Midnight Club II (PC)

Why bother going round, when you can go under?

The original Midnight Club game was a PS2 launch title, but that didn't make it any good. In fact, it was merely average. The game was one of those "OK, but nothing special" games that every console gets at launch, and in order to just play something, it inevitably gets bought. Thankfully, Angel Studios, now renamed Rockstar San Diego, have improved on the game with the sequel, imaginatively called Midnight Club 2, and decided to bring law breaking to other lucky souls who own something other than a Playstation 2, and went multiplatform.

There are many options available in this, the PC version, including online modes more often seen in First Person Shooters and other, more standard fair.

Wanted: 1.6 GB

Los Angeles, the land of Wierd hair and plastic surgery.

The game comes on two CD's and takes an absolute age to install, swapping CD's half way through, then putting the first CD back into the machine in order to play it. The game itself swallows 1.6GB of your drive space with total impunity. Once done though it's easily forgotten, but as games get larger, the option of a big game on DVD might be an idea? Almost every new machine purchased comes with a DVD drive, and many users have upgraded their own machine with one.

Once the initial loading screen has passed you get to tweak the options, graphics modes and detail levels to suit your machine, but it all moves very quickly if you're not too ambitious with the settings, so getting a good frame rate isn't a difficult thing to do. Once you've selected your desired graphics and controller options it's on to the game modes. Arcade, Career, Cruise and online multiplayer are your options, and I'll run through each in turn.

Follow the arrow

Oh no, the police! like they stand a chance against me!

Arcade is exactly as it says. Checkpoint racing within a set time limit, or to set the fastest time is what's going on here, all standard arcade fodder, but with a little bit of variation. Often the races will be totally open, i.e. you can run through the checkpoints in any order you please, as long as you get them all before anyone else. This adds a nice variation to the checkpoint race and it's not uncommon to take a different route to the A.I. and end up with them driving straight towards you as they've run the checkpoints in a different order to you.

There's a rather large arrow at the top of the screen that indicates the closest checkpoint to you, but that doesn't mean you should automatically go straight for it. Having a look at the map can do wonders here as your Nitrous boost is best used on long straights as turning corners when it's boosting you to over 200mph is just not possible.

Come on, son, get yourself a career

The next checkpoint rises like a see-thru skyscraper so you can't miss it.

There are also timed lap and checkpoint modes, and you have to complete either before your opponent or opponents or before the timer runs down and you can also play solo games against the A.I. instead of other human opponents online. The main trouble with the arcade mode is that's it's very limited to begin with, and the other unavailable options will become available through the time if you've completed the level featuring the track in the career mode. Whilst this may encourage the player to try the career mode, it doesn't give him any choice. You HAVE to play the game in career mode to progress in arcade mode.

The solo A.I. battle modes are Detonate, where you have to try and collect the detonator and take it to the trigger point at which time all of your opponents will experience a fiery death as their gas tank explodes, indicating that someone other than yourself has managed to take the detonator to the trigger point, killing you. Only the holder of the ring is exempt from this carnage. Icons are available and these do various different things, just like Super Mario Kart.

Some of the options are rather sadistic, but still huge fun to us. Weapon icons ranging from the Disruptor, which alters the view of the race by distorting it, Stop, which makes all your opponents immediately slam on the brakes for a few seconds, and also a similar thing called "Go" available which de-activates the brakes and engages the accelerator for a few seconds, often causing a rather large explosion. Also available is Reverse Steering, Stealth, Quad Damage and the usual mode that makes the tyres of your opponents car immediately lose traction and all grip.

Have car, need race

Too many crashes, especially into oncoming traffic, will wreck your car

Career mode is just that, start at the bottom, a fairly slow car with some body mods and you're soon searching for your first street racer to take on, These are clearly marked on your little HUD map in the corner, and getting them to race is very easy. Flash your lights a couple of times and a slightly mad chase ensues as your soon-to-be opponent takes you to their own part of the city where their 'track' is laid out. Following them is supposed to be hard, (and is on the Xbox version) but they never drive at full speed and turn round corners easily, so keeping up is no problem. It's more of a sedate country drive with your granny in her Morris Minor than illegal street racers sizing each other up.

Once you have raced against your opponent (and sometimes his/her friends also) and win the first 'round', then you get a chance to race for your opponents pink slip, or car ownership documents. Winning this race allows you to jump into your opponent’s car and claim it as your own. Find another street racer, and it's off to another part of the city for a different race and more pink slip races after winning the first round.

Changing lanes is allowed

Crashing into a gas station will cause a large explosion, destroying your car.

Sonically everything is above average, but only just. The cars still seem a bit tinny and weak with engine noises that don't seem to match what your car is about to do, or has just done, and the same applies to the graphics. Suitable dark and moody with excellently detailed streets, houses and the Petrol Station are the order of the day here with fast moving vehicles and other drivers going about their business in an orderly fashion, cutting across your path and changing lanes without warning.

On some occasions being broadsided by a rather large truck did little for my chances, but it's actually possible to drive between the trucks main wheels and the trailers rear wheels, and on some races this is really the only way past.

Only the best survive online

The arrow points to the nearest checkpoint. Note the police helicopter.

The game play itself is not bad at all. Some slightly annoying points are the large and un-adjustable deadzone built into the game. I have to really 'saw' at my wheel in order to keep it on the straight and narrow making controlling your car, especially when boosting using Nitro slightly worrying. This, coupled with the limitations of the hosted online games with all the best cars and fastest motorbikes mean that unless you host yourself and specify car type, to stand any chance of taking part in the online racing and winning is solely dependant on either cheating or playing the game an awful lot. As more games are sold, hopefully this will balance itself out, but I reckon there'll be more cheaters than people who have played the game right through to get the fester cars and 'bikes.

It's certainly a solid effort, and as it's not just a PS2 exclusive, it should be just what your average Max Power reader will love to death.