Game: Flatout 2 (XBox)

Now, before you go and get all excited, the only reason I'm reviewing this game is because I happened across an old notebook in which I had written down a number of notes. My XBox is still broken, so I won't be reviewing games for that console anytime soon (after this, anyway).

Flatout 2 was released by Vivendi earlier this year (August 1st, 2006). It features fun, arcade style derby racing.

So much fun with physics has never been had before (unless you played Half-Life 2), at least not in any racing game. You can play a number of mini games in which you crash and send your driver flying erratically through the air. This is fun the first few times, but quickly grows tiresome. Speaking of which, you would think the cars would handle better, considering so much focus was put on the physics. Cars seem a bit unresponsive and there is a definite disproportion of weight given to some objects. For example, a lightpole will cause your car to run off the road, but you can drive through a water tank with ease.

The soundtrack to this game will make you wish you could take a power drill to a molar. Yes, it's that bad. Good, old-fashioned, American Butt Rock has its place: in this case, in the local trailer park. Think: Blink 182 wannabes downloaded off MySpace and you'll understand. To be fair, it is an interesting contrast from better games, which typically feature way too much rap and techno. But bad Rockabilly has its place, and when you're trying to concentrate on the road, you'll soon discover the soundtrack is sort of a bizarre obstacle to your focus.

Speaking of bizarre obstacles, the environment is almost completely destructable, with open-ended race tracks that allow for multiple routes. That's the good part. The bad part is that the game is confused about goals, much like a teenager with $50 in his pocket. The game awards high-damage crashes, but you still need to win races to advance your ride. I suppose this makes for more fun gaming in groups, since losers can decide to resort to crash-up derby tactics to rack up points. The stunts are goofy and somewhat difficult to master. A combination of timing and button-mashing are required to make it work. I'm no fan of button-mashing games, especially when I'm expecting my game to be about racing. Hey, someone got their button-mashing in my racing game! Seriously, this is tough for someone who is dexterity-challenged.

The audience for this title seems to be younger kids (teens) with presumably low racing skill. People who might be amused by crashing and dirty racing. Most people who are into simulation racing games will turn up their nose at this title. This simply hasn't been made for racing afficionados. And there are even better arcade games in this same genre: can anyone say Burnout 3?

Graphics are actually better than one might expect, though I'm not sure if that was because I was playing with an XBox or not. I am curious about how this renders on a PS2.The setup is familiar, with the Career Mode and the Arcade-style quick races. Car customization is minimal. There is plenty of tuning capability, but you can't change simple things like the color! Ugh.

Personally, I wouldn't buy this title. I happened to rent it and stopped playing it after a couple of days. The Soundtrack was simply that annoying and this really isn't a racing game at all, but more of a crash-'em-up kookfest. Teenagers will love it. Adult gamers will think it's obnoxious.

Sifted: 4/10