Midnight Club II was originally programmed for console systems, and this is evident in the game's control scheme.  If you're going to play the game by using your keyboard, be prepared to spend a little time trying to map the keys to a configuration that works for you.  You'll need to make use of more than gas, brake, and steering keys to win at Midnight Club II, there are also keys for the handbrake, turbo boost, and high beams to name a few.  You'll really want to play the game with a gamepad or steering wheel controller.  

Graphically the game looks good, but thanks to its console roots does not match the best looking games available.  Another factor in this is the fact that the entire game takes place at night, so naturally the graphics look dark throughout the entire game.  Where the game really excels is in conveying a sense of speed.  You'll really feel that you are tearing down city streets at over 100 mph during races, and when you hit the turbo things really speed up.  In many racing games you need to keep an eye on the speedometer to judge how to approach a turn, but in Midnight Club II you'll be able to tell from watching the screen whether or not you'll be able to take the next corner without bouncing off the side of a building.

In addition to the career mode, Midnight Club II also has a free ride mode which allows you to drive through the game's cities and explore their streets.  It's a great way to look for shortcuts and learn the layout of the streets before racing down them.  You can also set up any type of race that you want by specifying the race type and setting the checkpoints, essentially giving you an unlimited number of races for each city.  Finally, you can play the game against other players over the internet.  In addition to the race types available in the single player game, multiplayer provides a couple of capture the flag games.  The first plays like your standard capture the flag game, where you must capture the opposing team's flag and return it to your base.  You can steal the flag from a car by hitting it with your car.  The other mode is called Detonate, and is a game in which players race to pick up a bomb and take it to a detonator.  Adding to the excitement in these games are a variety of power-ups that wither give you an advantage (extra turbo boosts, etc.) or give you a chance to stick it to the competition.  Reverse steering, a distorted screen, and X are a few of the dirty tricks available in the game.  These multiplayer games can be fun, but are not in and of themselves enough of a reason to buy the game.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 86%.  Overall Midnight Club II is one of the better arcade racers available for the PC.  However, its difficulty will make it too frustrating for some gamers.  If you like your racing games to deliver plenty of speed and challenge, then you'd do well to join the Midnight Club.

System Requirements:  Pentium III 800; 128 MB RAM;  32 MB Video RAM; 4x CD-ROM;  1.6 GB Hard Drive Space;  Mouse.

« Page 1 of 2