Fatal Inertia
Encyclopedia
Fatal Inertia is a futuristic hovercar racing game from Koei. Originally an exclusive for the PlayStation 3
, it was released for the Xbox 360
in 2007 and then released on the PlayStation 3 on May 29, 2008 in Japan
, June 19, 2008 in North America and July 15, 2008 in Europe as a download on the PlayStation Network under the title Fatal Inertia EX. The PlayStation 3 version was initially delayed because of difficulties with the Unreal Engine 3
on the console, due to the cell processor's architecture.
The game is set in the mid-22nd century Earth
, and a handful of immense corporations control virtually all business, politics, and entertainment. Extreme sports have become one of the main sources of entertainment with Fatal Inertia as the most popular.
Competitions take place far from cities due to the high level of danger.
There are six different racing environments that are divided into fifty-one courses .
Though there are only 4 classes there are numerous upgrades that can tune each class to its own unique look, stats, and handling.
.
On May 29, 2008 a multi-language playable demo of Fatal Inertia EX was released on the Japanese PlayStation Store
.
On July 15, 2008, the same day as Europe's release, a trial version was also available on the Playstation Store
as a free download
tilt control for craft steering.
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, it was released for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
in 2007 and then released on the PlayStation 3 on May 29, 2008 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, June 19, 2008 in North America and July 15, 2008 in Europe as a download on the PlayStation Network under the title Fatal Inertia EX. The PlayStation 3 version was initially delayed because of difficulties with the Unreal Engine 3
Unreal Engine 3
Unreal Engine 3 is a computer game engine developed by Epic Games. It is the third generation of Unreal Engine, designed for DirectX 9/10/11 personal computers , the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation Vita, the Wii U, Android and OpenGL-based operating systems such as iOS and Mac OS X...
on the console, due to the cell processor's architecture.
The game is set in the mid-22nd century Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, and a handful of immense corporations control virtually all business, politics, and entertainment. Extreme sports have become one of the main sources of entertainment with Fatal Inertia as the most popular.
Competitions take place far from cities due to the high level of danger.
There are six different racing environments that are divided into fifty-one courses .
Race Craft
Fatal Inertia has four main Craft types, each one having advantages and disadvantages over each other:- Phoenix Class: craft that, though they do not excel, are well balanced on most parameters.
- Aurora class: the fastest of all the classes, though with questionable reliability. Suited for adept or advanced players.
- Mercury class: light, fast accelerating vehicles with superior handling in contrast to other classes.
- Titan class: massive machines that can demolish the competition with its heavy armor and greater fire power, compensating for its poor handling and acceleration.
Though there are only 4 classes there are numerous upgrades that can tune each class to its own unique look, stats, and handling.
Weapons and Items
Fatal Inertia has a set of non-lethal weapons, mostly centered around magnetic behavior. Most of the weapons have primary fire which projects forwards, and a secondary fire that is projected backwards.- Magnets: Small magnetic spheres that attach to the hull of the targeted vehicle and weigh it down which, in time, overload and explode, damaging the craft. A craft may use a barrel roll to remove any attached magnets.
- Cluster Magnets: A canister of magnets, with a metal proximity sensor that explodes near to one or more crafts, unleashing a barrage of magnets.
- Rocket: A thruster weapon that, when fired at an opposing craft, attaches to it, igniting the thruster and throwing it off balance. The secondary fire uses the thruster as a booster to your own vehicle, propelling it forward.
- Force Blast: a bomb that, when projected forward, unleashes a powerful wave of energy which violently disrupts the course of any craft within the blast radius of the explosion. Secondary fire works a boost to your craft and also shakes off any weapons attached to it.
- Smoke Bomb: creates a smoke screen to blind opposing pilots, either in front of your craft (primary fire) or behind it (secondary fire).
- Cable: Elastic cable that can be used for multiple purposes. Primary fire releases a magnetic-ended cable, for example to stick enemies together, while secondary fire releases a spike-ended cable, which can be used for attaching to an enemy craft and then anchoring them to the terrain.
- Force Field: provides temporary protection from magnetic weapons and minimizes damage from environmental impact.
- EMP: generates a spherical field disrupting any electrical and magnetic forces, deactivating any magnets and shutting down any nearby crafts.
- Time Dilator: slows down time for all opponents.
Trial Versions
On August 2, 2007 a playable demo of Fatal Inertia was released on Xbox Live MarketplaceXbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
.
On May 29, 2008 a multi-language playable demo of Fatal Inertia EX was released on the Japanese PlayStation Store
PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store is an online virtual market available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games,...
.
On July 15, 2008, the same day as Europe's release, a trial version was also available on the Playstation Store
PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store is an online virtual market available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games,...
as a free download
Fatal Inertia EX
The PlayStation 3 version of the game is a download-only title, and appeared on the Japanese PlayStation Store on May 29, 2008 in North America on June 19, 2008, and in Europe on July 15, 2008, as part of PlayStation Network's E3 2008 release plan. A number of tweaks and improvements have been made to the title, notably the difficulty level; to this end, EX includes a training venue with eight new tracks, known as the "Fatal Inertia Proving Grounds Facility", as well as a Master difficulty level for veterans. The development team have also adjusted gameplay, including weapons and physics. Controls support the DualShock 3 along with SIXAXISSixaxis
The Sixaxis Wireless Controller was the official gamepad for the Sony PlayStation 3 from launch until 2008 when it was succeeded by the DualShock 3....
tilt control for craft steering.