Fatal Inertia EX

Very fun title, especially for its budget/impulse buy price of $29.99 it is worth picking up for racing fans.

But for those looking to hone their high-speed racing and combat skills in the great outdoors, Fatal Inertia EX is a great place to race.

Thanks to Koei making some key enhancements, the controls have now been fixed up considerably, erasing much of the game's previous faults.

I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed Fatal Inertia EX. It's not that it's an absolutely incredible game, but the willingness to go back to the drawing board and tweak or change some options (stuff like removing the free-point races, for instance) meant the game turned out far better than the original release.

Fatal Inertia EX is reminiscent of a top-shelf, budget-priced kart racer. It doesn't pretend to be more, and that I can live with.

There's nothing too special about Fatal Inertia EX. It's fun and definitely has its moments, but it could run a lot better.

As a fairly cheap (fifteen quid) racer, it’ll probably do until Motorstorm: Pacific Rift and floaty-ship-racing-game-beginning-with-W turns up, although the futuristic trappings and weak techno soundtrack do it few favours in terms of comparison to other, better, racers out there.

An enjoyable game, if a little shallow. It is nothing particularly innovative and almost feels like a portable game, owing to the lack of real depth. However it is an exciting and fun diversion, and definitely worth the budget online price for a racer with something a little different to offer.

It is not a must-have title, by any means, but it does have some entertainment value.

Improvements over the original release of this sci-fi racer don't make up for its floaty controls and poor item balance.

What’s really funny about all of this is that WipEout HD is going to be released in September, just a couple of months after Fatal Inertia. Therefore, you may as well just hold off buying a futuristic racer until then.

It has the power, but lacks the performance. [July 2008, p.78]

This updated, retooled (and downloadable, $30) version of the blazing fast hovercraft battle racer sports eight new tracks, tighter controls, sharper visuals and a new training section where all of you panic-prone Cougars out there can now hone your skills and become the Mavericks of your dreams – minus the killer abs and with a bit more Star Wars than you were probably expecting.

Most of the problems stem from the fact that it remains a muddled, undiscerning diner at the racing game buffet table, trying to cram its plate with sleek supersonic futuristic racing, rough and tumble rally racing and knockabout arcade power-up kart racing all at the same time.

Fatal Inertia EX is a solid enough racer, but it doesn't merit as much attention when compared to other racing titles on the PS3. And being a PSN title, the price point might be a bit steep for players to take a chance on, which also severely diminishes the quality of the multiplayer modes.

Overall, an average racing game that holds some fun but, for the money, alternatives exist on the PS3 that are far more enjoyable.

Online multiplayer amplifies everything that is good and bad about Fatal Inertia EX. Again, the combat is fun, and it's especially rewarding to pull off attacks on another human player.

Fugly ships chugging along even fuglier tracks. [Aug 2008, p.104]