Mashed: Fully Loaded Review

6.0

Format Xbox

Developer Unknown

Publisher Empire Interactive

Genre Racing / Driving, Action

The only reason we suspect this exists is because the original Mashed wasn't Live-enabled. If it had been playable online, Mashed: Fully Loaded would be nothing more than downloadable content. It's a nip 'n' tuck, not the 'fully loaded' definitive article it purports to be. And no, infuriatingly, Fully Loaded still isn't Live.


There are a handful of new benefits to buying this over its predecessor, but not many, trust us. The inclusion of a smattering of new levels is fine, most notably the Demolition level on top of a crumbling multi-storey, and graphically there's certainly a new sheen. Reflections, explosions and dust particles are all new, but the changes are incidental rather than obvious. The 'improved and varied' handling of different cars, for example, is so subtle it's almost not there. And while text now appears above collected crates to show exactly what it is we've just picked up, it feels like a finishing touch to a game that's already in stores. It certainly makes you realise just how complete the original Mashed actually was.

Please don't doubt that Mashed: Fully Loaded is anything other than great fun. Because it's a virtual clone of the original it succeeds by default. If you already own the original, don't be fooled into thinking this is in any way an essential purchase either - far from it. Fully Loaded has to be one of the most pointless updates we've seen in a very long while, despite the original being so damned good. And this, unfortunately, has to be reflected in the score. If this was a standalone game it would be an Elite; as it is though, the whole exercise feels a little cheeky. Buy this to accompany the first and you'll feel horribly cheated, buy it as a first and well, you know the rest...

Official Xbox Magazine staff