The racing, it just isn't as good..
Despite the name change, Head On is essentially a remake of Ultimate Carnage, which was basically a remake of FlatOut 2 with a few tweaks. Head On splits the action up into two modes, Carnage and FlatOut. While the carnage mode focuses more on mini games and death match style races, the FlatOut mode focuses on tournament level races.
On the PSP the racing is a little bit different to how it is on the consoles. For starters, while a lot of the objects on the track are destructable, several of them aren't. Knowing what would destruct and what wouldn't when you hit it with a vehicle was a lot easier on a large screen television, but on the PSP it can be a little difficult. There is a reset option, but often it is inconsistent. Even though we've played through the first three FlatOut titles, the game is still brutally difficult. Sure, you can upgrade your vehicle, but the AI upgrades with you, meaning that the game is really quite difficult. The game features elastic band AI, which means that it is possible to drive a near perfect race, only to slide off the course near the finish line and end up in last place. Even though it works both ways (ie you can be in last the whole race and win) it ends up feeling unfair.
Truly a burning ring of fire.
So, when it comes to the racing, Head On is only mediocre. There are far better racing games on the PSP, but one of the saving graces is the Carnage mode. The Carnage mode contains 36 different challenges, seperated into four different styles; carnage race, beat the bomb, deathmatch derby and stunts. Carnage races are still races, but points are awarded for smashing into other cars. Players still get points for finishing too, so it's a case of finding the right balance between racing and carnage. Beat the bomb is a tense mode where the time ticks down and the objective is to get as far around a track as possible, before your car blows up. Deathmatch derby puts the player in one of six arenas, ala Destruction Derby in a battle to the end. Finally, stunts (our most favourite style by far) contain small rag doll mini games, such as bowling down pins, hauling your character through fire and so on. These mini games may have been in the previous FlatOut titles, but they're still solid fun and perfectly suited to the PSP.
Head On also contains a few multiplayer options. If you only own one PSP but have say, eight friends over, then the game lets you play a turn based version of the rag doll stunts, which is a decent addition. But, if all of your eight friends also own PSPs, they won't be able to use their PSPs to play the game, as Head On doesn't support game share at all, which is a severe disappointment. On the subject of disappointments, the lack of an infrastructure mode is also a sore omission. If four of your friends do own a PSP and a copy of the game then you can play in races and derbies, which is quite tempting, because FlatOut is a lot of fun in multiplayer.
This kind of stuff never gets old..
One of the redeeming features for Head On is the fact that the game is quite a bit of fun to play. The series has never taken itself too seriously, so those who are just looking to have a bit of fun will get a bit of enjoyment out of Head On. The carnage mode in particular is fantastic and really does differentiate Head On from the dozens of other PSP racers.
FlatOut: Head On is a solid title and a decent addition to the PSP library. While the racing isn't quite up to scratch anymore, the carnage mode in particular is very solid. Ultimately though, Head On is a 2006 title dressed up, given a new coat of paint and renamed for the PSP. Get the game if you're after some decent mini games and some not-so-serious races, but if you're looking for a highly polished racing game, look elsewhere.
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