It could have been so much more. Instead, it's a couple of fun concepts that get old pretty quick.
First off, visually, the game is very good (with a notable exception I’ll get to shortly). The renderings are very nice. Streets are very well done, building details are fine, and lighting and reflections are handled very well too. I was also rather impressed with smoke, flame and explosion visuals. Those were all well detailed and true to life. They definitely take advantage of the next-gen technology. I was a little disappointed in the vehicles, though. Some cars look ok, but in general, they feel more cartoon-like than real. But, they’re not bad. The one main problem I had was with the frame-rate. They really didn’t manage that well at all. There are some notable problems when things get chaotic. It doesn’t kill the game, but it certainly hurts it considerably.
Audio for the game is average, I would say. The music is there, but doesn’t exactly add to the game. It doesn’t take away from it, either, so it’s pretty much a non-factor. The surround sound is kind of weak, too. The game does utilize the surround technology, but not well. For example, you can hear your own engine noise out of the rear speakers, but your opponents’ engines aren’t noticeable. Unlike PGR3 or others where you can hear them coming up behind you, Full Auto doesn’t do that. The weapon sounds aren’t bad, but, nothing impressive either.
The gameplay in Full Auto is also average to below average. It’s pretty easy to learn. There isn’t much to struggle with at first. I’m sure it gets tougher (I haven’t put that much time into it yet), but it was simple to get started. But, the driving mechanics are very, very lose. I understand it’s not a sim, it’s definitely more arcade style. But, I’d still expect a little more resistance when you make a hard turn, and that doesn’t really happen. It’s as if there’s an axis in the middle of the car that it can turn on a dime. That makes it easier to drive, but no too fun. The other complaint is the boost function. It seems to not only speed up your car, but everyone else as well. It’s like fast forward, more than a boost. That’s pretty annoying. Overall, the game is pretty much the same over and over again. Different tracks, but not all that different. So, there’s not a lot of variety or change to the challenges.
I will say that the “unwreck” feature is very cool. I hope we see that on other games. Although, I guess from a competitive standpoint, it’s kind of like cheating. But, it’s nice to have and can limit your frustrations if you struggle to get the hang of it.
All in all, Full Auto is a pretty average game that could have been so much more. I mean, why not a straight demolition derby style game mode? Either a wide open place or somewhere with places to hide and run. I really enjoyed games like Cell Damage and Star Wars Demolition. I hope somebody takes those ideas and updates them for the next-gen consoles. Full Auto is fun for a little while, but not too exciting and certainly a lot less than I had hoped for.