Full Auto - Review
Added February 20th, 2006 by Colin
Introduction:
Most Americans slog through an unending torrent of traffic every morning just to arrive at work so they can repeat the same process to return home, only to wake up the next day to start the cycle anew. In that traffic it is almost certain that some idiot will try to cut you off, and one cannot help but imagine how nice it would be to have dual machine guns and a rocket launcher tied to the front of their car.
Right?
Or maybe it’s just me. Either way, one of the great things about video games is that they allow people to do things they wouldn’t normally. And, just like Need for Speed lets you initiate a cop chase through the busy streets of a major metropolitan city, Full Auto allows you to speed through a city whilst blowing the living hell out of everything around you, including your opponents. While that may not sound like the most novel game concept, it sure is an effective one—just look at the Twisted Metal series. However, seeing as Full Auto is the first vehicular combat game of the next-generation, one can’t hope but have high hopes for it. Does it deliver on those hopes? Read on.
Gameplay:
As stated above, Full Auto’s aim is simple: let you blow up everything around you while racing in a car. Basic enough. However, that simple idea is expanded by some rather impressive customizability options. First off, you have a large selection of cars which bring with them different statistics for speed, handling, and durability. The cars range from a pickup truck to a sedan and everything in-between. No matter your driving style, there’s a car for you. After selecting your car you also get to pick the weapon set out of a series of preselected weapon mixes. Some are offensively geared, which are great for slower cars that will have to play catch-up a lot, and some are defensively geared, which is perfect for those who will be racing out ahead into first place and needing to drop mines to kill encroaching vehicles.
Most Americans slog through an unending torrent of traffic every morning just to arrive at work so they can repeat the same process to return home, only to wake up the next day to start the cycle anew. In that traffic it is almost certain that some idiot will try to cut you off, and one cannot help but imagine how nice it would be to have dual machine guns and a rocket launcher tied to the front of their car.
Right?
Or maybe it’s just me. Either way, one of the great things about video games is that they allow people to do things they wouldn’t normally. And, just like Need for Speed lets you initiate a cop chase through the busy streets of a major metropolitan city, Full Auto allows you to speed through a city whilst blowing the living hell out of everything around you, including your opponents. While that may not sound like the most novel game concept, it sure is an effective one—just look at the Twisted Metal series. However, seeing as Full Auto is the first vehicular combat game of the next-generation, one can’t hope but have high hopes for it. Does it deliver on those hopes? Read on.
Gameplay:
As stated above, Full Auto’s aim is simple: let you blow up everything around you while racing in a car. Basic enough. However, that simple idea is expanded by some rather impressive customizability options. First off, you have a large selection of cars which bring with them different statistics for speed, handling, and durability. The cars range from a pickup truck to a sedan and everything in-between. No matter your driving style, there’s a car for you. After selecting your car you also get to pick the weapon set out of a series of preselected weapon mixes. Some are offensively geared, which are great for slower cars that will have to play catch-up a lot, and some are defensively geared, which is perfect for those who will be racing out ahead into first place and needing to drop mines to kill encroaching vehicles.
Full Auto’s game modes have a decent amount of variation. First of all you have the major divisions of Head to Head (Split-Screen play), Xbox Live, Arcade Race, and Career Mode. Xbox Live play lets you play online versus other players, Arcade Race allows you to jump right into a single player game versus the computer, and Career Mode has you play through a group of series, which each have a specific challenge. The first series in Career Mode is aptly entitled ‘Tutorial’, in which it instructs you in the basic gameplay mechanics, of which there are a few standout innovations.
First and foremost among the innovations is the Unwreck feature. How many times have lead the pack in a five minute race, gotten within sight of the finish line only to run into a railway or misjudge a turn? If you suck at racing games as much as me, your answer is probably “a lot.” That is precisely why Unwreck is so brilliant. What it does is allow you to rewind time. Take a turn badly and slide into a wall? Simply hit the Unwreck button and go back a few seconds in time. Notice an oil tanker out of the corner of your eye a bit behind you? Rewind time a bit and nail it with a rocket. What Unwreck does is make Full Auto much, much less frustrating, while keeping the game balanced by only slowly filling up the Unwreck meter, which makes it so you need to meter out your use of it. Good stuff.
