• Site: FlatOut 2
• Publisher: Virtual Programming
• Developer: Bugbear Entertainment
• Genre: Sports

By Brad Cook

The water canals are a harsh mistress. The route begins between their dry concrete banks, emerging among scrub-grassed housing dotted with palm trees and continuing through a decrepit downtown area before returning to the canals and their graffiti-riddled tunnels. Opportunities abound to use well-timed nitro bursts and leave your opponents behind, but overeager drivers can easily find themselves slamming into the side of a building or a guard rail and catapulting through their windshields.

Behind the wheel of your high-end Venom, you drive as recklessly as possible, filling your nitro meter by smashing into other cars and plowing through traffic cones, fences, and various movable objects. A pair of drivers take the lead briefly in the final lap, but a nitro-fueled burst across downtown rooftops and an adrenaline-soaked leap onto the street below give you first place again. You manage to knock one car into the side of a building, taking it out of commission.

Your nitro meter is dangerously low, but you opt not to risk going after the other car and potentially crashing. You pick up some extra nitro by taking a shortcut through a store, shattering its windows and scattering its merchandise, and it proves to be just enough to fend off the competition and eke out a first place finish.

Exponential Destruction

Exhausted, you slump in your seat. Then you realize this was just the first race in the Sunday Smash Derby cup, one of eight cups in the derby class, which is one of three classes in FlatOut 2. Once you master the derby class, you’ll move on to the race and street classes, where more cups await. The races become more difficult as you progress through a class, culminating in a final series of competitions where the rubber really hits the road. After you complete all three classes, six intense races comprise a grand final. In all, you’ll race on more than 40 tracks spread across urban and rural environments.

Between races, compete in stunts, free-for-all demolition derbies, and single races. The stunts consist of 12 mini-games in which you catapult your driver through the windshield at just the right angle to complete an objective, such as knocking down bowling pins or hitting the right playing cards to build the best straight flush possible. You can nudge his or her flight in mid-air, but doing so reduces airspeed. Each stunt consists of a certain number of attempts, with points earned per try. The driver with the most points at the end wins.

The stunts, derbies, and races feature seven computer-controlled drivers with unique personalities. Jack Benton is currently the best driver on the circuit, and he’s not afraid to take risks as he defends his standing. Ray Carter could easily challenge Jack’s position, but he’s too laid-back to try hard enough — unless the mood strikes him. Sally Taylor is usually happy-go-lucky, but if you hit her car too often, she’ll come after you with a vengeance. You’ll learn the rest of the drivers’ personalities as you play through your career. Don’t be surprised if all of them take advantage of the many alternate routes scattered throughout the tracks.

No Brass Cannons Here

You pocket cash from each race, stunt or derby, depending on your success. The drivers who cause the most damage to other cars, inflict the worst hits, wreck the most scenery, and post the fastest lap time earn bonus money. Use your winnings to buy more vehicles and upgrade the bodies, engines, exhausts, gearboxes, suspensions, tires, and brakes in your current ones. There are 34 vehicles in the game, with six more available via cheat codes, as detailed below.

All of the upgrades affect your car in different ways, typically by making one aspect of it stronger while downgrading something else. In FlatOut 2, as in real life, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Outta the Way! Each car has 40 deformable parts, including tires, doors, and hoods. You may not recognize yours by the end.

Clean-Up in the Parking Lot. One of six arenas where you can smash and crash until your car is the last one running.

I Fell Through a Burning Ring of Fire. Propel your driver through as many blazing rings as possible to earn a big score.

If you liked this game, check out:

• Colin McRae Rally Mac
• Ford Racing 2
• Need For Speed: Carbon
• Redline
• ToCA Race Driver 3

System Requirements:

• Mac OS X version 10.4.11
• Intel processor
• 512MB of RAM
• 128MB video RAM (ATI X1600, Nvidia GeForce 7300, or Intel GMA X3100)
• 4GB hard disk space
• Broadband Internet connection required for online play