Midtown Madness 2
By: Microsoft and Angel Studios
My Ratings:
Graphics-9.25
Sound-9.25
Fun Factor-10
Lasting Appeal-9.0
Overall (weighted average)-9.5
Genre: Racing
The sequel to an already very popular racing game, Midtown Madness 2 no doubt had a lot of people waiting on pins and needles for its release. Well, while very similar to the original, it does manage to break some new ground, and for people who don't own either one, probably deserves the extra $$$ over the original. The review...
Graphics: Excellent! The graphics in MM2 are awesome. The main cars have awesome detail and reflections, the sky looks great, and the landmarks are realistic, expecially considering the game is showing the entire city! Damage model doesn't show large bashes, but does show misaligned wheels, scratches and dents, and has breakaway parts such as mirrors. Interior of cars look great too, with lots of frames for the steering wheel turning, so it looks smooth as it turns. Probably my only problem with the graphics is that the normal, everyday civillian cars are really generic looking. Painted in drab colors and without hardly any detail. However, you don't noticue much as you only see them for about an instant as you slam them out of your way (or as you calmy watch them in the intersections as you wait patiently at a red light...yeah right!). Oh, another plus about the graphics. If you hit a hot dog stand or a trash can, you can see the ketchup and mustard/trash fly out of them as they roll in front of your car. All in all, the graphics are excellent (however aren't improved too greatly over the graphics in the original MM).
Sound: Also excellent. One con I have to bring out right away is the fact that there is NO music. It's not really missed, but it would have been nice. However, the voice acting and sound effects are so good that I gave it a 9.25 anyway. There are lots of announcers, and almost all of them are really funny and have lots of different things to say. The British accents are good, too. Fave announcer? Hmm, not sure. The hippy's pretty funny though.
Fun Factor: See rating... Ok, well in
case you want more than the fact I gave this a TEN in fun factor,
here are the top 5 reasons why you'll love this game:.
1. Don't tell me you haven't ever wanted to take the wheel of a
car you don't care about wrecking and smashed through cars like
they were toys.
2. Of course you've wanted to drive a vehicle like a Panoz
roadster, Hummer, double-decker bus, classic Mustang, semi, fire
truck, police cruiser, London cab (ok, so maybe that's not the
first car you think of when you think of dream rides), and even
cars that are a little more common and affordable like the Audi
TT, modern Mustang, F-350, etc., right? Not to mention the New
Beetle in several hopped up forms. Well, this game has them all,
and more!
3. Multiplayer modes are really cool! Team up and go for the
gold...literally! In some modes, you have to find a gold bar in
the middle of the city before your opponants!
4. Cool objectives. You can train to be a London cabbie, or a SF
stunt racer! You can also compete in normal races around town!
5. Cruise mode. Almost worth buying the game by itself. Drive all
over either of the two cities in this game for as long as you
want with whatever you want (as long as you've unlocked the
car!).
Basically what I'm saying is that this game is probably the most
fun racer out there. This game is in no way a sim, but it has
enough realism to be almost believable. Obviously cars don't
endure as much damage as they do in this game, and obviously
other cars aren't as light as they are in this game, but the cars
are realistic looking, and the damage looks realistic too. The
variation of handling between the different vehicles is
appropriate and fairly realistic, too. Well, if you have any more
questions, just go back to the rating above. That one number says
a lot.
Lasting Appeal: Better than most racers. Not only are there lots of modes of play and multiplayer, but the ability to just cruise around entire cities on your own time, without the hassle of a timer or opponants or boundaries is very fun, and you can always come back to it again and again, with it still being fun. Maybe you'll even find new areas you haven't already explored! This is also a great aspect of this game, and another reason as to why you should DEFINETLY check it out.
Midtown Madness 2 gives you two cities to drive in: San Francisco and London. Both are realisticly laid out with realistic and authentic landmarks. It also gives you (after you unlock them) 20 cars. Here is a list of them (owners of the original MM will notice that several are back for another round of action, while there are many new faces in the crowd as well): Mini Cooper Classic, VW New Beetle, London Cab, Cadillac Eldorado, Ford F-350, Ford Mustang GT, Mustang Cruiser (police car w/siren and lights), Mustang Fastback, Panoz Roadster, City Bus, Double Decker Bus, Freightliner Century, New Mini Cooper, VW New Beetle Dune, VW New Beetle RSI, Light Tactical Vehicle (Hummer), Audi TT, Aston Martin DB7 Vantage, Panoz GTR-1 (one word: fast), and the American LaFrance Fire Truck. Pretty impressive list, especially since they got the licenses for 'em. With the ability to drive anywhere in the cities, this game really gives you something most racers don't: freedom. Being able to drive anywhere and completely bash everything in sight, this game is extremely fun. And the career modes (London Cab or SF Stunt Driver) are very fun and not too frustrating (although the last SF Stunt Driver Final Exam is VERY hard and the stakes are high...you get a Hummer when you pass), and give you cars and cool paint jobs when you pass certain ones. The typical racing modes are fun too, with other cars and paint jobs to unlock. In cruise mode you can change the amount of pedestrians (who are in very good shape...they manage to jump out of the way of your car every time!), police, traffic, as well as change the weather (clear, cloudy, foggy, raining...raining has rain falling from the sky and your car reacts to the water that it spits up when it accelerates) and time of day (morning, noon, evening, night). These options, as well as online multiplayer (mentioned in "3" of Fun Factor) make this game not only be VERY fun, but also have great replay value.
I would recommend Midtown Madness 2 to anyone who loves racing, the cars included, the cities included, or exploring huge areas with a cool car and the ability to bash stuff from signs and lightposts to hot dog stands and other cars. If you already have the original Midtown Madness, you might just want to save your money for something else. On the other hand, there are lots of new stuff in this game that makes it more than just an expansion pack (though in many ways it's similar to one). Definetly download the demo, and I don't think you'll regret buying it either.
(Note to people who have the game...ever tried going up the hotel (near the monument in the pool) staircase in SF? If you go out on the elevated roof and turn around so you are facing the door to the hotel. Then instead of going in, drive up the sloped side of the building. Keep going 'till you drive to the top of the skyscraper. Great view huh? Notice the game developers didn't get around to making the room that sits on the top of the roof solid. You can drive right through it! You can land on other buildings by revving off this one, too.)
Pros:
Excellent Graphics
Lots of awesome and varied cars
Excellent speech
Two awesome, accurate cities to drive in (huge!)
FUN!!!
Cool multiplayer modes
Difficult, but reasonably so
Cons:
No music
Long loading screens (for older computers)
Civillian cars are drab looking
Objectionable Content:
Bashin' and Crashin' other cars and city signs.
Other's reviews:
ignpc-8.5
©2000 NPC Gamers