Next on the feature hit parade is the boost functionality, which acts almost precisely like that of the Ridge Racer series. Each time you slide or take a jump the meter fills up a bit, with jumps generally filling the whole thing up. Once the meter is maxed out you press the boost button and zoom off into the horizon… and hopefully not on an opponent’s mine. And, finally, we have what everyone came for—the weapons. Most every car in Full Auto, aside from the early Tutorial missions, is equipped with two weapons, one of which is usually aimable and fireable with the right thumbstick. Weapons that can be aimed include the rockets and the shotgun. Focus your aiming sights with the right thumbstick and click it in to fire. Fire your second weapon, which is usually a defensive weapon such as mines or rear grenades, by pressing B. The A button fires your primary weapon. Honestly, that’s really it as far as gameplay features go… except for one little thing. Destruction.
Many games tout destructible environments as a selling point. Usually when they say that, they just mean that walls will show bullets when you shoot them. Not so here in Full Auto. If you power slide into a wall, slabs of concrete will fall to the ground, exposing the inner frame of the building. Your car door may fall off as well, or, if your armor is low enough, your entire car may explode from the force of the impact, causing pieces to fly everywhere. Oil tankers are spread liberally throughout the stages, as are gas stations and explosive barrels, which makes for some beautifully destructive moments. One such moment that stands out was when I was racing on a level that takes place on and around a highway. I was in first place, and just about every other enemy was right behind me, and I was looking pretty screwed considering I had no rear armor left. Well, lucky me, there was an oil tanker up ahead. I pulled in front of it and dropped a mine behind me, which the tanker then promptly ran into, causing it to explode and swerve to the side, which my opponents then exploded against.
Can I get a hell yes over here?
Most of Full Auto takes place in various races, of which there are a few variations. The different modes of play are Rampage, Down and Back, Point to Point, Circuit, and Lap Knockout. Rampage is the ultimate pent up aggression gamemode, your goal in it is to get to the finish line by a certain time and kill X amount of by standing vehicles while racing there. Usually the amount is in the 15-25 range. Rampage lets you be a rhino in a glass shop,, albeit a rhino going 200mph with a rocket launcher and dual machine guns strapped to it. Down and Back is unfortunately an utterly worthless gametype, forcing you to race through a level once, and then turn around and race back through the exact same level in reverse. Backtracking segments are universally hated in FPS games, why would racing games be any different? Point to Point is straightforward, with you racing from point A to point B. Circuit has you racing laps, and Lap Knockout is just Circuit with one the person in last being knocked out at the end of each lap. The gametypes are pretty basic, but they certainly get the job done.
First and foremost among the innovations is the Unwreck feature. How many times have lead the pack in a five minute race, gotten within sight of the finish line only to run into a railway or misjudge a turn? If you suck at racing games as much as me, your answer is probably “a lot.” That is precisely why Unwreck is so brilliant. What it does is allow you to rewind time. Take a turn badly and slide into a wall? Simply hit the Unwreck button and go back a few seconds in time. Notice an oil tanker out of the corner of your eye a bit behind you? Rewind time a bit and nail it with a rocket. What Unwreck does is make Full Auto much, much less frustrating, while keeping the game balanced by only slowly filling up the Unwreck meter, which makes it so you need to meter out your use of it. Good stuff.
Next on the feature hit parade is the boost functionality, which acts almost precisely like that of the Ridge Racer series. Each time you slide or take a jump the meter fills up a bit, with jumps generally filling the whole thing up. Once the meter is maxed out you press the boost button and zoom off into the horizon… and hopefully not on an opponent’s mine. And, finally, we have what everyone came for—the weapons. Most every car in Full Auto, aside from the early Tutorial missions, is equipped with two weapons, one of which is usually aimable and fireable with the right thumbstick. Weapons that can be aimed include the rockets and the shotgun. Focus your aiming sights with the right thumbstick and click it in to fire. Fire your second weapon, which is usually a defensive weapon such as mines or rear grenades, by pressing B. The A button fires your primary weapon. Honestly, that’s really it as far as gameplay features go… except for one little thing. Destruction.
