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9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Plays like a demoOct 15, 2007
By Johnny Bull This game has great graphics, but the courses are very short. Demo-version short. You won't believe how little space you cover before you see the message that you've gone another lap. Also, the AI is ridiculously skilled, and as the crafts you pilot are not that easily maneuvered, you're usually left in the dust. I wanted to like this, but I can't recommend it as is.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
It has its charms.Feb 11, 2008
By Michael J. Mann Fatal Inertia is a title whose shortcomings are mostly the product of inaccurate expectations. This isn'ta deep modern racer like Forza or Gran Turismo; tracks aren't very long, and if you're expecting a calm endurance race, you're parking up the wrong tree. This is a 'combat racer' in hover-crafts, on fast-paced tracks that require some well-practiced reflexive play (at least, on the harder difficulty matches.)
The game has lush graphics and an appealing design, though vehicles can feel a little generic until you unlock all the various parts, paints, and decals for them. I find the lack of money a welcome decision, since you can swap parts and cosmetics all you want until you find a combination that suits your style, rather than having buyer's remorse about that engine or those wings that slow you down too much.
Fatal Inertia doesn't have a whole lot of track enironments, but each track has a variety of different iterations, creating 51 in total. Top that off with several different race types (Knock Out, Combat, Velocity, etc) and you've got a package that'll entertain you for a while. Weapons are also implemented in a neat way; all weapons have a secondary fire, which will either fire the weapon backwards, or utilize it in a way that'll speed you up for a short time. There's even a grappling hook, ala The Empire Strikes Back.
However, in the polish department, this game needs a bit of work. Combat races can degrade into an all-out brawl whilst in the mix of other racecraft on higher difficulties, and all the riff-raff going on can disrupt your concentration on the actual racing - causing you to hit bumps in the road or slide off the path. The control of pitch and yaw, while helpful at times, can become too much to pay attention to during the mayhem. At these points, you just want to get up front and forget about the pesky AI, as they beat the snog out of eachother.
Still, this introduces a challenging gameplay scenario. I've been hooked on it because it tests my piloting skills in many ways, and gives me a shiny, stream-lined flying machine to do it with. You definitely get a sense of power and speed, and on a good track, getting that grappling hook snag on the leader's tail, only to attach the other end to a boulder and stop him in his tracks as you fly by him over the finish is a good feeling.
Overall, if you can forgive the developer's inexperience, you'll find a niche game that rewards long-time players.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
InterestingJun 25, 2011
By J. Mijal I loved Fatal Inertia. I have no idea why I liked this game so much to tell the honest truth. First thing is that I really don't like racing games. Going around in a ginat loop six to ten times is boring to me. This game however broke that bound on me. It was simple and yet complex. You could beat the game by sheer blunt force, through retry, or finese and precision. It appealed to me because of these factors. The variety of ways you can race through this fictional future is fantastic.
Another thing that I just downright loved is that the game is usually pretty challenging. The first couple levels are by video game fashion... easy. Then the learning curve begins. The end maps are complex and hightly technical. Stack that on with the AI gunning for your blood and the difficulty level goes up. The middle levels were challenging, but you received bonuses just enough to keep you highly competitive. However should you not go back and obtain all the upgrades that you can get through the level then the next level was that harder. Upgrades that actually meant something was a big thing to me. You receive upgrades for obtaining 3rd 2nd or 1st in the circuit sometimes. Yet you also get special upgrades (the one you were really looking for) for getting a perfect race score through out the circuit. Then get a cool upgrade for winning combat points by the end of the circuit. Howver you can get all of these in one shot, getting them the first time is not of high probablity. If you are in first the whole time then you are never going to really see heavy combat so your combat score is reduced.
Levels, or racetracks in this game have a wide range, from burning volcano's to barren winter wonderlands. All of the levels hold their own dangers and pitfalls. They also gradually increas in difficulty as you traverse through the way. By the end you are white knuckled on the controller praying your ship to make that hair pinned turn.
One major issue I have with it is that with the AI. Now it is normally pretty decent they handle like most race games, where all the AI players play a very concervative race style that leads to minimal crashes but also minimal increases in distance lead. That is until you get in first. Usually at the end they choose one of the AI to go all out assault on you. They get the boost of being able to play the programming though. While you get the crappy three shot magnets, the enemy is getting Time Dialation, or Rocket Boosters. Yet this in the end was fun for me. I wan't worried about the side and losing at last place I was worried about getting 3rd. Beating the majority of the racers was fairly easy, but the computer always had 2 guys that were pretty decent and one that just rocked. That one was your rival and you had to beat them to win it all. Yet when I am in the last stretch of the race and me and this AI have been battleing back and forth all round. I dont want the finish line to be openly visible then I get a magnet and the enemy gets a Lightning Bolt slowing me down to snail like speeds. Then I have to watch as he speeds ahead of me to win the race...
All in all it got frustrating at times especially with the Super AI cheating machines. Yet complexity and difficulty are something I enjoy thouroughly in a video game. Most of all I can say it was fun, and what more are you really looking to a game for?
Graphics: 7/10 Nicely finished yet generic. Gameplay: 8/10 3 different ship 3 different styles, made it a choice on how to handle a certain level. Sound: 7/10 Catchy electronic tunes but nothing to set it apart... yet this is Fatal Inertia. What was I expecting? Replayability: 5/10 It's a racing game if you like racing then you play this over and over again. Or if your friends play it... Mechanics: 9/10 Nice mix of combat,speed, technical precision and meticulous finese.
Make sure you buy a used copy.Apr 23, 2012
By Ronald D. Bruner Jr. You can find this game really cheap used if for whatever reason you actually want to buy it. The graphics are reminiscent of PS2 or Xbox1. I beat this game in 3 hours.
0 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Fatal Inertia Xbox 360 NewSep 09, 2009
By Jesi Kalyn My husband loves this game, I am so glad I came to Amazon.com to get it. Thanks.
based on 5 reviews
( 5 customer reviews )
