To say there's nothing else quite like it would not be giving it the respect that it is so enormously due.
You're the latest contestant on a reality TV competition that looks as if it were the demented brainchild of Jerry Bruckheimer (and I mean that in the most respectable way possible). The goal of the game is simple---win by any means necessary. An understatement of the century considering just how you can go about doing that. You see, in Split/Second, just being faster than the other guys is not enough. You have the sadistic opportunity in dramatically changing not only the outcome of the race, but the driving environment itself. The game takes place in a specially-designed city built for one thing and one thing only---destruction. Unfortunately for you, you're smack dab in the middle of it. The good news, however, is that you have the power to trigger specific explosions and traps by means of "power plays". But it's not so much the thought of watching stuff blow up willy-nilly, because if you think this is all for glorious show, you're missing the point. Remember what I said about winning by any means necessary? That means purposely mucking up your opponent's chances of ever reaching the finish line first-much less in one piece. Make a nearby bridge explode, and the debris will fall in the middle of the track, forcing a rival to steer out of the way and bumper-first against a wall. (Or if you're lucky, having some of the debris fall right on him.) Cue a helicopter flying overhead to drop an exploding barrel to throw off a rival's drift enough to careen straight and true against a railing. You can even force a docked ship (yes, a ship!) to unexpectedly slide across a large section of road as a means of plowing through drivers unfortunate enough to be in its frightening path. There's no shortage of opportunies, and lest you forget---your rivals, CPU or flesh, have the same power at their fingertips, which adds to the unpredictability and heightened sense of danger lurking in every race.
Power plays can be activated when your car builds up enough power in its gauge; located in a cleverly interspersed HUD behind your rear bumper. Building up for a power play occurs in several ways; drafting behind another car, performing drifts, having close calls, grabbing vehicular air---among other things. Once you've accumulated enough, you'll be greeted by visual cues that pop up over your unfortunate victims-er, I mean unwitting opponents. Press the action button when this happens, and literally watch the sparks fly. Of course, you'd be smart not to just capriciously abuse your Power Plays unless you like seeing stuff explode, because keep in mind that performing them correctly demands the utmost strategic timing so as not to be on the receiving end of your own stupidity and timing it at the right moment for a rival car or two to smash right into it. You are as likely to be destroyed by a Power Play you executed just as much as your opponent, so be careful as well as mindful.
And Power plays do more than make stuff blow up---they can also cause events to happen that will change the overall route of the track at will, but only if your Power Play level is at its second peak. For example, you can order a specific stretch of road to be destroyed, changing the landscape of the entire track dramatically and opening up brand new routes to throw off rival cars (or even destroy them at the moment of its changing). Needless to say, no two laps are ever the same. You can also take advantage of potential shortcuts (activated by means of the action button) that open for a very limited window of time---a blessing for you, and a curse to the guy behind you (the other way around would suck) Again, going back to the "win by any means" theory, Split/Second gives you tremendous, destructive control over most aspects of the race environment in ways you never could have imagined. When applied wisely and aggressively, you can win any race even if you're dead last during the final lap.
Split/Second offers the Season mode-a career mode of sorts where you'll breeze through twelve episodes divvied up into five events each. Many events are traditional race competitions against computer opponents, while others are nefarious exercises of endurance and survivability; like avoiding salvos of missiles being fired from military-issued choppers, speeding past large trucks that drop exploding barrels along the side of the road, or just racing by your lonesome to beat a pre-determined time record while avoiding automatically triggered environmental hazards. Clearing these events will earn you credits towards new selectable cars, the unlocking of new events and other goodies; but most importantly, you will have cleared much of the way towards obtaining access to new episodes. Everything is laid out in an interesting fashion to make it seem as if you're actually watching a reality show, and the episode credits (which are actually your episode statistics) are a nice touch. You can drive different cars (none of them based on real manufacturers) during most events, and many of them handle appropriately in given situations. Quick Play mode allows you to drive any track you've raced at any time, and multiplayer is handled via local 2-player splitscreen or online competitions for up to as many as eight players; eight potential friendships destroyed, and eight avenues of opportunity to make enemies. Trophies can be earned---even displayed on your car of choice as badges of honor. Graphically, the game is visually impressive, and all the destructive explosions are handled to the utmost effect. The music is also worth mentioning for its ecclectic mixture of techno riffs and dramatic orchestrations which, given the action-oriented Bruckheimer-esque nature of the game, is interestingly appropriate.
An area of notable concern was that Split/Second is too heavily dependent on its one innovative gameplay feature to carry its weight. But, what more does it possibly need to make it a great game? It is a marriage of solid, antiquated arcade racing with unapologetic, vehicular manslaughter of the highest caliber that emphasizes strategy, improvision, split second timing and the sadistic methods of landing the finish line first at the expense of others. Not to mention that it's one hell of an experience at that. For any fan of driving games clamoring for something a little different than what they're used to, look no further than Split/Second.