Disney Interactive’s “Split/Second” wows the crowds at this year’s E3 Expo

Alice Hill

15 years ago

As I looked up at the domed ceiling, explosions filled the
air, buildings came crashing down and drivers frantically tried to steer around
all the flaming wreckage.

As my jaw dropped open from all the craziness & carnage
being projected onto the roof of the Disney Interactive booth, the rep standing
at my elbow laughed and said “Pretty wild, huh?”

Indeed it was. Split/Second — the intense action/racing
game that Disney Interactive was showcasing at this year’s E3 Expo – is a game
changer for the Mouse House. Literally. Once this video game hits store shelves
in 2010, DI (which, obviously, is best known for all its family-friendly fare) will finally have a title that will
appeal to “Grand Theft Auto” fans.

Developed by Black Rock Studio, Split/Second has a truly twisted
back story. Competitors are supposedly members of the cast of this
hyper-competitive reality show. And the gimmick of this particular television show
is that the participants will be driving high performance race cars through
this enormous faux city / studio backlot setting.

“So what’s so twisted about that?,” you ask. “That sounds
like a pretty vanilla racing simulation game to me.” Wait. It gets weirder.

The tall buildings that line the race route? They’ve been
wired with high explosives. What’s more. You – as a driver – can detonate these
explosions from inside your car as you’re driving along the course. These structures then fall onto the rack track directly behind you, forcing
your competitors to drive through the debris field.

Now what’s truly cool about Split/Second is – in addition to
its killer graphics & first person POV – is that there’s an element of
strategy involved here. The more explosions you set off, the less energy you
have left to use in the race. So – over time – you eventually learn to detonate
specific locations along the race track only when it’s most to your advantage
(i.e. when you can create a shortcut for yourself / a roadblock for your
competitors).

And some of the shortcuts that you get to take in
Split/Second (ex: driving at high speeds right down the middle of a recently
blown-up airport terminal) are truly surreal. Which is why the hardcore gamers
who were wandering through the halls of the LA Convention Center these past few
days just seemed mesmerized by Split/Second. They clearly wanted to play this
new Disney Interactive title NOW.

Sadly, Split/Second (which will be available in the the
Xbox360, PLAYSTATION3 and Windows-based PC formats) isn’t expected to ship
until early next year. But if you’d like a sample of the real time craziness that
you’ll be able to experience as part of this driving simulation game, go check
out the trailer that the nice folks over at Fragland have just posted.

Split/Second is just one of the six new titles that Disney
Interactive showcased at E3 Expo 2009. I’ll be discussing some of the other
games (including a take-home version of “Toy Story Mania!” that does a superb
job of recreating all the interactive fun you have riding this new Disney’s California Adventure
& Hollywood Studios attraction) in upcoming JHM articles.