Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Midnight Club 2.. Who plays online? (PS2)

Grondar · 04-24-2003, 10:29 AM

The game isn't like GTA really.

The cities are completely open and interactive, and in that sense it is like GTA, as it allows for an incredible amount of freedom while racing (think shortcuts).

I will post a review I wrote elsewhere, as it is kind of wordy, but does a decent job of showing my thoughts of the game:

--------

I picked up the game last night. I was hyping it up so much in my head on the way home from EB that I was almost guarenteed to be let down (it always happens), but I wasn't!

I started off in cruise mode (free ride, no race, just chillin) and I was only able to select one car. It was basically a milk carton on wheels, minus the nutrition information.

However, it could get up to speed eventually and the game didn't stutter or slowdown despite the vast cityscape around me.

It was then time for the Flyers game so I left the game for a few hours. (Hey, at least the Phillies won, and against Maddux!)

Anyway, I came back later and got more into the game. I started up a career and took my milk carton out on the streets. I met a guy named Moses who apparently is the street racing mac daddy in LA. I did some into racing with him, and eventually got another car.

I was then allowed to cruise the city, with the variation that there were other racers on the roads. To initiate a race you drive up to one of the moving drivers and flash your lights at them. You usually then have to follow the racer your challenged, as they drive to the start of the race location.

This isn't a race itself, but it is nice how you are driving to the race location and not just teleported there.

The races are very varied. There are straight up checkpoint races and also races in which you have to go through checkpoints (in any order) and then go to the finishing checkpoint before anyone else. This type allows for an immenese amount of freedom, as you can plan out the best path to the eventual finish line.

I am honestly not too far in the game. The game is tough, but it's not impossible. You probably won't win most races the first time, but after losing a race you can easily restart it right afterwards (and are even given the options at the post-race screen), at which point the race sequence starts again. This speedy transition from loss to restart is great because it allows you to remember the track and with repetetion it really helps you learn the track.

It seems that when you challenge someone the following usually occurs:

[1] You follow them to the location of the starting line.
[2] You race a grid of other racers (usually 8, including your main opponent)
[3] You win, you move on (sometimes getting their car).
[4] There is another race with them, 1 on 1, in which you learn a new ability (Turbo Drafting system, for instance).
[5] You win that race and are returned to the "city" to seek out other challengers, with the newly beaten opponents car added to your "garage."

Before I forget. Online racing is sweet. There are a lot of modes, and I really only played capture the flag. It was fun, but my car was outperformed by the other racers.

The reason being that you can only use the cars and cities you unlock offline, online, and therefore if you don't do well offline, you won't have the phat rides to compete online.

It is a nice transition that rewards you for your offline abilities, and allows you to take the offline aspect of the game online. I experienced no lag, and no slowdown, even with 8 other human racers on the screen.

The first city you race in is LA, and that is all I could access online (as I haven't beaten LA yet). There are 3 cities in the game (LA, Paris, Tokoyo) and the "better" cities reward better cars.

The game also has a 2 player mode, which includes many game modes, and non-existant slowdown. I played capture the flag with my friend, and we didn't know what to do, as we neglected to read the instruction manual.

The graphics in the game are very pretty. The cars aren't real, but you will be able to tell which cars they mimic in real life. The damage system is impressive. Initially I didn't think damge was really in the game, as I only saw minor dents.. Then I took a bad turn while entering a "dry river" and rolled my car down the entire embankment. Let's just saw damage is indeed present, and very nice. It seems real time to, and not "pre-determined." What I mean there is that you will see your car get messed up in different ways, and you won't always have a dent on the same part regardless of where you collide.

The sound in the game is high quality. Your car has a radio (think GTA, but with tracks instead of stations), and you can easily switch songs by using the left and right directional buttons (analog steers). The music is a mix of rap and electronica. One of the "audio tracks" you can select is "Off," which is nice as you don't have to pause the game to just hear sound effects and no music.

The game is deep. There are 3 cities, a lot of cars (and motorcycles), and an entire new game to be found online.

You can edit tracks for online play, in that you set your own checkpoints throughout the city, so the possibilities are nearly endless. Also, you can edit every aspect of online games, including car type allowed, game played, and car color. This game should have a huge online following, as it is clearly the best PS2 has to offer, maybe across all genres.

If you skipped my rambling and just scrolled to the last paragraph, then all you need to know is that the game is good. It is worth a purchase, even if you don't have a cable modem (required for online play). It is very deep, the cities allow complete freedom (think shortcuts through broken storefront windows), and this is very likely going to become the best racing game I have ever played.

It is difficult, yes, but you will become better with time, and if you get frustrated just jump online for a game of capture the flag.

