The racing genre has become very generic and overused in the past fiveyears. After the excellent Gran Turismo 2 was released, the genre was hit with aslew of cheap imitators that never reached the same quality level as the master.Even Gran Turismo 3 failed to reach the impact of its predecessor. We now livein the year 2003 and it seems that every month, there is a new racing game thatdoes the same old thing. The NASCAR series has simply become a treasure for fansand has not attracted the casual gamers year by year due to the minimaladditions that each new edition provides. The only games that have come close toeven making the genre interesting again was Burnout and Midnight Club. Both ofthese games reworked the racing genre to allow an expanded user base. While notcompletely innovative, these games were a step in the right direction for thewaning genre. Just last year Burnout 2 was released, but considering both gameswere released only a year apart, it was difficult to expect much in the way ofanything innovative. So now we have the sequel to Midnight Club. Does this gamealso disappoint? Not at all. Midnight Club 2 is the most exciting and refreshing racing game to hit the shelves sinceGran Turismo 2. It may not have the licensed cars or the name recognition butthis game is pure fun. Wait, I need to correct myself. It has possibly the bestname recognition a game could ever get. This is a Rockstar game, and if you haveever played ViceCity, then you know what to expect. Quality oozes out of this game in every corner.From its intense single player mode to its even more exciting online options,Midnight Club 2 is the racing game that has set all new standards for the genre.If Gran Turismo 4 has any competition in its future, it will be this series.

           

           If you think this is you simple “race around in circles three times”game, then you are sorely mistaken. What you have here is a game that revolvesaround illegal underground racing. Pretty much the kind that you may have seenin The Fast and The Furious, but this is clearly more exciting. You start offwith only one car and only one city. While one city sounds kind of blah,you’ll find out that this city is almost as big as an individual Island foundin Grand Theft Auto III (maybe bigger). The possibilities that can be unearthedin just one city is amazing and you will most likely never take the same routetwice. Yes you heard it, there are shortcuts, but its even better than that. Youmust use your knowledge of the map to use any way that you can possibly think ofto get to the various checkpoints. From back alleys to the LAX freeway, you haveunlimited possibilities for your racing strategies. In the mission mode, you areplaced in LA and must race various players to move up in the ranks and gain newcars. You are often given the freedom to challenge whoever you like, and you cando that by flashing your high beams. The main circuit mode is a completelydifferent version than what has been seen in games like Gran Turismo. You areplaced on any section of the map and you line up. When you begin the race,checkpoints are placed along the map and you must drive through each one througha certain amount of laps. This makes for a fresh races almost every time becausethe checkpoints are usually never in the same place twice. You must not onlydodge the pedestrians and incoming traffic, but you will also encounter policecars and choppers. The computer AI becomes very brutal towards the last city andyou often find yourself pulling out every strand of your hair. Luckily, if youknow the right route, then you have yourself a plan. LA is actually the smallestcity and you will find that Tokyo is by far the most mind boggling as there are hundreds of roads and alleywaysto discover. Once you complete the career mode (which will take most casualgamers around 30 hours if they are sticking with it) there is the standard Arcade mode that lets you customize where and what you wish to be racing. Along withthat, there is an editor mode that allows you to set up a race, by placingcheckpoints and goals all around the map. This will allow you to pull off someof your most insane driving techniques because you know how you want it set up.

 

 Thebest aspect of this game in my mind is the online mode. While it is hampered bysome problems with unruly players, it is the most enjoyable mode to play. Racingwith real people is a feeling that most people will never experience (becausethis is illegal racing, remember?). You can either join or host a game and setthe amount of players and what cars you will allow. The online mode is the bestarea of the game to showcase MC2’s incredible battle modes. No, its notTwisted Metal, but it sure adds a bit of freshness to the genre. You can eitherplay Detonator or Capture the Flag. CTF is by far the best mode in the game. Youare given a point on your map where the flag is located and you must drive thecar to pick it up and return it to the goal. Playing this online is intensebecause when you get the flag your “it” and you will find yourself beingrammed all the way to goal. Detonator is a pretty much a game of bomb pass, imnot going to go into much detail with this mode because I feel it is enjoyedmuch better when you don’t really know what to expect. That increases thetension level immensely. The one problem I mentioned before is the behavior ofthe players. MC2 has some very skilled racers online, but quite a few of themhave really bad attitudes and stances toward newer players, often kicking peopleout and carrying on personal conversations when others want to play. So if youhave a beefy connection, I would suggest hosting your own game to reduce theannoyances and remember, as host, you have the power.

 

           Midnight Club 2 shines, and so does it’s cars. The visuals in the game are veryimpressive and the city layouts are superb. The games map’s are tightly basedon actual road blueprints from Los AngelesParis and Tokyo. While not exact replicas, they got the idea down pat. The texture details instore windows are amazing and really show off the power of high end 3D cards.This was a PS2 port though right? Yes it was and surprisingly, it doesn’t evenlook like one aside from the sometimes angular geography. The games visuals areon par if not better than that of the X-Box versions. The car models are alsovery good and aside from some inconsistencies, they are the star of the show.The FMV video is pure Rockstar as they attempt again and again to make animpression, and that’s just what they did. What surprised me most about thisgame was how fast it ran on lower end computers with limited ram and processorspeeds. The game ran fast on virtually all of the current systems and some fromup to two years ago. Considering the high expectations of most games these days,that is a godsend.

 

           The game features an excellent soundtrack filled with rap, hip hop, rockand pop vocals mixed in with great beats. There is a great selection of tracksand they are easily selectable from the audio menu in the game. Another neataddition was the option to add in your own MP3s into the game. This has become atrend for Rockstar who has added this much needed option in both ports of GrandTheft Auto for the PS2. The sound effects are as realistic as you could get withan underground racing title. From the startup of the engine to the explosionswhen you go a little to deep inside the gas station, you will not bedisappointed with this aspect. The voice acting is once again, pure Rockstar.Each character has a lovable overly exaggerated way of speaking that adds to thegames upbeat atmosphere. Overall the audio presentation is top notch.

 

           While there have been some admirable attempts in the past few years, toreinvent the racing genre, no game has achieved its goal as well as MidnightClub 2. The racing genre was becoming as worn out as the real time strategyselection of games in recent years. While not as realistic or as goal orientedas Gran Turismo 3, this game is by far the most enjoyable racer on thePlaystation 2. If people want real, they can join NASCAR. If people want fun,they will go to the store right now and pick this game up. Its your choice.