Midnight Club 2

by Rockstar Games

Product Features

• On the streets of Paris, Tokyo and Los Angeles, a group of notorious drivers race on city streets, behind the wheels of the latest performance-enhanced cars & bikes. You are now a member of this Midnight Club, and are trying to reach the top of your ranks!
• There are no rules here -- use any route, shortcut or driving technique it takes to make it to the checkpoint first
• Incredible new vehicles, driving physics and mechanics for white-knuckle racing
• Compete against the computer in Story Mode as you win the pumped-up rides of your opponents
• Master the evasive tactics you'll need to avoid law enforcement and still come out ahead in the race

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005BTCC
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches ; 1.6 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: April 10, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,584 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #49 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Racing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Midnight Club II builds on the illegal street racing fun found in the PS2 launch title Midnight Club. Like that game it pits you against street toughs in non-linear street races, all for bragging rights and access to better and more sophisticated rides. New in Midnight Club II are the police and the ability to drive a motorcycle.

The game begins with you in the charge of a slob named Moses. He acts as tutor, teaching you how to control your beater car and how to use power-ups, as well as offering overall moral support. He teaches you how to go about the business of the game: earning new gear such as Nitrous Oxide, new cars, and even new controls. The award of new controls later in the game show how you're a novice driver at the start but by the end you're a pro who can land on all four wheels after a jump, expertly control a power slide turn, and much, much more.

Much of the game consists of cruising around three large and well rendered cities: Paris, Tokyo, and Los Angeles. You don't just challenge someone to a race or sign up for an event and show up. Instead you get a map and have to follow a red dot. The dot is a rival racer. Once you track and chase him down, you flash your high beams and then you can race him. It's a clever way of giving you a warm up, keeping you immersed in the game, and best of all, teaching you the layout of each city.

Racing is fun, fast, and furious. This isn't a simulation, it's an arcade-style racer--but the physics system is internally consistent so it feels more "realistic" than it actually is. Rockstar has put a premium on keeping you in control, keeping the thrill-factor high, and giving you a heart stopping sense of speed. The graphics are fantastic and the cities are incredibly detailed. As a counter-point, the voice acting is just plain awful.

Midnight Club II offers a wide range of game modes ensuring it will be playable for a long time to come: career, mission, and a mode that lets you just jump into a race. Multiplayer is possible in hotseat mode, but it also supports Internet play. Internet lag is bad over dial-up modem (PS2), but broadband players (Xbox Live or PS2) will find the game silky smooth. All of this makes Midnight Club II a great addition to any videogame racing fan's library, but a must for online fans.--Bob Andrews

Pros:

• Great physics, intense action
• Excellent graphics
• Plenty of game modes, including broadband multiplayer

Cons:

• Poor voice acting

Product Description

Midnight Club II takes you to the streets of the world's biggest cities, to experience the future of illegal racing! Four-person multiplayer action to keep your adrenalin pumping

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything a Racing Game Should Be!, April 13, 2003

By 

E. F. Williams (Charlottesville, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Midnight Club 2 (Video Game)

Without a doubt, Midnight Club II is the best racing game I've ever experienced. Take the thematic elements of MC-I (it's only redeeming quality), add the graphics and highway speeds of "Extreme Tokyo Racer II", then throw in a pinch of 2-wheel action, and you've got one slick recipe for yet another Rockstar hit.

I was skeptical of buying this game at first, since I had purchased the first Midnight Club (for $20), and was wholly unimpressed. The gameplay and environments seemed so one-dimensional, and the only thing that I found to be redeeming was the fact that I didn't have to learn new controls when I switched from the GTA series. However, after looking at Rockstar's incredible flash website for the game, that skepticism was quickly banished.

I just bought MC-II yesterday, and I am thoroughly thrilled with every aspect. The graphics of the race vehicles alone are a vast improvement over the first; however, there's more. The virtual environment, in terms of realism, is leaps and bounds above most racing games I've played. Unlike MC-I, the streets aren't just long avenues adorned with solid rectangles, painted to look like buildings. You have gas stations, parking lots, and even the "Los Angeles River" (the large concrete drainage aqueduct). I can't wait to unlock Paris & Tokyo! My favorite improvement, in terms of environment, is the freeway/highway racing. This is what MC-I was missing...whereas Extreme Tokyo Racer was missing the "urban" element, and was all highways. This combines the two, and the rush you get from weaving in and out of congested urban areas, then opening up the throttle on a freeway, is mucho intense!

