To do this you get to cruise the city at your own speed looking for a handful of cars marked as racers. Basically you want to race people for their cars and to unlock tricks and maps. Instead of a set structure for this mode, Rockstar chose to leave some of the direction of the game in the players' hands. The heart of the single player game is career mode, where your skills count and you can unlock all of the games features. In circuit races you can test out your routes and cars in a more structured environment, running laps through the packed city of your choice as you try to make all of the check points first. In arcade mode you can choose to cruise the city at your own pace, checking out the sights, looking for better routes through the city and testing the handling and limits of your new cars. The game features two modes of single play: career mode and arcade mode. That said, anyone who has visited the cities in the game (smugly, I've been to all three) will instantly recognise certain areas, and there is value to be had in simply sightseeing in the Cruise mode. Graphically, it's solid if unspectacular, and setting the action at night has at least spared them the need for great detail (after all, let's not forget that it's a PlayStation 2 game). The cars appear to be loosely based on actual models, and while the handling errs on the side of arcadey, an analogue controller is a must, as it proves far too twitchy for the keyboard. The Arcade mode lets you enjoy the spoils of your career, and as well as straightforward circuit races, there are also Capture The Flag and Detonator modes, all playable over a LAN or the Internet. The urban nature of the settings means tha different routes can be taken between the checkpoints, and intimate knowledge of the cities can reveal some handy shortcuts. There is a lengthy career mode to undertake, with vehicles, cities and various extras becoming available only after completing some fairly taxing challenges.
MIDNIGHT CLUB 2 PC MODS DRIVERS
Tearing around Los Angeles, Paris or Tokyo in a variety of fictional cars (and some decent motorbikes) is highly entertaining, with the Al drivers proving particularly able opponents.
Freed from the family values of erstwhile publisher Microsoft, this is simply the latest incarnation of that studio's driving concept, infused with a healthy dollop of Rockstar attitude.Īs such, it's a very good thing. The clues are a there - the destructible scenery, the vague approximations of major cities, the police on your back, the ambient traffic, even the pedestrian animations are uncannily similar, except this time round they're not so quick. Hang on, did someone mention Midtown Madness? By Angel Studios, the developer now known as Rockstar San Diego? Cue the sound of a penny dropping. No penalty incurred, and it's simply pointless violence. Instead of leaping out of the way - as in, say, Midtown Madness - they are fair game for your bumper, and ending their sorry lives results in no more than a dull thud, like the sound of someone kicking an empty wheelie bin. How so? Well, take the pedestrians for instance.
This is clearly evident in Midnight Club II, which bills itself as 'The Future Of Illegal Street Racing'. Following the success of their various brutality 'em ups, that would appear to be the edict of the burgeoning publisher. Oh, look at us, we're Rockstar, we're a bit dangerous. Overall the game seems balanced, cars and bikes are different and have their pros and cons, but the game suffers from some AI issues, and this is the biggest complaint about this game. There is so much to enjoy in this game, drivability is super fun, graphics are amazing, sound design is superb, driving freedom is liberating and the high-speed adrenaline-filled sensation is never-ending. This is okay, because the cars drive, and racing is extremely fun with the special moves, even if players have to suspend their belief for a moment or imagine they are watching a Hollywood movie. Impacts aren’t as make or break as other driving games focused on realism such as Gran Tourismo, or Forza Horizon. Realism here is not the main focus, instead, players have the freedom to race however they want, crash their cars or bikes, and still be able to complete the race. Midnight Club II offers players one of the most frantic, arcade experiences that videogames have ever seen. Races have multiple drivers and a winner takes your car documents model, which allows players to expand their garage and unlock new cars, racing tracks, and special moves. This was the universal challenge signal for illegal racing underground once - or at least that’s what Hollywood made us believe. Racing in Midnight Club II is as easy as meeting someone on the streets and flashing your lights at them.