small composition, you can’t call their debut modest: in November 2001, newcomers released Rally Trophy, dedicated to serious rally races.

At one time we put Rally Trophy as eight points.

Now few people remember the game now, but fifteen years ago it was waiting for a great success. Critics vied with high marks, and the average score on Metacritic about eighty -two. The press and fans noted realistic physics and a serious approach to rally races as a whole. In Rally Trophy there were about forty tracked tracks in different countries, simulation of weather conditions and road surfaces, as well as licensed cars. Among them, even legends like the Ford Escort MK1 RS2000 and Lancia Strats lit up.

True, the Finns did not give the success of the proper importance and already in the next project moved from serious races to funny pokatushki monsters. Alas, Touch Trucks: Modified Monsters Glory did not gain fame, but the developers nevertheless learned a certain experience. Their next game was a real breakthrough: in it the developers combined ideas from the two previous projects.

The first steps

In November 2004, a game called in the UK appeared in the UK Flatout. The cover depicted a clash of two old Tarantas, as well as a person flying through the windshield – it would seem that nothing like that. But those who bought it then, as a rule, did not spare about the money spent.

The first Flatout was and remains a unique game that gives completely new sensations. Yes, the races about destruction came out both before and after, but there was little where it all combined with the bright, a little rebellious "Rednek" atmosphere. The action, as a rule, took place on dirty country roads or simple asphalt tracks, an excellent garage rock from not the most famous performers came from the columns, and the park of cars was represented by old rusty rods with cheap stickers on the bodies.

Racers flying through the windshield became the hallmark of the game.

And this was his own charm, especially since the main thing here was not so much to finish the first as to arrange more colorful accidents: an excellent damage system, aggressive opponents and a lot of destroyed objects on the tracks for this in every possible way pushed. In addition, the derby regime became insanely popular, where eight cars converged in the stadium in a real battle, and the only rule sounded like “smash cars of all rivals and survive”.

Those who just wanted races were also satisfied. Flatout pleased with the understandable physics – the cars obeyed the steering wheel well and held on to the track tenaciously, and send them to a controlled skid was a separate pleasure. Difficulties during the races were more likely that it was necessary to somehow survive in the hell. And the rivals forced to suffer, which, by the way, is also the lion's share of the charm of the series.

Among other things, in the first part there was an opportunity to improve cars, sorting them out almost to the screws, and any accident significantly affected the characteristics of the machine. But already to Sixwell, all this has been greatly simplified.

Each of the opponents possessed a name and a machine with a unique coloring, and most importantly, they all drove in different ways. It was possible to find out anyone just in the fight, looking at how aggressively and quickly he controls the car. Over time, especially zealous comrades I just wanted to hate, and not every racing game can provide this.

But the main feature, probably, call the “dolls” of the riders flying through the windshield. Around this they even organized a number of competitions where it was proposed to check whose character would fly higher or further, and play it with a carcass in Bowling or Kerling. In general, for a noisy company or relaxation after a difficult day, Flatout was just the perfect game.

The higher you take off ..

The first part earned recognition of the press and sold well, and in 2006 a sequel was released. Flatout 2 brought the series to a new level in almost everything, from the gameplay to the quality of execution. The budget grew up, and the developers were able to afford a good picture and much more expensive music – among the performers, the stars of Alkaline Trio, Papa Roach, Nickelback, Yellowcard, Rise Against, Fall Out Boy, Rob Zombie, Wolfmother, Audioslave and others. On the second attempt, the Flatout series took a completely different height.

The second part for many fans has become the best in the series. It's a pity that she was on loud successes and ended.

Almost everything received the development for which the first part fell in love. In career mode, full -fledged championships appeared with a set of glasses and the struggle almost to the last turn of the final race. There are more interactive elements on the tracks: now a landslide could go off the rocks, and logs could have sprinkled onto the road, right under the wheels, which turned the races into an even more spectacular action. In addition to old tarantasses, brilliant sports cars appeared. Well, the tricks with throwing the “carcasses” of the driver were replenished with new crazy competitions – from the game of baseball to the bullet of the unfortunate drivers through rings with fire.

