This week, I’m reviewing Fatal Inertia EX for GameSpot. Originally billed as a PlayStation exclusive, problems with the Unreal Engine on the PS3 delayed its release long enough for Fatal Inertia to make its first appearance on the Xbox 360. It’s now available for the PlayStation 3 as a download via the PlayStation Network. At $29.99, Fatal Inertia’s price tag is a bit on the high end for a downloadable game. But when you consider that it was originally released as a full retail product on the Xbox, and that this version has been tweaked and given additional content, the asking price isn’t out of the question.
As a fan of the WipEout series, Fatal Inertia appeals to me a bit more than most gamers. Futuristic, seat-of-your pants racing is my forte. Unfortunately, Fatal Inertia EX just doesn’t live up to expectations. The courses are lush and beautifully rendered, but the majority feel too short. Events seem to be over immediately after they begin. Despite the short event times, the game never really portrays the bare-knuckle sense of speed that you’ve come to expect from mainstays like WipEout or F-Zero. The weapons are imaginative and fun to use. There’s a grapple cord you can use to attach two competitors to each other or hook yourself to a wall and slingshot around corners. You can disrupt the navigation of any ship near you with an EM blast or fire magnets that stick to their hull and eventually explode. Unfortunately, the variety and potency of the weapons at your disposal is too heavily dependent upon what place you’re in. In Mario Kart, drivers in first place will invariably receive banana peel after banana peel while those in last place are blessed with the blue turtle shell or speed-burst-inducing mushroom. Similarly, first place racers in Fatal Inertia get magnets while last place racers get their speed burst from rockets.
Fatal Inertia EX also has some interesting game modes. In a Velocity match, weapons are restriced to speed items. It becomes a challenge to win the race while still maintaining hull integrity. It’s during these matches that Fatal Inertia’s sense of speed actually comes across well. In Magnet Mayhem, each competitor receives an unlimited supply of magnets, making the race hectic and a blast to play with friends. The difficulty curve has been improved from the Xbox 360 version, making progressing through career mode a bit less frustrating. Curiously, the 360′s achievements have also been brought over the to PS3 version, although they don’t really serve any purpose. Unlocking them doesn’t translate into any in-game bonuses, and the achievements you earn aren’t visible to other players.
Speaking of other players, I’ve had a lot of difficulty getting online to play matches. The only servers available seem to be running the demo version of the game. When I finally managed to get into a match, it kicked me out after a few seconds. I’ll have to keep trying.
For people eagerly anticipating WipEout HD, Fatal Inertia EX might fit the bill until then. On the other hand, those people who are eagerly anticipating WipEout HD would probably also be disappointed by comparison. I’m withholding judgment until I finish the game and pen the review.
Posted by brianfishman 
