Katamari + Wipeout + Mario Kart = Fatal Intertia
At least, this is what Koei tells us. New screens inside.
One of the more interesting and certainly more under-hyped PS3 titles we managed to see at E3 was Koei’s Fatal Intertia, which the developer described to us as “...kinda like Katamari Damacy meets Mario Kart mixed in with a bit of Wipeout.”
Now that, reader, is what we call one hell of a claim for a game, but on closer inspection, we could see where they were coming from. Koei’s first stab at a PS3 title is fairly and squarely targeting western gamers, which can only bring a smile to our drooping, inert faces.
Koei desribes the game thus: “An evolutionary mix of street racing, rally racing, and demolition derby where futuristic machines do battle in pristine natural environments.”
Fatal Inertia looks very much like Wipeout, with fast-paced hover vehicle racing set against beautifully rendered natural backdrops of desolate woodlands, dusty canyons, giant glacial ranges and the like.
So why the Katamari and Mario Kart references? This is largely because of the game’s weapons and its fully customisable vehicles.
The game’s unconventional weapons create a variety of physics-based effects, manipulating momentum and inertia, which enables you to strategically use the natural landscapes around you to assist in nobbling your opponents.
Koei’s press release continues: “The foundation of Fatal Inertia is its physics engine, which uses the power of the PS3 to create weapons and environments that are unlike anything seen before. The beautiful natural environments aren't just scenery - they are there to be used in combat, and rock walls can quickly become avalanches to use against your opponents. You'll have unparalleled freedom, and with all the possibilities the physics-based engine has to offer, you'll never have the same play experience twice.”
SPOnG will be keeping its beady eye on Fatal Inertia, and with any luck (and if a third of what Koei tells us turns out to be true) it could well fill the Wipeout-shaped hole in the PS3’s early software lineup. It's still down on the release schedule as a 2006 release, so with any luck it should be a launch title. SPOnG will get confirmation on this from Koei in the coming days.
Now that, reader, is what we call one hell of a claim for a game, but on closer inspection, we could see where they were coming from. Koei’s first stab at a PS3 title is fairly and squarely targeting western gamers, which can only bring a smile to our drooping, inert faces.
Koei desribes the game thus: “An evolutionary mix of street racing, rally racing, and demolition derby where futuristic machines do battle in pristine natural environments.”
Fatal Inertia looks very much like Wipeout, with fast-paced hover vehicle racing set against beautifully rendered natural backdrops of desolate woodlands, dusty canyons, giant glacial ranges and the like.
So why the Katamari and Mario Kart references? This is largely because of the game’s weapons and its fully customisable vehicles.
The game’s unconventional weapons create a variety of physics-based effects, manipulating momentum and inertia, which enables you to strategically use the natural landscapes around you to assist in nobbling your opponents.
Koei’s press release continues: “The foundation of Fatal Inertia is its physics engine, which uses the power of the PS3 to create weapons and environments that are unlike anything seen before. The beautiful natural environments aren't just scenery - they are there to be used in combat, and rock walls can quickly become avalanches to use against your opponents. You'll have unparalleled freedom, and with all the possibilities the physics-based engine has to offer, you'll never have the same play experience twice.”
SPOnG will be keeping its beady eye on Fatal Inertia, and with any luck (and if a third of what Koei tells us turns out to be true) it could well fill the Wipeout-shaped hole in the PS3’s early software lineup. It's still down on the release schedule as a 2006 release, so with any luck it should be a launch title. SPOnG will get confirmation on this from Koei in the coming days.
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