04-24-2003, 10:29 AM	#3 (permalink)
Grondar Junkie Location: Pa, USA	The game isn't like GTA really. The cities are completely open and interactive, and in that sense it is like GTA, as it allows for an incredible amount of freedom while racing (think shortcuts). I will post a review I wrote elsewhere, as it is kind of wordy, but does a decent job of showing my thoughts of the game: -------- I picked up the game last night. I was hyping it up so much in my head on the way home from EB that I was almost guarenteed to be let down (it always happens), but I wasn't! I started off in cruise mode (free ride, no race, just chillin) and I was only able to select one car. It was basically a milk carton on wheels, minus the nutrition information. However, it could get up to speed eventually and the game didn't stutter or slowdown despite the vast cityscape around me. It was then time for the Flyers game so I left the game for a few hours. (Hey, at least the Phillies won, and against Maddux!) Anyway, I came back later and got more into the game. I started up a career and took my milk carton out on the streets. I met a guy named Moses who apparently is the street racing mac daddy in LA. I did some into racing with him, and eventually got another car. I was then allowed to cruise the city, with the variation that there were other racers on the roads. To initiate a race you drive up to one of the moving drivers and flash your lights at them. You usually then have to follow the racer your challenged, as they drive to the start of the race location. This isn't a race itself, but it is nice how you are driving to the race location and not just teleported there. The races are very varied. There are straight up checkpoint races and also races in which you have to go through checkpoints (in any order) and then go to the finishing checkpoint before anyone else. This type allows for an immenese amount of freedom, as you can plan out the best path to the eventual finish line. I am honestly not too far in the game. The game is tough, but it's not impossible. You probably won't win most races the first time, but after losing a race you can easily restart it right afterwards (and are even given the options at the post-race screen), at which point the race sequence starts again. This speedy transition from loss to restart is great because it allows you to remember the track and with repetetion it really helps you learn the track. It seems that when you challenge someone the following usually occurs: [1] You follow them to the location of the starting line. [2] You race a grid of other racers (usually 8, including your main opponent) [3] You win, you move on (sometimes getting their car). [4] There is another race with them, 1 on 1, in which you learn a new ability (Turbo Drafting system, for instance). [5] You win that race and are returned to the "city" to seek out other challengers, with the newly beaten opponents car added to your "garage." Before I forget. Online racing is sweet. There are a lot of modes, and I really only played capture the flag. It was fun, but my car was outperformed by the other racers. The reason being that you can only use the cars and cities you unlock offline, online, and therefore if you don't do well offline, you won't have the phat rides to compete online. It is a nice transition that rewards you for your offline abilities, and allows you to take the offline aspect of the game online. I experienced no lag, and no slowdown, even with 8 other human racers on the screen. The first city you race in is LA, and that is all I could access online (as I haven't beaten LA yet). There are 3 cities in the game (LA, Paris, Tokoyo) and the "better" cities reward better cars. The game also has a 2 player mode, which includes many game modes, and non-existant slowdown. I played capture the flag with my friend, and we didn't know what to do, as we neglected to read the instruction manual. The graphics in the game are very pretty. The cars aren't real, but you will be able to tell which cars they mimic in real life. The damage system is impressive. Initially I didn't think damge was really in the game, as I only saw minor dents.. Then I took a bad turn while entering a "dry river" and rolled my car down the entire embankment. Let's just saw damage is indeed present, and very nice. It seems real time to, and not "pre-determined." What I mean there is that you will see your car get messed up in different ways, and you won't always have a dent on the same part regardless of where you collide. The sound in the game is high quality. Your car has a radio (think GTA, but with tracks instead of stations), and you can easily switch songs by using the left and right directional buttons (analog steers). The music is a mix of rap and electronica. One of the "audio tracks" you can select is "Off," which is nice as you don't have to pause the game to just hear sound effects and no music. The game is deep. There are 3 cities, a lot of cars (and motorcycles), and an entire new game to be found online. You can edit tracks for online play, in that you set your own checkpoints throughout the city, so the possibilities are nearly endless. Also, you can edit every aspect of online games, including car type allowed, game played, and car color. This game should have a huge online following, as it is clearly the best PS2 has to offer, maybe across all genres. If you skipped my rambling and just scrolled to the last paragraph, then all you need to know is that the game is good. It is worth a purchase, even if you don't have a cable modem (required for online play). It is very deep, the cities allow complete freedom (think shortcuts through broken storefront windows), and this is very likely going to become the best racing game I have ever played. It is difficult, yes, but you will become better with time, and if you get frustrated just jump online for a game of capture the flag.