"Wow, get out the gamepad, a whole lot of bondo .... and get ready for some FUN"

Flatout 2 emerges on a platform ruled mostly by roleplaying and first person shooting games successfully.

STORY: Racing games shouldn't have stories. (10/10)

CONTROL: First off, you better have a gamepad handy. You either love it or you hate it. The cars handle almost too realistically. For example, take a rear wheel drive car around a corner at 50 mph on a dirt track, and you just may end up doing a 180. However, if you choose a heavier vehicle such as a 4WD Truck you'll notice that you can take sharp corners with no problem. (8/10)

SOUND: The sound effects are done pretty well such as the roaring engines and squealing tires. The crunching metal sounds great as well. The music however is pretty lacking. The soundtrack appears to be thrown together at the last minute. I mean, who listens to Nickleback and Yellowcard while smashing cars at 100 mph? On the other hand, at least its not techno. (7/10)

GRAPHICS: This is where Flatout 2 really SHINES. And I mean it. It looks so great, yet manages to run silky smooth. Silky smooth on a medium range computer like mine, with every single detail all the way up. I'm playing on a Athlon 64 3200 with a Radeon X800 pro. No slowdowns either, not even when all 8 cars are on screen at once. The cars are very nicely done as well. They don't have accurate names, but you won't make any mistake when comparing the cars to their real life counterpart. Whether its old muscle cars or new street rods, they look good. Also, its neat how the cars' appearances change dramatically as they take on damage and possibly even explode taking you out of the race. (10/10)

GAMEPLAY: Another strong point of Flatout 2. It offers a different and exciting twist on racing. You are awarded points based on how good you smash up your competition in addition to how you finish the race. Using the money you earn from winning, you can buy new cars and upgrade parts. Lets talk about the AI. I think the AI in this game is fair. It does not cheat, it will capitalize on your mistakes though. This game is not easy, its more on the difficult side if anything. Aside from races, there are also destruction derbies where its simply last man standing…bring a strong vehicle. There are also stunt events, such as high jump, bowling, and basketball. All this combined, this game has a decent replay value in single player alone. (10/10)

REPLAY VALUE: Well the single player alone is good for at least 25 hours, good for a racing game. Then there is online mode, which is very interesting. With online, the replay value is virtually endless considering its always more fun to play against real people. Really its one of the more exciting online games out these days, a refreshing change from all the rpgs and shooters. (8/10)

FINAL THOUGHTS: I can't believe this game isn't wildly popular. Its so well put together. It looks great, runs great, and its great fun. And I'm not being bias either, I have not even played the first game. I think this game is worth a try if you have a decent computer and a gamepad, especially for $30.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/14/06