Most developers think their games are pretty special. Split/Second developer Black Rock goes one further, though. They think the game's good but also believe that it will help save the racing genre.

"If you look at the sales figures, the racing genre is in many respects dying out – take Mario Kart out of the equation and the category is in a dire way. I think this genre is ripe for something new and inventive to give it a kick start," said Black Rock head Tony Beckwith in an interview with Develop.

Develop also interviewed Split/Second director Nick Baynes, who added: “We’re all fans of street racing here, but as a genre it is relatively stale – the evolution is only coming from how you customise cars, which can only serve to remove you from the action – I think Split/Second will do the opposite."

Well, gauntlet thrown. In Split/Second, players create obstacles on the track in real time to take out their opponents. It's an interesting idea and we'll see if breathes new life into the genre when it's released in 2010 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.