Given the popularity of the Burnout series we had high hopes for Blowout, which promised oodles of fast-paced motorway-based car trouble. We were to be severely disappointed by an end product that is ludicrously ill-balanced and, ultimately, an almost entirely unpleasant gaming experience.

Initial impressions are surprisingly good; you’re put behind the wheel of a well-modelled sports car and put in the fast lane of the M4, which is when the titular blowout occurs. A rear wheel deflates then starts to tear apart, and it’s up to you to manoeuvre the car to the safety of a slip road without wiping out yourself or any of the other high-speed traffic.

M4, gateway to Cymru. Or Gymru, as it now says on some signs.

Great idea, with potential for a serious amount of carnage, but the developers have shot themselves in the foot by providing you with a default car that’s simply too stable to provide any challenge. In a high-sided people carrier or similar, negotiating your way to safety might prove to be a suitably knuckle-whitening experience. However you’re given a Mazda MX-5, and its low centre of gravity means that it retains enough stability for you get off the motorway without any real problems. The over-enthusiastic rumble effects add a slight edge of excitement, but really it’s not enough.

This does not happen. The best you can hope for is a well-meaning
Mondeo driver flashing his lights at you.

Just to add insult to injury, the next stage of the game requires you to complete your journey with a spare wheel the size of a large biscuit, which caps your speed at 50mph. Whoever came up with the idea of forcing the gamer to drive along the slow lane of a motorway at that sort of speed must be some kind of sadist. The humiliation of plodding along while lorries, Reliant Robins and knackered old Morris Minors whip past you is near-unbearable, and it seems to last for hours. Even crossing a wonderfully-rendered Severn Bridge at sunset feels like punishment thanks to your enforced lack of rapidity, while the relief at finally reaching your destination and never having to play this atrocity again is enormous.

With a better range of cars and the loss of the hideously misguided second section, Blowout could conceivably be a fun piece of motorway madness. But in its current state it’s an ugly, embarrassing mess.

A shredded wheel, yesterday. Bet you can't eat three.

JEDBURGH, February 2004.

RODENT CASH RATING - £115 FOR TWO NEW REAR TYRES

"“Destroy them all! I mean: SHIT!’"

Comment here

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Things to 'Make' and 'Do'.

Responsible link. What to do if this happens to you.

A deeply disturbing site about crash test dummies.

‘Delightful’ Dave Cronenberg talks about Crash.

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The World Famous WotR 'Buy It' Box

We've looked-up the links for you and done an associates deal with some decent suppliers. Each time you buy via these links Way of the Rodent receives a small, but very welcome, commission. It's a nice way for you to help keep WotR running and at the same time get your hands on games we love. Cheers!

Wide range of platforms available - £15,655 +

Choose an expansion pack - £various

(Prices correct at 13th February 2004)