Multiplayer
Up to eight players can fight it out over Xbox Live. As mentioned earlier playing over Xbox Live is immense fun then the single player modes. The frame rate drops experienced in single player mode are also present here too but to a lesser degree. I seemed to notice a solid drop in frame rate on the rocky mountain/desert tracks at random points. There isn’t a server list to browse or anything like that. Only typical Quick Match and Custom search features which seem to be standard now on Xbox 360 games.
There’s a ranked Leaderboard where you can track your progress, and I’ve no idea how much this game is played nowadays but during its release Full Auto was a hive of activity. This remains to be the one title, which has obtained me more friends then any other over live. I had a blast playing this game during its first few months and made so many good friends in the process, so I’m glad I opted to purchase Full Auto for this alone.
Overall, Full Auto online isn’t anything special multiplayer wise and doesn’t much differ from your average single player races. Races are sheer carnage with scenery exploding left, right and centre, along with debris flying in every direction. Voice chat intensifies the fun factor and hearing your opponent screaming down his mic as he receives a rocket full of destruction into the rear of his vehicle.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, Full Auto is an arcade racer with weapons. It’s about fun and that’s just about it. It works very well over Xbox Live as it combines two elements that complement each other perfectly - racing and destruction. However the game does have its issues. The fun factor will wear out extremely quick once you achieve your desired rank. At the time of release alongside Call of Duty 2, PGR3, Kameo and Condemned it could have been a worth title to rent out and play, but right now at present I wouldn’t even bother going that far unless you want a game to obtain quick achievement points.
Full Auto has a great formula. Masses of explosions, and destruction, a good variety of cars but that’s all. The small selection of tracks, and the graphical frame drops that shouldn’t exist on a next generation console become tiresome very quickly though. Even though the game is fun, it just doesn’t last long enough, and now that Burnout Revenge is out, most players will opt for that game instead. However I chose to stick to Full Auto, I want weapons and mass explosions - something Burnout couldn’t give me, and I can live with the frame rate drops.
Rating: 6/10
Pro’s:
- Lots of destruction and explosions
- Environmental damage!
- Good selection of vehicles
- Xbox Live is hilarious fun
- ‘Unwreck’ is a original feature
Cons:
- Frame rate issues on a few tracks
- Not enough tracks
- Vehicle handling could have been better
- Could do with more weapons
- Alongside modern racers, gameplay just isn’t fast enough