Many games tout destructible environments as a selling point. Usually when they say that, they just mean that walls will show bullets when you shoot them. Not so here in Full Auto. If you power slide into a wall, slabs of concrete will fall to the ground, exposing the inner frame of the building. Your car door may fall off as well, or, if your armor is low enough, your entire car may explode from the force of the impact, causing pieces to fly everywhere. Oil tankers are spread liberally throughout the stages, as are gas stations and explosive barrels, which makes for some beautifully destructive moments. One such moment that stands out was when I was racing on a level that takes place on and around a highway. I was in first place, and just about every other enemy was right behind me, and I was looking pretty screwed considering I had no rear armor left. Well, lucky me, there was an oil tanker up ahead. I pulled in front of it and dropped a mine behind me, which the tanker then promptly ran into, causing it to explode and swerve to the side, which my opponents then exploded against.
Can I get a hell yes over here?
Most of Full Auto takes place in various races, of which there are a few variations. The different modes of play are Rampage, Down and Back, Point to Point, Circuit, and Lap Knockout. Rampage is the ultimate pent up aggression gamemode, your goal in it is to get to the finish line by a certain time and kill X amount of by standing vehicles while racing there. Usually the amount is in the 15-25 range. Rampage lets you be a rhino in a glass shop,, albeit a rhino going 200mph with a rocket launcher and dual machine guns strapped to it. Down and Back is unfortunately an utterly worthless gametype, forcing you to race through a level once, and then turn around and race back through the exact same level in reverse. Backtracking segments are universally hated in FPS games, why would racing games be any different? Point to Point is straightforward, with you racing from point A to point B. Circuit has you racing laps, and Lap Knockout is just Circuit with one the person in last being knocked out at the end of each lap. The gametypes are pretty basic, but they certainly get the job done.
While there isn’t much variation in the gametypes of Full Auto, that certainly isn’t the case for the stages, which take place in mountain passes, dockyards, and a downtown area. All are intricately detailed, with many traps waiting to be activated. For instance, on the dock level there are some crates hanging by a wire. Blow away the wire and you drop a crate on an unsuspecting opponent’s head. What Full Auto lacks in gametypes it makes up for in great core gameplay, which makes it all the more unfortunate when bugs are encountered.
One highlight in this game is the multiplayer mode. The modes are the same as in the single player, as are the maps, but the implementation is flawless. Lag is virtually non-existent, the destruction isn’t toned down in the least, and quickmatch gets you into an eight player game no questions asked. If you’re looking for a good Live game then this is the game for you.
Clipping errors abound in Full Auto, as do load times. More than once I executed a jump only to find myself traveling through a skyscraper, and not through it as in blowing through its glass, I mean going through it like a ghost. Oftentimes these clip journeys will end with you falling out of the gameplay area and exploding. Unwreck gets you out of the situation, but you shouldn’t have to use it to make up for a lack of game boundaries. Also, there are a huge amount of load times. Each time you start up a level you have to wait an interminable length for the level to load. Then, when you finish, you have to go through another long load time back to the menu, only to load a new stage. There is no way to just go directly to the next stage and bypass the menu, you have to go back each and every time. Blech. As far as gameplay depth goes, let’s be honest here, blowing stuff up is fun. While Full Auto may not be the deepest game around, it does exactly what it sets out to do- let you blow said stuff up, in a variety of ways. When I loaded up Full Auto for the first time I wasn’t looking for an epic story, brilliant social metaphors, well crafted characters, or even a plot. I was looking to hop in a vehicle and blow a city to shreds, and that’s exactly what I got. It’s just unfortunate that bugs and load times hamper the otherwise great gameplay of this title.
Graphics:
The graphics of Full Auto are a mixed bag to be sure. On the one hand, explosions are spectacular, an unbelievable amount of objects are destructible, cars are all exceptionally well detailed and take a great deal of damage. You can shoot off car doors, fenders, bumpers, shoot out windows, all sorts of stuff. The lighting is generally well done, and the smoke elicited from rocket trails look great.
