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The Plot:  One of the more anticipated games of the first half of 2003, "Midnight Club II" isn't total racing perfection, but only because of some concerns with the presentation. In terms of gameplay, it's a very addictive racer with plenty to offer fans of the genre. Very "Fast and the Furious" in style, "MC II" offers players the chance to hit the streets in race cars and, eventually, bikes. The three cities that players advance through are nothing short of enormous, and offer plenty of background details and traffic to get in the way. The game offers a handful of different ways to play, and most of the ways to play don't necessarily require players to follow a direct path. "Career" mode has players hitting the streets to find other racers to challenge. After beating opening opponent "Moses" (who turns up as something of a mentor later), players progress through the other famed racers in the city, unlocking their cars (as well as other functions, such as weight management and nitro) as you win. The other opponents aren't standing around waiting for you, either - they're driving around themselves, and the player has to search them out and blink their lights to signal a race. Once they get the point, they'll challenge you to follow them to where the race is going to begin - it's difficult not to get left behind during these little challenges, but it's a nice way to get even more familiar with the particular city you're in. The races are either standard checkpoint affairs (although the most "straightforward" way isn't always the best) or mixed checkpoint races where you have to run around the city and try to hit all the checkpoints before the other racers do - you have to pick the fastest order. There are also plenty of back alleys and other shortcuts scattered throughout. Some of the races are just against one other character, while others have you racing against several. The police also play a role in plenty of the challenges, calling for backup, setting up roadblocks or seemingly waiting for you as you burn rubber around a corner. There's even police choppers, who will track you with their spotlight. They may chase after you, or they may chase after your competition. The other version of the game is the "Arcade Mode", which allows players to use things (cars, functions, etc.) they've unlocked in the Career mode. The first option of the "Arcade" section is Cruise, which allows racers to simply ride around the city. It doesn't sound too exciting, but it's a good way to master the skills needed for the game and learn your way around the city. "Circuit" offers different races and finally, "Battle" offers a chance to play against others in "Detonate" or "Capture the Flag". Players can also play these battles with additional "Power-Ups", such as more nitros. There's also one more phenomenal option to explore, and one that gives the game an enormous amount of replay value - a race editor that can generate random races or let you construct your own, placing checkpoints where you want. Edited races can be saved. There is also online play (via XBOX live), but only for players with broadband capability. I'm still without broadband capability, but I must say that "Midnight Club II" is definitely one of the games that has pushed me furthest towards wanting to get online to play; the idea of playing against up to seven other people online sounds amazing. A big aspect of whether or not this game succeeds or fails is in the handling and the sense of speed. Thankfully, the game succeeds on both counts. I was very convinced of the visual sense of speed when I was flying around Los Angeles at 150 mph, screaming around corners. The visual effect after NOS boost is also very similar to the one in "The Fast and the Furious" (I guess one of the better compliments that I can give the game is that it feels like you're playing a race from the movie). All of the cars also handle differently and have different pros/cons, so picking the right car for the right race was more entertaining than usual in a racer like this. There's also different weather conditions; fog and rain occasionally set in and, quite honestly, racing around at 150 mph in fog is about as scary as it sounds. I also liked the challenge level of the game. After the first few races, the challenges get progressively more difficult (one wrong turn doesn't make for a loss, but it's very, very tough to win after a sizable mistake); I didn't always win the first time, but I always wanted to come back, as I was able to analyze how I'd missed a good shortcut (or jump, of which there are plenty), hit the NOS too early, or could have stopped an opponent during a turn. In other words, the game provides a definite challenge, but not a "break your controller"-level challenge. A win really feels like a triumph. The races are exciting and the AI of the opponents is excellent and even quite unpredictable. Even so, it's always fun to try and take them out of the competition, pushing against their car to send it into a building or wall. Overall, "Midnight Club II" greatly impressed me. It provided thrills, great control, solid challenge level and fantastic depth to the gameplay. A definite recommendation. Rating: 9.5/10 The DVD Graphics: "Midnight Club II" on the Playstation 2 looked acceptable. There were aspects of the graphics for that version that even looked quite nice, such as the details of the city. While I was expecting the XBOX version to sport crisper, cleaner graphics than the PS2 version, I was surprised at just how much better the game looks here. The amount of detail has been considerably improved, and the lighting looks better. The amount of detail that has gone into the environments continues to impress me, and I often take a free drive in the arcade mode just to admire Rockstar's work. The result of the improved presentation is a more immersive and convincing experience, as everything about the game, from the cars to the streets, look more detailed and realistic. Rating: 9.5/10 Sound: The game's sound is the only disapointment. The music is half bad, with a couple of good tracks and a lot of generic stuff. It's too bad that the game doesn't use the XBOX"s ability to generate custom soundtracks, because that could have truly taken an already great experience another step forward. The voice acting is also just short of terrible, with a lot of annoying chatter on your car's radio throughout most of the races. Your opponents, almost all of whom are rather cartoonishly voiced, talk the same irritating talk every time out. The sound effects, on the other hand, are quite good; there's a lot of screeching tires, cars whipping by, people screaming and various city objects (lamps, etc) being crunched under your car as you speed through the city. The XBOX version does offer a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Although the game's 5.1 isn't stunning, surround use does enhance the feeling of speeding down city streets (using the camera looking out from inside the car seemed to increase the amount of surround use versus the camera following outside the car). Rating: 8.3/10 Gameplay: "Midnight Club 2" controls superbly; the controls are set-up in a way that is easily learned and generally intuitive. The XBOX controller is set-up in a way that does take a little bit of getting used to (and maybe some of the functions could have switched buttons), but once I got used to the controls, the game played smoothly. Rating: 9.4/10 Rating Issues: "Midnight Club 2" is rated "T" (Teen) for cartoonish violence and mild language. Final Thoughts: "Midnight Club 2" is a thrilling, fast-paced racer that offers players a wealth of options. A definite recommendation, and the XBOX version does provide some noticable improvements in presentation quality.  |