FlatOut 4: Total Insanity VR

FlatOut 4: Total Insanity is better than I'd feared but not as good as I'd hoped. Kylotonn has dredged this near-forgotten racing rebel from the very bottom of the barrel and fashioned it into a basic but fun, stunt-filled speedster, but I found myself regularly frustrated with its repetitive career mode, its stingy economy and nebulous unlockables, its superficial demolition derby events, and its uneven difficulty. A respectable franchise rescue mission but one that still needs some fine tuning and some extra grunt.

Flatout 4 brings the franchise into the modern day and gets away from the line with a dash, but nonsensical progression and frustrating AI quickly kills its drive.

Perhaps the main takeaway here is that FlatOut 4: Total Insanity is safer than its name suggests. There's not a lot to criticise in terms of its execution, but its ambition feels firmly rooted in the PlayStation 2 era. There's nothing particularly wrong with that, and if you're looking for a distraction to occupy between juggernaut releases, then the PS4 isn't host to many destructive racers that are better. But while there's fun to be had while you're playing, don't expect this above average car crash to live long in the memory at all.

FlatOut 4 is a frequently irritating game that's held down by incredible amounts of grind, it has some saving graces with a variety of game modes and track types, but they don't do enough to balance out against the negatives like AI, physics and more.

FlatOut 4: Total Insanity VR is the chaotic arcade racer VR has been missing, delivering thrilling destruction, excellent immersion, a huge variety of content, and surprisingly polished VR mechanics despite a few early-access technical issues.

While it is heads and shoulders above its predecessor, FlatOut 4 still leaves you wanting more. Fine tuning the difficulty and career mode would go a long way to redeeming the one time great FlatOut franchise.

FlatOut 4 is an over-the-top racer that's got the potential to entertain. However, the stingy payouts and an unrewarding unlock/progression system flattens a few tyres and holds back this decent game from being a great one.

Flatout 4 feels like a game destined to reinvigorate the franchise and just ran out of steam. I am a massive fan of the original game and its sequel, and while this is light years beyond the abomination that was the third game, it still falls short. More tracks, more variety, and some much needed polish would have gone a long way in bringing back this cult classic. As it stands though, arcade racers still sit dormant in today's gaming landscape.

There is some enjoyment to be found in FlatOut 4: Total Insanity. The AI and grind to unlock everything doesn't do the game any favors. But FlatOut and Stunt Mode are fun. FlatOut 4: Total Insanity is definitely more enjoyable with friends.

Does FlatOut 4: Total Insanity restore the series to it’s former glory? Well, kinda-sorta. What is here is really fun and entertaining, but there isn’t enough of it.