Mashed: Fully Loaded
REIVEW (PS2 Game)
I don't usually write review for games, but this game is really calling for one. It's so much fun. Just to let you know that my experience of this game is mainly in the multiplayer mode with limited time on the one player mode. Truth be told, multiplayer is a lot more fun than the single player, especially in four players mode with multitap. Anyway, on with the review.
Graphics
Mashed: Fully Loaded is fully 3D. You get to race in a rich environment. The buildings, road, weather, etc. are very detailed. There can be so much action on the track that you would probably ignore the rest of the scenery except for the road.
Control
Controls are easy to use, and frankly, it's pretty much the standard for racing games of this type. The left analogue stick controls the direction, X to accelerate, [] to brake, O for handbrake. The difference between this and other racing games is that pressing L1 will insult other drivers verbally (doesn't affect the game play), and R1 to use whatever you've picked up along the way. The control is responsive, and the surface of the track, whether it's dirt, ice, snow, or tarmac, it will affect the car's handlings.
Game Play
The game works on a points system. The winner gets two points, second place gets one point, third place gets one point deducted, and fourth gets two points deducted. Everyone starts at 6 points, the first to 12 points wins the track. You win by driving away (usually in the forward direction) from your opponents. If you've put in a big enough gap, you are declared the winner, points will be scored/deducted and all cars are reset back onto the track and race again until a player scores 12 points.
The fun begins when you try to distance yourself from the rest of the group. There's no mod to the cars, so all cars travel at the same speed. In order to win, you need to grab 'weapons' on the track. It could be something that you lay on the track (mines, oil slick), something that you can shoot (machine gun, missile, mortars, shotgun), something you can drop (drums), or even flash bang (mostly works only on human players). Using these weapons, you can deter your opponents, or shoot down cars in front of you.
If you are playing in multiplayer mode, which is where I spent most of my time on, you can choose to turn the air strike option on. If you are unfortunate enough to have died, either by your own doing, or in the hands of others, you can take revenge on them by calling in the air strikes. You have to aim at your opponent, lock-on and squeeze the trigger, in this case, the R1 button. A missile will be launched in an attempt to destroy the target. It's not fail-safe, though. Players can dodge the missile, and you can actually survive the bombardment. A friend had once survived five missiles before finally succumbed to the sixth one.
Also in multiplayer mode, a track winner will receive 3 points, second gets 2 points, third, 1 point and nothing for the last guy. These points count toward the overall points table.
There are other modes besides battle mode, there are capture the flag (where the aim is for the flagged car to run away from opponents), and catch the leader (where only the designated leader can score points on the track if s/he managed to run away from other players).
Besides the battle mode, I like capture the flag. It's more about skill than mashing the buttons. You can drive forward, backward, sideway, just any way to get away from your opponents. But the real fun is the battle mode, where you basically just try to outrun everybody else.
Music
If you treat insults as music to your ears, then that's all the music you will hear in the game. It's music-less (as far as I can tell), but definitely not sound-less, if you managed to keep quiet during the race, that is. Your friends will shout louder than any sound the game will ever produce. They will cruse you when you kill them off, and if you managed to stay on track, you will be screaming to them to air strike the leader (unless, of course, you are the leader). There will never be a quiet moment on the track, and hopefully, insults will only be exchanged on the track. Quiet moment? Only during loading time, which unfortunately, takes quite some time.
Fun Factor
To fully appreciate the game, you have to play against other human players, and not just one, but three other friends (or enemies), making a total of four players. It is made possible with the use of multitap. The rate at which your friends turn against each other is faster than you could say "Mashed: Fully Loaded".
The easiest looking track is actually your worst enemy. The track basically comprises of two straights, all cars race up one straight, do a u-turn at the end of the track and race down the other straight, do another u-turn, and back up again. Sounds easy? Wait until you actually race on it. What made this track horrifying for some is the fact that it is covered with ice (hence, slippery), and there is no guard rail. It's only wide enough to fit four cars, but you don't want to race all four cars side by side on this track. One well-timed bump, and your car will fly off the edge and into the icy water below.
All cars are at their most vulnerable at the start of the race. It's okay if you're first or last, because no other cars are at your side, but you're second or third, you could well ended up being pushed off the edge if you're not careful. Many times I was the culprit pushing people off the edge, and many time, insults have been directed at me worse than any L1 insults could do (in a friendly, yet unfriendly way, if you get my drift).
Replay Value
As a party game, the replay value is 11 out of 10, but that depends on who you speak to. As a single player game, I can't really comment on it. But definitely get it for the 4 players fun. It's the only way you will get the full enjoyment out of this game.
Overall
It's a really entertaining game. Maybe it's because of the destruction that you can cause, or maybe it's the fast pace action that you get. Whatever the reason, it's a high adrenaline action-pack car racing game. Be warned, friends can turn into enemies, and your throat will get a good work out.
