- Title: FlatOut 2
- Platform: Xbox
- Publisher: Vivendi Games
- Developer: Bugbear
- ESRB: “T” for Teen
- Genre: Racing, demolition derby
- Pros: Nice graphics and sound, good sense of speed, tons of features, satisfying crashes
- Cons: Cars feel like you’re driving on ice, gimmick wears thin quickly
Features
The best way to describe FlatOut 2 is to just call it “Redneck Burnout”. The main attraction in both series is crashing, but FlatOut 2 has more of a backwoods feel. You can participate in various types of races including rally-style treks through the woods as well as figure 8 races and even oval tracks. There is also some street racing thrown into the mix this year. The stunt mode returns with some new minigames where the idea is to crash your car and eject the driver so they fly through the air. These stunts include bowling, basketball, baseball, and even a card game where you aim for different cards to try and build the best hand possible. You can do all of these events either in a single race or single stunt mode as well as during a career mode. The best part about FlatOut 2 is that all of the races and demo derbies and stunts are available in online multiplayer, which makes the game quite a bit more fun overall.
Gameplay
Graphics and Sound
Graphically, FlatOut 2 is actually really impressive. This game looks amazing and the promise of moving on to another nice looking locale is definitely a motivating factor in continuing to play the game even after the gameplay has worn thin. The cars range from junkers to racecars and tuners and they all look nice and the detailed damage model ensure they crash up nice as well. The tracks are the real star here, though, and they are surprisingly detailed and filled with destructible objects and great lighting effects. The sense of speed is also really, really impressive here.The sound is also well done. Engine sounds and the crunches and slams of racing all sound very nice. The soundtrack is also rather good and manages to offer licensed rock without being too much of a “these bands used to be good but then they sold out” which is what licensed music usually is.
Bottom Line
