GENERAL: (I’ll be using an actual PS2 controller with a PS2-USB adapter for testing purposes because I still haven’t found a regular PC controller that I like.) I didn’t have any problems with the installation as far as extra nonsense programs trying to install themselves. Also, there wasn’t any of this nonsense:

It’s a small note but I’m happy that they just don’t bother with a serial number.

The game is meant for a controller but not at the expense of keyboard functionality. If you do use a game pad, it will have to have at least 8 buttons to cover all of the functions. Either way, the controls are uncomplicated and responsive. The menu system is straight forward, simple, and polished. I didn’t have any problems using ALT-TAB to jump out of the main menu area or the game itself to the desktop and back again. The graphics are on par with the Serious Sam 2 engine as far as great looks with good fps even at high detail settings. You can race in three circuit types that cover off-road derby action to souped-up ricemobile street racing. The levels load up pretty damn fast (average time for small levels was about 1 sec., larger ones about 2-4 sec.) and are nicely detailed.

GAMEPLAY:

To be fair I’ll say that it’s not exactly a Burnout rip-off. It is primarily an arcade style racing game in which you are rewarded with nitro for smashing into other cars and background junk. By nitro I mean NOS and by NOS I mean Liquid Schwartz because the use of this stuff distorts space/time and sends you hurtling toward the finish line or your own doom at ludicrous speeds. So far Flatout 2 does look like a carbon copy of the later Burnout games, but there are a few extras that separate it from the EA franchise series.

The demo derby feature is pretty much my selling point. There aren’t enough options for continuous single player fun, but I could see a person going back to it now and again. It’s simple and dumb but makes for a good time.

The racing aspect of things is classic arcade goodness that is challenging but in a fair way; you won’t run someone into a tree only to see them pass you five seconds later.

There are also some decent side games that challenge you to eject the driver of the vehicle into various targets. This isn’t as much fun as in might sound but it’s entertaining enough.

MULTIPLAY:

I had some problems with this part at first. I connected to the Gamespy host to get a list of available servers but when I asked it to find specific game types, it crashed and gave me an error message about the game’s EXE file. I tried to play online several times with the same results. After waiting a few days and trying again the problem seems to have fixed itself and I’ve had a lot of fun with it. As to the reason for the crash issues, it doesn’t appear to be a local problem so I wouldn’t expect others to have trouble.

SUMMARY:

It’s a fun, distracting game that runs smoothly and looks good. If you like anything related to arcade smash fest car games, you’ll enjoy this one. The online gaming is probably the largest source of the replay value for the derby smash-up goodness. Pick this one up for $20 and you won’t be disappointed.

-Baron has been a writer for Shakefire.com since 2006.  Contact him at baron@shakefire.com

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