Even personalization of rivals has reached a new level. In addition to the fact that their driver's style has become even more recognizable, the riders acquired a unique appearance and even biographies (in several lines, but even let it be!). Now competing with the beauty Katie Jackson, insolent Jack Benton or insanely fast Sofia Martinez was even more fascinating.

And even if there were no dialogues or the plot in the game, in the course of the races it was possible to well recognize the characters of each opponent. Sometimes the struggle became a matter of principle-simply because the last time someone was strongly annoyed to you. Well, or because he is your main opponent in the championship, and a few points decide fate.

The second part gained even greater success and was sold by a good circulation, collecting a rich harvest of worthy assessments from the press. But then things did not set further.

… the more painful to fall

No, the next part, Ultimate Carnage, You can’t call a failure. It was a wonderful game – in fact, the same second part, only with toned graphics, fresh music and on the consoles of a new generation. In addition to the updated picture, Flatout received four new rivals and several modes – commendable, but additives violated the almost perfect balance of the second part. New rivals were sometimes very inferior, and sometimes they were invincible, so the races became, according to the sensations, somewhat worse. After some time I went out Flatout: Head on – The same Ultimate Carnage, only for PSP. And then the series changed the developer, and then its rapid peak began.

To the release on the consoles, the developers thoroughly pulled the picture, completely replaced the soundtrack and added four new opponents. It is difficult to say what was wrong, but it was with the output of the Ultimate Carnage that the series has lost something.

Finns from Bugbear went to do Ridge Racer Unbounded, And Flatout, by misunderstanding, fell into the hands of the Dutch studio Team6. Throughout their history, these people released about forty games, but not a single good. And even having got the Flatout brand, they failed: in 2010 they gave out frankly bad Flatout Wii for console from Nintendo , And the very next year they made a "license plate" Flatout 3: Chaos & Destruction.

Looking at this screenshot from the third part, it’s hard to believe that this is a 2011 game. And not mobile.

Talk about what is done in this game poorly, it simply hurts, because everything is bad there. Cars made of drawn rusty tarantasses turned into some blind “plastic” copies of well-known brands, and it was impossible to control this garbage. The picture surprisingly rolled back to the heyday of the second PlayStation, and there was nothing to think about high -quality music, adequate physics and interesting opponents – all this simply was not there.

In 2013, their “success” Team6 was fixed by mobile Flatout Stuntman, Finally achieving a series.

Under someone else's name

However, if the name is not important for you, and most importantly, the game itself, then you can wait and Wreckfest or, as it is also called, The Next Car Game.

The fact is that Bugbear, having suffered with a series Ridge Racer , We decided to return to their topic – the destructive "rural" pokatushki. It was painless to do this, however, it did not work out. On Kickstarter the game failed, it was possible to raise money only thanks to the "early access" in Steam , And the final version of the Finns has not yet been possible. But then there is an excellent racing physicist, a derby -beloved by many, and cars in Wreckfest are as if real.

Yes, Wreckfest officially does not apply to the Flatout series, but it can be considered a “real” continuation.

The only thing that upset all this (in addition to a long expectation) is that the developers are not going to add neither garage rocks, nor memorable characters and crazy tricks, apparently, they are not going to add to add. But who knows, maybe the best in front? The game should be released this year on PC , PS4 And Xbox One.

Fortunately, the hope that the “same” old Flatout will return, is still. Today is a new, fourth part of the series, on which the French from Kylotonn. Yes, to call them outstanding developers, unfortunately, does not come out. But, unlike Team6, there are relatively successful games in their portfolio – for example, rally simulator WRC 5, holding on Metacritic as much as 70 points. Will they manage to reach at least such an assessment this time? We will find out very soon.