FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage, which appeared on the Xbox 360 last year, was one of my surprise games of 2007, I thought it was absolutely fantastic. Now the developer has released a PSP version of this racer, named Flatout: Head On, but does this capture the frills and spills of the next generation?

Flatout: Head On follows the tried and tested formula of it’s cousins, meaning that there is nothing really new added, however that is not necessarily a bad things as all that is good about the game has made it onto the PSP disc, though there are a few issues which we will talk about later.

For those who haven’t played Flatout before, it is basically a racer where destruction is the name of the game, crashing is a frequent occurrence here that’s for sure, although there are a few other surprises thrown in along the way.

The games offers quite a few modes of play, however the main one is Flatout mode, which enables you to follow your characters career as you try to win different events and build up your trophy collection, unfortunately there is no customisation as far as your character is concerned, however you can upgrade your car or buy new a one when you start to earn some cash. There is quite a challenge to be had in trying to collect all of the trophies, so this is certainly a mode that most people will come back to again and again.

Carnage mode from the Xbox 360 version of the game is also included in Head On, this enables you to compete in events such as carnage race, where you need to earn the most points by wrecking your opponents, as well as destruction derby type races and also stunt challenges, such as high jump, where you need to vault you character as high as possible once he crashes through the windscreen, it sounds brutal but it’s great fun.

Admittedly most of what can be found in Flatout: Head On can also be found in the 360 version, however putting this game on a handheld is great for fans of the series. All of the races are as fast and frantic as the console version, and just as much fun, especially games like high jump, which is great to play against friends, just to see who can get the highest score.

There are a few issues with Flatout: Head On, first off I found that handling the car was not always easy, the steering seems too responsive, meaning even a slight touch to the left or right will see you oversteer. The graphics are also a bit poor in places, with the textures on some objects lacking real detail.

Apart from the few issues above, Flatout: Head On really does looks fantastic where it matters, the cars look great and have brilliant detail, all of the in game action looks just as good too, the crashes are as spectacular and as over the top as you would expect, and all of this comes with little impact on the framerate, which is quite impressive.

The soundtrack is equally good, there is a great selection of rock tracks included in the game, which really help add to the manic on screen action and the sounds of the cars trying to outdo each other.

Flatout: Head On offers a quick adrenaline rush of racing when you need it and also some fantastic little mini games should you need something different. Sure it is far from perfect due to a few issues with handling and the fact that there is no online play, however if you love racing games then this will be the perfect companion for your PSP thanks to it’s pick up and play nature.