Monster Truck Madness 2

"Surprisingly good."

After attaining myself a copy of the Monster Truck Madness 2 demo very shortly after it had been released I found myself thoroughly addicted to the game. It’s not often that I would have spent the number of hours playing a demo that I did Monster Truck Madness 2. Why did I enjoy it so much? The gameplay was simple but so, so fun.

Not too long after the full version of Monster Truck Madness 2 found its way into retail stores I was keen to get my hands on a copy. I ended up buying a steering wheel for my computer that conveniently included the game as part of the package, and I tell you what, the three of us spent a hell of a lot of quality time together in the following weeks and months.

The idea of a monster truck racing game sounds pretty fun, right? Well, it sure did to me. To my delight Microsoft actually executed such a game in a way that provides an utterly enjoyable experience. I’ve never seen a Monster Truck Show, and frankly the idea of one isn’t particularly appealing, however, the idea of a game in which you control a few tonnes of mean, pumping, beefy steel, iron and rubber is right up my alley.

The game features a whole load of licensed real-life monster trucks, not that most of us would know either way. Worth mentioning also is the fact that a bunch of these trucks are based on WCW/NOW wrestlers, including Sting and Hollywood Hogan. The in-game commentary is all done by Army Armstrong, who is apparently one of the biggest names in Monster Truck Racing commentary in reality. He’s got something to say about everything, and every one. Race commentary is a nice bonus, and once his calls start becoming a little too repetitive, and his jokes old, the game gives players the choice of turning off his commentary altogether.

There’s a good variety of tracks included to race, all of which are designed around a checkpoint racing system. Pass through each checkpoint in order, complete a set number of laps, and in doing so attain the best position you can. Of course, there are tracks and paths to lead the way to checkpoints, but if you’re serious about having some fun (and gaining a nice lead) you’ll be making use of the ever-so-helpful radar which points in the nautical direction of the next checkpoint. Who cares if a few cows are in the way? Or an insane mountain or cliff? It all just adds to the fun. Tracks are all very well designed, and include all types of terrain and locations (from deserts, to country towns and even a graveyard!). You can race against up to 7 computer opponents and select from a huge range of weather conditions (day, night, snow, rain and loads more).

One issue tends to arise more often than not when I am playing Monster Truck Madness 2. If I ever veer off-course temporarily, I find myself continuing intentionally off into the distance to try my luck at the very deliberately designed terrain. See, you can drive for miles away from tracks and you’ll be treated to huge jumps, valleys, water features and a lot more. The game’s designers knew people were going to want to go off-road, because the game is just that damn fun to play, so a lot of effort was put into the creation of very large, well-designed levels. Yes..levels. It would be unjust to dub them ‘tracks’.

I’ve found myself spending countless hours just ****ing around off-road, with no purpose other than driving around, making huge jumps and searching for geographical locations of interest. It’s not often a racing game is enjoyable enough (or will actually allow you to get that far off the tracks) for a player to just screw around, not even considering actually trying to race the course.

Being half a decade old, graphically speaking Monster Truck Madness 2 actually holds up pretty well. It features enough optional graphic tweaks like lens flare, reflections, tyre effects, shadows and the like to maintain a decent visual look even after 5 years. Sure it’s nothing worth writing home about but back in the day it was quite the spectacle.

As one would expect in such a game the sound samples of the trucks are pretty good. They sound real, loud and powerful, just like they should. I got a pretty big kick out of using the novelty truck horns too… for the first hundred time anyway :/
On the music side of things, it’s all good. There are a bunch of rockin’ original tracks that suit the racing action perfectly. Of course if you aren’t too fond of the soundtrack you can turn off music and play your own choice of tracks through your computer to enjoy. Either way it’s all good.

For some added variety there are a couple of multiplayer games included where the goal is essentially to ram the hell out of other trucks. Multiplayer can be played online, through direct connection or with friends in the same room. It definitely adds a nice touch but is nothing too groundbreaking.

Though only rather insignificant in impact, players can also get into the garage and adjust a few aspects of their trucks, from tyre tread to basic gear ratios and suspension. It’s a nice feature but doesn’t really play a large part in the game.

I can completely understand that not everyone that plays Monster Truck Madness 2 would pass the same, very positive judgement on it as I have. While I adore the gameplay for the level of freedom in each course, as a racing game itself the game is nothing too dazzling. The majority of the enjoyment I derive from the game is simply disregarding the goal of actually winning races, and simply going off road for some mindless monster truck madness.

I would certainly check out Monster Truck Madness 2 at some point if you get the opportunity, but do so with an open mind. Don’t expect brilliance and you may be quite pleasantly surprised.

8.5/10 (Rounded to 9/10 for GameFAQs)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/03