Midnight Club 2

[Vinny]

http://www.rockstargames.com/midnightclub2/ (screens and trailers here)

Downloadable demo (takes a while)
IGN review

This game's predecessor was made famous by combining illegal street racing, and old idea in video game history (as seen in old games like Road Rash), and a new idea, which is introducing real cities into a game. In Midnight Club 2 you can race in Paris, Tokyo, and Los Angeles.

Rockstar Games presents Midnight Club 2.

The future of illegal street racing.

Members of the world's most notorious illegal street racing syndicate meet each night on the streets of Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo. Find yourself in the position of a novice challenger, set on penetrating this secret society and trumping them all, one by one. Add insult to injury, as you win the suped-up rides of defeated adversaries, all on your way to being crowned international champion. Just remember, there are no rules. Use whatever routes, shortcuts and driving methods necessary to hit those checkpoints and arrive at the finish line before your opponent has a chance.

With entirely overhauled technology, breathtaking new vehicles, physics and driving mechanics like nothing you've ever experienced... Rockstar is about to deliver the racing game that will again change the genre forever. Midnight Club 2 returns to once again redefine street racing on the PlayStation®2, Xbox™ and PC in 2003. Choose from the latest performance enhanced cars and bikes and compete head-to-head to make a name for yourself. Or battle it out with up to 3 other players in white-knuckle, adrenaline-pumping multiplayer modes. Drive anywhere in the city. Master evasive tactics to duck authorities. Find the fastest route to win. And earn your place at the top.

There are many things about this game that would appeal to a fan of racing games. The graphics are stunning, the races are fast, the game has online capabilities, and players can make their own racing tracks by placing the checkpoints where they want them and uploading 8 tracks online. If you don't feel like racing you can go into Cruise mode and just drive around the city. If you live in L.A. you might want to check out the similarities. A new thing never before seen in racing games, you can drive on two wheels. The cops are also smart, creating ro*******s and teaming up against you and all the other drivers. There are also motorbikes which appear to go insanely fast. You can pop wheelies and endos. The AI is very sophisticated and realistic, and enemies will crash into cops, buildings, and other cars as much as you, and even take shortcuts, so you have to be good and think for yourself to beat them. The music doesn't appear to be very good, but in the PC version, you can put your own playlist into the game!

Does anyone here have this game? It sounds like a very good racing game, and although I'm not a big fan of racers, I'm seriously considering renting it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Quote of the week:
"At every crisis the Kaiser crumpled. In defeat he fled; in revolution he abdicated; in exile he remarried." - Winston Churchill.
Image of the week:

Pointless fact of the week:
Ingrown toenails are hereditary.

[ October 21, 2003, 11:19 AM: Message edited by: Vinny the Ninny ]

[Harvest Moon's Main Man]

I've rented it and got quite far. Great game, but I'm keeping my eye on the upcoming Underground game.