Split/Second: Velocity Multiplayer

Eliminator is another mode you may be familiar with, especially if you've enjoyed DiRT 2, WipEout or any of the many other games that use it. It's a race but with constant 30-second countdowns, and the player in last being eliminated at the end of each half-minute.

Because of the fluidity of the positions in any Split/Second race, these events are less predictable than they sometimes are elsewhere, with some of the satisfaction of avoiding elimination sacrificed in favour of a last-chance turnaround.

However, because of the sheer number of track layout permutations on any given course, positions also often change unexpectedly - suddenly dropping players a place or two when they've not been visibly overtaken, but simply because someone's taken a better route.

Survival, finally, introduces a number of huge, doubly articulated lorries which career around the track alongside the racers. Getting sideswiped or blocked by one of these 18-wheeled behemoths is bad news, but the real threat lies in the explosive barrels that spew constantly from their rears.

They come in two types - blue ones which disorientate and barge your vehicle, but don't wreck you, and big flaming red ones, which bloody well do. The trucks are spaced evenly along the tracks, with a few seconds grace in-between, meaning that there are precious few breathing spaces between huge tracts of explosions.

To earn points you need to overtake the trucks, and passing several in a row without being wrecked earns you a multiplier. After a few minutes sudden death rules are engaged, with your next wreck being your last. Highest point total wins the day.

It's hectic, sometimes a little too much in places, but powerplays are disabled so that things are easier to handle. Nonetheless you often drive pretty much blind into a storm of explosions, and just as often with pretty disastrous consequences. It's not one for the faint-hearted, but enormous fun when you're on a roll, threading your way between barrels, a huge armoured truck and suddenly-appearing scenery.

It's also a good showcase for the strengths of different car types, resulting in a toss-up between the agility of the sports car and the resilience of the truck, as the bulkier vehicle is relatively unscathed by smaller explosions. Survival could well become a favourite with twitchier players, and should be a blast among friends.

That balance of spectacle to predictability seems just about right. Presumably, as players get to know the tracks, there will be fewer surprises for everyone, as drivers approach potential powerplay zones more cautiously - and that might be a bad thing, but then it might simply alter the dynamic. If the balance between chaos and control evolves with experience, knowing when you're most likely to be slammed could heighten tension instead.

Split/Second's tracks are excellent, and the game's easy to enjoy thanks to chunky car modelling and forgiveness offered by the driving model. Multiplayer is a big improvement on the already-enjoyable single-player time I've spent with the demo, too, so I'm pretty excited about the prospect of how this could all pan out - something we will find out in next week's review.

Just remember to bring a neck-brace.