Fatal Inertia (フェイタル・イナーシャ, Feitaru Ināsha) 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 Australia, and July 15, 2008 in Europe as a download on the PlayStation Network under the title Fatal Inertia EX (フェイタル・イナーシャEX, Feitaru Ināsha 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.[5]

Fatal Inertia
Fatal Inertia
Developer(s)Koei Canada
Publisher(s)Koei
EngineUnreal Engine 3
Platform(s)Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
ReleaseXbox 360
  • JP: September 6, 2007
  • NA: September 12, 2007[1]
  • EU: September 14, 2007[2]
  • AU: September 20, 2007
PlayStation 3
  • JP: May 29, 2008
  • AU: June 19, 2008
  • NA: June 20, 2008[3]
  • EU: July 15, 2008[4]
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, local & online multiplayer

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.[6] Competitions take place far from cities due to the high level of danger.[7]

There are six different racing environments that are divided into fifty-one courses.[8]

Gameplay edit

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 their heavy armor and greater firepower, compensating for their 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.

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.

Development edit

On August 2, 2007 a playable demo of Fatal Inertia was released on Xbox Live Marketplace.[9]

On May 29, 2008 a multi-language playable demo of Fatal Inertia EX was released on the Japanese PlayStation Store.[citation needed]

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.[10]

Fatal Inertia EX edit

The PlayStation 3 version of the game is a download-only title, and appeared on the Japanese PlayStation Store on May 29, 2008,[11] in North America and Australia 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.[11] The development team have also adjusted gameplay, including weapons and physics.[11] Controls support the DualShock 3 along with SIXAXIS tilt control for craft steering.[11]

Reception edit

Both Fatal Inertia and Fatal Inertia EX received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[12][13] In Japan, Famitsu X360 gave the former a score of two sevens, one eight, and one seven for a total of 29 out of 40.[18] GameZone gave the Japanese version of the latter an average review, about a month before it was released in the United States.[25]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Koei Co. Ltd - Fatal Inertia™". 2010-11-01. Archived from the original on 2010-11-01. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  2. ^ "Koei dates games, demos". Eurogamer.net. 2007-08-13. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  3. ^ "Koei Co. Ltd - Fatal Inertia®EX". 2010-11-01. Archived from the original on 2010-11-01. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  4. ^ "Fatal Inertia Ex gets Euro date". Eurogamer.net. 2008-07-07. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  5. ^ Gamasutra staff (October 8, 2007). "Koei Confirms PS3 Fatal Inertia, Anticipates 2008 Release". Game Developer. Informa.
  6. ^ Shoemaker, Brad (October 26, 2005). "Fatal Inertia First Look". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  7. ^ Williamson, Steven (August 31, 2007). "Review: Fatal Inertia - Xbox 360". Hexus. The Media Team Ltd. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  8. ^ Dunham, Alexis (August 31, 2007). "Fatal Inertia Goes Gold". IGN. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 5, 2007.
  9. ^ Hryb, Larry (August 2, 2007). "Demo: Fatal Inertia". Major Nelson. Microsoft. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  10. ^ "PSN Store Update". Three Speech. July 16, 2008. Archived from the original on July 18, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d Klepek, Patrick (April 29, 2008). "Exclusive: 'Fatal Inertia EX' Arrives Via PlayStation Network Next Month". MTV. ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Fatal Inertia EX for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  13. ^ a b "Fatal Inertia for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  14. ^ Gallegos, Anthony (July 8, 2008). "Fatal Inertia EX PS3 Review". 1Up.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  15. ^ Edge staff (October 2007). "Fatal Inertia". Edge. No. 180. Future plc. p. 95.
  16. ^ Whitehead, Dan (July 17, 2008). "Fatal Inertia EX". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  17. ^ Fahey, Rob (September 14, 2007). "Fatal Inertia". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  18. ^ a b "フェイタル・イナーシャ". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  19. ^ Miller, Matt (October 2007). "Fatal Inertia". Game Informer. No. 174. GameStop. Archived from the original on January 11, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  20. ^ Gori, Andrew (June 23, 2008). "Review: Fatal Inertia EX". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 26, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  21. ^ Lewis, Cameron (September 11, 2007). "Review: Fata Inertia". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 4, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  22. ^ Fishman, Brian (July 3, 2008). "Fatal Inertia EX Review". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  23. ^ Ekberg, Brian (September 17, 2007). "Fatal Inertia Review". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  24. ^ "Fatal Inertia Review". GameTrailers. Viacom. September 18, 2007. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  25. ^ a b Lafferty, Michael (May 28, 2008). "Fatal Inertia EX - PS3 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  26. ^ Knutson, Michael (September 24, 2007). "Fatal Inertia - 360 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  27. ^ Clements, Ryan (June 18, 2008). "Fatal Inertia EX Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  28. ^ Craddock, David (September 11, 2007). "Fatal Inertia Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  29. ^ "Fatal Inertia". PlayStation Official Magazine – UK. No. 22. Future plc. August 2008. p. 104.
  30. ^ "Fatal Inertia". Official Xbox Magazine. Future US. November 2007. p. 97.
  31. ^ Salmela, Mark (June 26, 2008). "Fatal Inertia EX (PSN) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2021.

External links edit