At the Vivendi Universal Games Pre-E3 Press event last week I was able to sit down, buckle up a seatbelt, and observe the progress of Empire Interactive and Bugbear Entertainment's FlatOut 2. This update in the popular racing/destruction series of FlatOut games should be available around late June for the PS2, Xbox and PC. The hands-on demo I was being shown was for PS2 and looked damn good, though I wish I could have seen an Xbox or PC version as well. No matter though, crashing and racing cars translates well in any medium!

For this go-round, destructible objects on the racing tracks, as well as "crash hotspots", which lend a sense of the environment being dynamic and also reflect the punishment that tracks will take during a typical race. Featuring a total of 60 racing tracks, the mind begins to boggle at the racing and destructive possibilities available in this title. The tracks are spread out over a variety of exciting and unique locations in the USA. Also, with FlatOut's physics and damage modeling system, the punishment your chosen vehicle will endure will be shown in great detail. If you're the sort of person whose guilty pleasure is a good NASCAR pileup, then get ready for some fun.


Speaking of receiving vehicular punishment, the game's AI is really looking to give it to you while racing. In Racing Mode, the AI for your opponents' cars is varied and different enough that distinct personalities and driving styles shine through nicely. As a result, you should feel like there are seven different people with you on the track during your races. This is accentuated by the insults they toss your way during tangles on the track, or as they blaze by you with a honk and a wave.

Fighting back with something from your arsenal is actually a favorite activity of mine while playing racing games; there are also alternate routes to find on the tracks during the races, which should cut down on the time it takes you to finish the race. These provide fun gameplay options as well; a player will really have to weigh in the factor of risk vs. reward when deciding whether or not they want to use the alternate routes.

Another snazzy feature is the ability to earn cash during races that will pay for vehicle upgrages and/or new cars which can be kept in the garage until they are needed for upcoming races. Money is earned by performing spectacular crashes or stunts. There are three classes of confirmed cars: Derby, Street, and Race. The Derby vehicles are rugged looking, built to take and give punishment to foes, Street vehicles are all slick-looking and seem like vehicles you would expect to see in The Fast and the Furious or a dedicated car magazine, while Race vehicles are the purest machines available for flatout racing because they feature tight cornering and fast engines. There is a fourth class of vehicles, but it's only available in Stunt Mode…one of the weirdest mini-games ever invented.

Stunt mode, better known as the popular "driver ejecting mini-games" from the first title, returns with twice the number of events over the original. FlatOut 2 features twelve of these mini-games (six from FlatOut and six more for this entry), for both solo and online play. Some of the stunts included trying to send the driver into a giant basketball hoop, hitting certain giant playing cards in order to build a great poker hand, getting the driver to hit a giant baseball bat (which launches him back towards his point of origin) and maneuver him into a glove for points, as well as other entertaining scenarios. In total, there are 5 different cars available to eject your driver from for the mini-games.

In terms of multiplayer, there will be online play for up to 8 players (PC and Xbox Live; PS2 Online has a max of 6) to compete against each other. There will be Destruction Derby, Racing, and Stunt mode for players to engage in. With such a variety of modes, and the inclusion of the wacky yet oddly appealing driver ejection mini-games, FlatOut 2 should be a worthy successor to the throne.

- Supermonkey