The AI for the pedestrians and other non-race vehicles is an improvement, but the real gem is the AI for your opponents. They never do the same thing twice, but they seem to keep an overarching racing strategy in mind, one that changes and improves as you advance further in the game.

The player controls are much better, as is the heads-up display. Nitrous Oxide tanks are unlocked after the first race; you only get one boost per race. After a few more races, SST (SlipStream Turbo) is unlocked. This allows you to draft another racer (follow closely) until you light up the SST meter and fly past him/her. Another fantastic improvement is weight transfer. In cars, this allows you to self-correct any in-air pitching or rolling. However, the real fun comes after you obtain the motorcycle. If anyone has had the pleasure of riding the PCJ's in GTA Vice City, you will be blown away by the Cohete! Using weight transfer, you can pop wheelies, slouch down to cut wind resistance, and make sharp turns without having to slow down. It takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, it's very hard to go back to the old 4 wheels...what a rush!

I haven't gotten the Network Adapter...YET! I plan to very soon...but for right now, this game continues to blow my socks off. As with Vice City, I have nothing negative to say about this game. Midnight Club II is, quite simply, an exhilerating, addicting experience that, unlike the first one, does not lose its charm. And I'm sure that network play holds much more promise. Basically, this is everything I wanted from a racing title, and more. Enjoy!

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Midnight Club 2...., April 19, 2003

By 

blackaciddevil (in the USA somewhere.....) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midnight Club 2 (Video Game)

Other than Need for Speed:Hot Pursuit 2, I've never played a racer with a greater sense of speed, on the Playstation2, than Midnight Club 2. Rockstar San Diego(formerly Angel Studios) kept their promise when they said that MC2 would be alot like The Fast and The Furious. With a hip-hop/techno soundtrack, ingenoius track designs, and absolutely stunning vehicles to race with; MC2 is a force to be reckoned with. The icing on this baby, though, lies in the Track Editor and Online Play...wherein the possiblities for racing are practically endless.
My only gripe is, at times, there is almost too much speed and the tracks can be insanely difficult. In LA alone, I clocked in some serious playtime trying to get past those tracks. One thing is for sure, though,...it's deeply satisfying when you do win a race. This is Street Racing at its' finest and every racing fans' dream. I could go on for hours about just how good this game looks and plays but the best thing for me to do is recommend you give Midnight Club 2 a shot. You won't be disappointed. It's one of the Upper Tier Racers out there for the PS2 and definitely worth having in your PS2 library.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, But Not the Best, April 11, 2003

By 

C. Conard "ExtremeAvalanche" (Fort Collins, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midnight Club 2 (Video Game)

I had very high hopes for this game judging by the screenshots, and movies. When I bough MCII, I was pleased, but a little disappointed. First of all, there are three cities totalto race in, Paris, L.A., and Tokyo! Sounds fun, right? Right, except that you have to work your ... off to earn Paris and Tokyo. Only L.A. is available at first. What a bummer! Another problem is the opponents you face and the challenges they give you. You are ALWAYS the major underdog. It's like the Bulls vs. the Nuggets in the NBA, except now it's in a video game with street racing. Don't be surprised to find yourself trying race over and over again. On the other side, the cars are pretty cool, and the city graphics are VERY slick, much better than even those in Vice City, Rockstar's other famous title. Two-player is pretty nice, but I find the lack of games modes to be a train wreck! This game is way better than the first MC, but it is NOT the best racer on the PS2. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit is! Overall, if you are a big fan of racing titles or big city environments, then you may find Midnight Club II worth your investment. Once you gain access to Paris and Tokyo, the game is awesome. Especially in Paris, the landmarks are everywhere, the graphics are some of the best in a racing game, and the cities become an all-out funfest to explore! You won't hardly want to race anymore. it is very open-ended, much like GTA Vice City. My Rating-8.9!