Flat Out Ultimate Carnage is the third installment in the FlatOut demolition racing series and is actually a remake of the 2006 FlatOut 2. First it came out for the XBOX 360 console in July 2007 and it was an obvious release from the financial point of view. But why in the name of God would have BugBear released it for the PC? Ultimate Carnage is nothing else but an upgraded FlatOut 2 with some new gameplay modes, vehicles and next-gen graphics. Definitely a proper FlatOut sequel would have been the best solution for continuing the series, but as long as they don't intend to do this, let's see what minor changes brings this new version.

Cars

Like its predecessor, Ultimate Carnage is based more on the racing/import tuner vehicles and its arcade touch is much more obvious than on the first FlatOut. By changing the tire grip coefficient, the developers gave the players much more control of their car. Now you don't have to worry about skidding in tight turns, the simulation touch being extremely reduced. From this point of view, there is an obvious similarity with Burnout series, where the physics system is stripped to the bone and concentrated more on the visual aspect on crashing and burning the opposition. There are three car classes present in the game: derby, race and street. Every car features ratings in categories such as speed, acceleration, strength, weight, nitro.

But besides its statistically aspect, there is no big differences in terms of handling. You can easy split the cars in fast and slow cars, most of the ratings having a small impact on the handling. If you are not satisfied with the car you can upgrade it buying new parts from the shop, but still you won't get amazingly results. There will be a slightly increased speed and acceleration, the other ratings being almost ignored. Again the cars have that heavy feeling, their handling being similar to American Stock Cars, with every jump being a slow-motion flight.