Despite this, developer Empire Interactive have taken Mashed and added new cars and a plethora of other things, with the aim of making the game that much more accessible and thus, more enjoyable. So, nine months after the release of Mashed we are treated to Mashed: Fully Loaded. Is the game that much more upgraded or is it a quick cash in?
Mashed: Fully Loaded is a car racing game, but it is not a normal racing game; the cars are miniaturised and the game has a style very similar to Codemasters' old title Micro Machines. There are powerups scattered around the track, such as flame throwers and drum bombs. However, the overall aim of the game still remains the same - to win the race.
Not all the modes are races though; some of the challenges in the challenge cup (the main mode of the game) are head to head battles with the simple aim of moving out of the view of your opponent. The single player mode is really varied, with all types of challenges from reaching a checkpoint before a bomb goes off to a straight out race.
So, what exactly is new is new in Mashed: Fully Loaded? The developers have added new courses, new cars and new challenges. This does make the game feel entirely new, the racing physics have also been reworked and the game feels a lot more smooth and flowing this time around.
Aside from the challenge cup there is also a training option (which is also new), an arcade mode, turbo tournament, ice tournament and night tournament, but a lot of these modes require unlocking. Empire Interactive has ensured that there is enough play time here for both the single player and multiplayer.
Speaking of which, multiplayer is where the game really shines. Players can play either against each other or in a team, and there are plenty of options available. This is the best asset of Mashed: Fully Loaded as four people can play at once, and the game is extremely addictive in multiplayer. The game even includes a novel addition that allows players who have been eliminated from a multiplayer battle to take their revenge.
The game play in Mashed: Fully Loaded really is second to none. Just like its predecessor, the game is deep enough to keep veteran Mashed players satisfied while still remaining accessible enough for beginning players to pick up and play. One thing we did notice is that Mashed is a game that you really have to play to appreciate, as watching it is nowhere near as fun as playing it.
The graphics in Mashed: Fully Loaded have been updated since we last saw the game. The game levels look brilliant, and range from detailed icy snow levels to dirt track racing that looks extremely authentic - even though the cars are miniature and shooting each other with shotguns.
The game definitely features a visual improvement and we were very surprised by the graphics. The car models are a little disappointing though and are nowhere near as detailed as we were hoping.
The sound in Mashed: Fully Loaded is a bit of a hit and miss affair. The character banter ranges from downright awful to quite humorous. At times it can be extremely off-putting, and more variety in the phrases would have sounded better and not had us cringing so much. The sound in-game is catchy but not annoying. One of the disappointing omissions from this game, however, is the lack of custom soundtrack support. This would have been a brilliant inclusion and PALGN can just imagine a multiplayer frenzy with our favourite songs playing to get us in the mood.
One of the downfalls of the original Mashed game was the lifespan. The single player game really needed expansion and Empire Interactive have done this well, adding 21 new single player challenges. The single player experience is now much lengthier but still does not compare to the multiplayer experience. Multiplayer is really some of the best fun we're had in a long time and while playing it we found it extremely addictive.
Mashed: Fully Loaded is a great game that had the potential to be a sensational game - nine months ago. Although we didn't review the first Mashed, if we had done our main gripe would have been levelled at the game's single player mode. Thankfully, Empire Interactive have improved the single player immensely.
We would have appreciated Xbox Live support, as playing the multiplayer modes online would be really addictive, and PALGN still thinks that the lack of custom soundtrack support is disappointing.
Unfortunately, those who purchased the original Mashed will feel a little short changed, as Mashed: Fully Loaded is best described as Mashed 1.5. It retails for a lower price ($49.95) than its predecessor, but a cheaper expansion disk could have been made available for those who purchased the original.
Mashed: Fully Loaded is really a good game that gets even better when more than one player plays it. We hope that Empire Interactive get started on Mashed 2 pretty soon though, as the game is still essentially nine months old.
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