Full Auto (2006) Review: The Explosive Era of Vehicular Combat
During the early days of the seventh generation of video game consoles, developers aggressively experimented with new hardware capabilities, focusing heavily on real-time physics and environment destruction. Released in early 2006, Full Auto combined high-speed arcade racing with heavy weaponry and fully destructible tracks, creating a chaotic action experience that captured the spirit of mid-2000s gaming.
Context & Developer History
Full Auto was developed by the now-defunct Canadian studio Pseudo Interactive and published by Sega. Designed specifically as an early showcase title for the Xbox 360, the game aimed to blend the high-velocity drifting of the Burnout series with the vehicular warfare of titles like Twisted Metal. Pseudo Interactive utilized their proprietary engine technology to push real-time debris physics and destruction, making every race track feel unpredictable.
Playable Platforms
Understanding where to play Full Auto today requires looking back at its initial release and subsequent backward compatibility status:
- Xbox 360: The primary platform where the game original released as an exclusive in 2006 (available on physical media).
- Modern Xbox Consoles (Xbox One / Series X|S): Unfortunately, Full Auto is not included in Microsoft's Backward Compatibility program, meaning it cannot be played natively on modern consoles without original Xbox 360 hardware or PC emulation.
- Note on Sequel: A full sequel, Full Auto 2: Battlelines, was released later for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable (PSP).
Story and Narrative
While story is rarely the main focus of a vehicular combat title, Full Auto provides a fun, B-movie style setup to drive its single-player campaign mode, known as Career Mode.
The game takes place in Staunton City, an urban metropolis that has been completely taken over by a ruthless criminal organization known as The Shepherds. The Shepherds host illegal, armored street races where drivers fight to the death for dominance. The player takes on the role of a former champion driver who is coerced into participating by a mysterious benefactor. Your goal is clear: destroy the rival drivers, win the tournament circuits, and liberate the city districts from the control of the criminal syndicate.
Graphics, Physics, and Visuals
For a early launch-window title on the Xbox 360, Full Auto stood out due to its technical ambitiousness in visual destruction:
- Destructible Environments: Nearly everything along the roadside—including storefronts, bridges, billboards, gas stations, and concrete barriers—can be blown apart, leaving permanent debris on the track.
- Particle Effects: The game features constant explosions, weapon muzzle flashes, sparks, and smoke trails that fill the screen during high-speed chases.
- Performance: While visually impressive for 2006, the intense visual overload occasionally led to frame rate drops during extreme multi-car explosions, though it rarely derailed the fast-paced gameplay loop.
Key Gameplay Mechanics: Weapons and Time Manipulation
What truly separated Full Auto from traditional racing games was its dual focus on weaponry and temporal control:
1. Weaponry: Vehicles can be customized with front and rear-mounted weapons, ranging from heavy machine guns and shotguns to grenade launchers, rockets, and mines.
2. The Un-wind Mechanic: Preceding the popularity of rewind mechanics in modern racing franchises like Forza Motorsport or GRID, Full Auto featured the ability to rewind time by a few seconds. If you made a fatal driving mistake, collided with a wall, or took a direct hit from an enemy rocket, you could hit the rewind button to undo your error and adjust your path.
Final Recommendation: Is It Worth Playing Today?
Score: 7.5 / 10
Full Auto (2006) remains an entertaining, nostalgic time capsule of mid-2000s arcade racing design. While the single-player campaign can feel somewhat repetitive over long sessions and the driving model prioritizes arcade action over realistic handling, the sheer delight of bringing down buildings onto opponents while firing rocket launchers makes it a blast to play.
Recommendation: If you still own an active Xbox 360 console and enjoy retro arcade racers, picking up a cheap physical copy of Full Auto is highly recommended for a fun weekend of destructive retro gaming.