One highlight in this game is the multiplayer mode. The modes are the same as in the single player, as are the maps, but the implementation is flawless. Lag is virtually non-existent, the destruction isn’t toned down in the least, and quickmatch gets you into an eight player game no questions asked. If you’re looking for a good Live game then this is the game for you.
Clipping errors abound in Full Auto, as do load times. More than once I executed a jump only to find myself traveling through a skyscraper, and not through it as in blowing through its glass, I mean going through it like a ghost. Oftentimes these clip journeys will end with you falling out of the gameplay area and exploding. Unwreck gets you out of the situation, but you shouldn’t have to use it to make up for a lack of game boundaries. Also, there are a huge amount of load times. Each time you start up a level you have to wait an interminable length for the level to load. Then, when you finish, you have to go through another long load time back to the menu, only to load a new stage. There is no way to just go directly to the next stage and bypass the menu, you have to go back each and every time. Blech. As far as gameplay depth goes, let’s be honest here, blowing stuff up is fun. While Full Auto may not be the deepest game around, it does exactly what it sets out to do- let you blow said stuff up, in a variety of ways. When I loaded up Full Auto for the first time I wasn’t looking for an epic story, brilliant social metaphors, well crafted characters, or even a plot. I was looking to hop in a vehicle and blow a city to shreds, and that’s exactly what I got. It’s just unfortunate that bugs and load times hamper the otherwise great gameplay of this title.
Graphics:
The graphics of Full Auto are a mixed bag to be sure. On the one hand, explosions are spectacular, an unbelievable amount of objects are destructible, cars are all exceptionally well detailed and take a great deal of damage. You can shoot off car doors, fenders, bumpers, shoot out windows, all sorts of stuff. The lighting is generally well done, and the smoke elicited from rocket trails look great.
However, all that graphical splendor comes at a cost. Textures are utterly average, and the frame rate takes a large hit when too many things are happening at the same time, such as is the case when you destroy, say, two tankers, a swath of cars, and three opponents all in one fell swoop. Personally, the frame rate problem doesn’t bother me too much as the only time I encountered it was when I just did something badass; the frame rate drop just lets me soak in the badassness of what transpired. However, it’s not hard to see how it would bug many people, and thus it does drop the graphics score. On the whole, though, one would be at fault to not acknowledge all the great effects and detail at work in Full Auto.
Audio:
Again, a mixed bag. The sound effects, such as car sounds and explosions, are all quite good, but the music is abysmal. It’s not that the soundtrack itself is terrible, it is a passable, though generic, mix of hard rock and techno. Now, in an Xbox 360 game, when a title has a simply passable soundtrack I always use my own soundtrack from one of my iPod playlists. For whatever reason, at the end of each race my custom soundtrack cuts out and it returns to the game soundtrack. Then, when I get to the next race it doesn’t return to my soundtrack. That means I have to reselect the song or playlist I want after each race, and wait for the 360 to scan my iPod’s directory yet again. Couple that with the load times and you have a very unfriendly user interface on your hands.
Controls:
Full Auto controls just like you want a vehicular combat game to. Cars are all responsive and are generally quite nimble, and are easy to slide around corners. They are a bit wonky in terms of weight, they tend to spin in the air a lot and spin out faster than one would expect a Hummer look-a-like to; aside from that, things control well. All game features are easily accessible and well-mapped, and aiming with the right thumbstick is accurate. There’s really just not much to complain about here.
Replay:
For a while I wasn’t sure what to put here. On the one hand, Full Auto is just plain fun to play. Blowing an enemy out of the sky with a shotgun while he tries to take a jump is utterly awesome. However, it remains to be seen how much longetivity that gameplay will have, as it is rather simple, and there aren’t many game modes. When it comes right down to it, I can see myself playing Full Auto years from now. It’s the kind of game that you’ll be bored one afternoon and out of nowhere just feel like playing. However, whether I will play it in a month, especially with the release of games such as Ghost Recon 3 and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, is dubious at best. So, while the long-term prospects of replay value are great, as for the short term… not so much.
