FlatOut 2 is the most enjoyable destruction racing game for PlayStation 2. The crashes especially feel great.
Gameplay: 92/100
Sounds: 86/100
Longevity: 92/100
Tilt: 92/100
FRANTIC DRIVING
FlatOut by Finnish game makers, was a frantic destruction racing game, that was fun to play. FlatOut 2, however, improves about everything. It is also kind of a unique experience or do you usually speed 100 mph in a rusty pick-up truck down a small dirt road (in a game, of course)? FlatOut 2 is no Gran Turismo, but it is one of the greatest of it's genre.
DESTRUCTION IS THE WORD
FlatOut 2 has no story, but it really doesn't need one. The player just picks a man or a woman and jumps in the driving seat. There are three racing classes and the first one is derby. There you play destruction derby challenges and race with old, rusty cars. Then there is race class, where you speed up in small speedways and race city tracks. The last one is street, which concentrates in traditional circuit racing and city racing. The last thing are the grand finals. You unlock one of them when you beat one class and so on.
FIELDS AND FORESTS
The game looks good, really good. The fields, forests, cities, canals and desert towns all look sharp and beautiful. FlatOut 2 is really good-looking for a PlayStation 2 game. The menus are easy to navigate in and they have a good color theme. All in all, FlatOut 2 looks great.
THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD
The driving is the main thing and it's enjoyable in FlatOut 2. It is certainly not realistic, but it's funny and crazy. Everything in the scenery can be crashed through and the game even encourages to crash and hit the other players. The AI drivers are pretty crazy and it's clear that Bugbear has been trying to create some personality for them. For example, you'll learn to hate the fast ones like Jack Benton and Sofia Martinez, while crash-crazy drivers like Frank Malcov and Ray Carter are never a real threat. One thing that is irritating is the catch-up AI. No matter how hard you race, once you've managed to drop the runner-up out of your map, it suddenly is behind you again. Perfect use of nitro or AI cheating? I would guess the second one. The crashing feels really good. It's funny to rip and flip other vehicles apart and you even get money from it. The crashes are divided into classes: the weak slam, a bit stronger power hit, super flip where you flip the opponent's car, blast out where you really crush your opponent and crash out, where the opposing driver goes flying through the windshield. The tracks have lots of variety and the car collection is good. Good handling can sometimes be better than just raw speed, because in FlatOut 2, it's usually hard to stay on the track even for twenty seconds. Multiplayer is great in FlatOut 2, especially the stunt mode is pure awesomeness. There you participate in crazy games where usually your driver ends up flying through the windshield to score you some points. These include basketball, baseball, bowling, card game, American football, curling, stone-skipping, high jump and a lot more.
FLAT ON THE FLOOR
The soundtrack can be either loved or hated. There aren't too many songs in it, but a few are really good ones. If bands or artists like Rob Zombie, Nickelback, Megadeth and Fall Out Boy turn you off, then the soundtrack isn't for you. I liked some songs by Nickelback, Fall Out Boy, Chelsea Smiles, Alkaline Trio, Audioslave and Papa Roach, they fit the background. However, terrible tracks from Wolfmother and Supergrass made me instantly mute the music. Engine sounds are raw and good and the sounds are generally good.
STUNT MINI GAMES RULE
FlatOut 2 has a big load of content. Three classes filled with races, stunt mini games and destruction derbies with the addition of grand finals, that's already a lot to play. Add the addicting multiplayer and you've got hours and hours of excitement.
OVERALL: FlatOut 2 is the most enjoyable destruction racing game for PlayStation 2. The crashes especially feel great. Also, the stunt mini games are unique and awesome.
+ Pros: Great graphics, crazy mini games, lots of content, good songs
- Cons: Catch-up AI, bad songs
REAL SCORE: 9.2