Reviews// FlatOut 2 (Xbox)

The urge to destroy is also a creative urge...

Posted 4 Jul 2006 14:20 by
Companies:
Games: FlatOut 2
The other modes are just there for ‘arcade’ style play, although you will mostly have the best fun in the Derby modes. With the absence of the Destruction Derby series, this is the closest thing we’ve had recently that faithfully recreates that same carnage. You might even begin to play FlatOut 2 just for the Derby modes, they really are that much fun. The controls are quite sensitive, particularly when turning corners, and this can hamper the experience in a race or the Career mode, as it makes whatever vehicle you’re driving feel like a weightless balloon. These same controls are perfect for the Derby mode on the other hand, as you need the turning power to quickly avert danger or attempt a 180 spin. It doesn’t feel as loose and temperamental, which gives the impression that FlatOut 2 was built with this kind of mode in mind. A shame Bugbear didn’t capitalise on that too much really.

The only spanner in the works in this mode is that you cannot play Derby – or in fact, anything other than a straight race – in a local multiplayer. Two-player races on the same console usually end up in boredom and frustration, as players have to ‘register’ themselves every time they play a multiplayer game. No CPU opponents in multiplayer single race mode also add to the ho-hum quality of it all. It’s almost as if Bugbear added the local multiplayer on as an afterthought.

The online mode via XBOX Live, on the other hand, has been very well thought out. It’s a shame that hardly anybody uses the service outside their 360’s now, because this interface can easily rival the next generation console’s dashboard. Each player has a basic profile and you can compare your online stats with theirs to strike up rivalries. You can see exactly who is online and what they are doing, you can organise friend requests and trivialities without going back to the XBOX dashboard, and you can play ranked matches online to boost your ego and further your notoriety on the interweb. That is, if people played the game online. As it’s the only way to enjoy Derby and Stunt with more than one human player (short of passing a controller around) it’s a bit of a shame and something that should have been considered, bearing in mind it can’t be played on an XBOX 360 yet.

While there’s a few cars and tracks to unlock, and the modes will hold your attention for a bit, FlatOut 2 doesn’t have that much lasting power. It might be because it bears too much resemblance to Burnout, aggravating or endearing as that fact may be, and because you’ve been there before there’s no drive to really explore the features to the max. It doesn’t help that the modes outside the Career leave nothing to keep you coming back to them – Stunts will wear thin after you’ve played them for a bit, and the races will feel too strange to stick with. The Derby mode is really the main pull for FlatOut 2, the only mode that sticks out and screams “Look at me, I’m different, ma!” Nonetheless, if you’re a completist and a bit of a jonah, you’ll find a lot of fun and lastability within the Career mode.

[b]
SPOnG Score: B-[/b]

A classic case of a racing game that is fun to play but without enough clout to stand out and really amplify what it’s doing differently and why. In many cases, FlatOut 2 isn’t doing anything much differently – it’s the same type of races, the same type of premise. It’s a lasting experience for single players looking for an alternative racer, but the lack of multiplayer support, despite the incredible effort placed into the online mode, really hurts it. There’s plenty to do and it’s a lot of fun, but just expect to be sitting alone playing it.
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Companies:
Games: FlatOut 2

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