Audio:
Again, a mixed bag. The sound effects, such as car sounds and explosions, are all quite good, but the music is abysmal. It’s not that the soundtrack itself is terrible, it is a passable, though generic, mix of hard rock and techno. Now, in an Xbox 360 game, when a title has a simply passable soundtrack I always use my own soundtrack from one of my iPod playlists. For whatever reason, at the end of each race my custom soundtrack cuts out and it returns to the game soundtrack. Then, when I get to the next race it doesn’t return to my soundtrack. That means I have to reselect the song or playlist I want after each race, and wait for the 360 to scan my iPod’s directory yet again. Couple that with the load times and you have a very unfriendly user interface on your hands.
Controls:
Full Auto controls just like you want a vehicular combat game to. Cars are all responsive and are generally quite nimble, and are easy to slide around corners. They are a bit wonky in terms of weight, they tend to spin in the air a lot and spin out faster than one would expect a Hummer look-a-like to; aside from that, things control well. All game features are easily accessible and well-mapped, and aiming with the right thumbstick is accurate. There’s really just not much to complain about here.
Replay:
For a while I wasn’t sure what to put here. On the one hand, Full Auto is just plain fun to play. Blowing an enemy out of the sky with a shotgun while he tries to take a jump is utterly awesome. However, it remains to be seen how much longetivity that gameplay will have, as it is rather simple, and there aren’t many game modes. When it comes right down to it, I can see myself playing Full Auto years from now. It’s the kind of game that you’ll be bored one afternoon and out of nowhere just feel like playing. However, whether I will play it in a month, especially with the release of games such as Ghost Recon 3 and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, is dubious at best. So, while the long-term prospects of replay value are great, as for the short term… not so much.
Summary:
It’s no secret that the Xbox 360 has had a bit of a game drought as of late, the last good sized release was Marble Blast Ultra on the Xbox Live Arcade, and the only thing since then was Crystal Quest on the Live Arcade a week or so ago. The last retail 360 game was Dead or Alive 4, which came out at the end of December. For those not keeping score at home, it’s now February.
Enter Full Auto. This title is incredibly fun in short bursts, but it’s hard to play for hours at a time. There is quite a bit of customizability through mixing the vehicles and weapon presets, but the game mode variety leaves something to be desired. The graphics are excellent, except for the slowdown. Load times are obnoxiously long. Sound is decent except for the fact that custom soundtrack play seems to be beyond repair. But, for all its faults, so help me God, by George, I like it. There’s something refreshing in Full Auto’s unabashedly straightforward approach. No plot, no context, here’s your car, here’s your rocket launcher, blow everything up. And, while I may not be playing this when Oblivion comes out, I’ll be damned if I won’t pull it out again every couple of months thereafter. And, in the end, isn’t that what replay value is all about? Despite its issues, if you are looking for a well-done Xbox 360 game to pass the time until March’s big releases arrive, look no further than Full Auto.
It’s no secret that the Xbox 360 has had a bit of a game drought as of late, the last good sized release was Marble Blast Ultra on the Xbox Live Arcade, and the only thing since then was Crystal Quest on the Live Arcade a week or so ago. The last retail 360 game was Dead or Alive 4, which came out at the end of December. For those not keeping score at home, it’s now February.
Enter Full Auto. This title is incredibly fun in short bursts, but it’s hard to play for hours at a time. There is quite a bit of customizability through mixing the vehicles and weapon presets, but the game mode variety leaves something to be desired. The graphics are excellent, except for the slowdown. Load times are obnoxiously long. Sound is decent except for the fact that custom soundtrack play seems to be beyond repair. But, for all its faults, so help me God, by George, I like it. There’s something refreshing in Full Auto’s unabashedly straightforward approach. No plot, no context, here’s your car, here’s your rocket launcher, blow everything up. And, while I may not be playing this when Oblivion comes out, I’ll be damned if I won’t pull it out again every couple of months thereafter. And, in the end, isn’t that what replay value is all about? Despite its issues, if you are looking for a well-done Xbox 360 game to pass the time until March’s big releases arrive, look no further than Full Auto.