Score (out of 10)
Graphics: 9
Game play: 10
Music: 2
Replay value: 11 or 1
Overall: 9
I don't usually write review for games, but this game is really calling for one. It's so much fun. Just to let you know that my experience of this game is mainly in the multiplayer mode with limited time on the one player mode. Truth be told, multiplayer is a lot more fun than the single player, especially in four players mode with multitap. Anyway, on with the review.
Graphics
Mashed: Fully Loaded is fully 3D. You get to race in a rich environment. The buildings, road, weather, etc. are very detailed. There can be so much action on the track that you would probably ignore the rest of the scenery except for the road.
Control
Controls are easy to use, and frankly, it's pretty much the standard for racing games of this type. The left analogue stick controls the direction, X to accelerate, [] to brake, O for handbrake. The difference between this and other racing games is that pressing L1 will insult other drivers verbally (doesn't affect the game play), and R1 to use whatever you've picked up along the way. The control is responsive, and the surface of the track, whether it's dirt, ice, snow, or tarmac, it will affect the car's handlings.
Game Play
The game works on a points system. The winner gets two points, second place gets one point, third place gets one point deducted, and fourth gets two points deducted. Everyone starts at 6 points, the first to 12 points wins the track. You win by driving away (usually in the forward direction) from your opponents. If you've put in a big enough gap, you are declared the winner, points will be scored/deducted and all cars are reset back onto the track and race again until a player scores 12 points.
The fun begins when you try to distance yourself from the rest of the group. There's no mod to the cars, so all cars travel at the same speed. In order to win, you need to grab 'weapons' on the track. It could be something that you lay on the track (mines, oil slick), something that you can shoot (machine gun, missile, mortars, shotgun), something you can drop (drums), or even flash bang (mostly works only on human players). Using these weapons, you can deter your opponents, or shoot down cars in front of you.
If you are playing in multiplayer mode, which is where I spent most of my time on, you can choose to turn the air strike option on. If you are unfortunate enough to have died, either by your own doing, or in the hands of others, you can take revenge on them by calling in the air strikes. You have to aim at your opponent, lock-on and squeeze the trigger, in this case, the R1 button. A missile will be launched in an attempt to destroy the target. It's not fail-safe, though. Players can dodge the missile, and you can actually survive the bombardment. A friend had once survived five missiles before finally succumbed to the sixth one.
Also in multiplayer mode, a track winner will receive 3 points, second gets 2 points, third, 1 point and nothing for the last guy. These points count toward the overall points table.
There are other modes besides battle mode, there are capture the flag (where the aim is for the flagged car to run away from opponents), and catch the leader (where only the designated leader can score points on the track if s/he managed to run away from other players).
Besides the battle mode, I like capture the flag. It's more about skill than mashing the buttons. You can drive forward, backward, sideway, just any way to get away from your opponents. But the real fun is the battle mode, where you basically just try to outrun everybody else.
Music
If you treat insults as music to your ears, then that's all the music you will hear in the game. It's music-less (as far as I can tell), but definitely not sound-less, if you managed to keep quiet during the race, that is. Your friends will shout louder than any sound the game will ever produce. They will cruse you when you kill them off, and if you managed to stay on track, you will be screaming to them to air strike the leader (unless, of course, you are the leader). There will never be a quiet moment on the track, and hopefully, insults will only be exchanged on the track. Quiet moment? Only during loading time, which unfortunately, takes quite some time.
Fun Factor
To fully appreciate the game, you have to play against other human players, and not just one, but three other friends (or enemies), making a total of four players. It is made possible with the use of multitap. The rate at which your friends turn against each other is faster than you could say "Mashed: Fully Loaded".
The easiest looking track is actually your worst enemy. The track basically comprises of two straights, all cars race up one straight, do a u-turn at the end of the track and race down the other straight, do another u-turn, and back up again. Sounds easy? Wait until you actually race on it. What made this track horrifying for some is the fact that it is covered with ice (hence, slippery), and there is no guard rail. It's only wide enough to fit four cars, but you don't want to race all four cars side by side on this track. One well-timed bump, and your car will fly off the edge and into the icy water below.
All cars are at their most vulnerable at the start of the race. It's okay if you're first or last, because no other cars are at your side, but you're second or third, you could well ended up being pushed off the edge if you're not careful. Many times I was the culprit pushing people off the edge, and many time, insults have been directed at me worse than any L1 insults could do (in a friendly, yet unfriendly way, if you get my drift).
Replay Value
As a party game, the replay value is 11 out of 10, but that depends on who you speak to. As a single player game, I can't really comment on it. But definitely get it for the 4 players fun. It's the only way you will get the full enjoyment out of this game.
Overall
It's a really entertaining game. Maybe it's because of the destruction that you can cause, or maybe it's the fast pace action that you get. Whatever the reason, it's a high adrenaline action-pack car racing game. Be warned, friends can turn into enemies, and your throat will get a good work out.
Score (out of 10)
Graphics: 9
Game play: 10
Music: 2
Replay value: 11 or 1
Overall: 9
posted by Chocobahn at
10:33 pm
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