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Flat Out 2 is by far my favorite racing game that I’ve played in recent years, even better than my wonderful NASCAR games. The game is pretty much straight forward, you beat and bang your way to the front and then your goal is to stay there and boy is it fun doing so.

There are a handful of different modes that the gamer can play, single race, derby, career and the mini-game mode. The career mode puts you behind the wheel and sends you off on a career of beating and banging cars until they are nothing more than scrap metal. It works in several different levels and you don’t have to win every race in order to advance to the next stage either, which makes things so much easier.

Each level in the career mode is broken down like this. There are three sub-levels in each level. Once you’ve advanced passed all three of these sub-levels you unlock the next level of the game. Each level also allows access to bigger and badder race cars as well, making upgrading your ride very important.

Next up, and my personal favorite, is the destruction derby. Is it just me or is utterly destroying people’s cars just an awesome way to spend an afternoon? The derby’s are just like you may (or may not) remember them from the old dirt track’s. You’ve got to get momentum built up and then SLAM into another car. Eventually you’ll damage another car enough to eliminate them from the derby.

That, however, is not how you win the derby (oddly enough). The derby winner is determined by a points system which I think makes no sense what-so-ever. If you’re the last car standing you are the winner, how easy is that to comprehend? Apparently not as easy as I would have thought, but hey, a derby is still a derby.

The game also has a built in timer that prevents you from just hiding in a corner of the derby map. If you don’t hit another car in about 45 seconds then you are DQed and you get to watch the rest of the derby from the sidelines. Maybe its just me but I loved the derby part of the game, it’s a blast and kept me busy for a few hours the first time I played it.

The mini-games from the original Flat Out also make a return appearance in this game. The developers (Bugbear Entertainment) added a few to the game as well, bringing the total up to 12. Mini-games such as bowling, poker, stone skipping and even curling are now part of Flat Out 2. My personal favorite is poker but maybe that’s because I’m a closet Texas Hold’em junkie.

The biggest problem I had with the game is the handling of the cars, it took some getting use to. I struggled to get the hang of the slipping and sliding that happened when the I took a turn in the dirt. I learned after some time that I needed to save up nitro, which you get by bashing the heck out of the other cars on the track, for the turns so I can get up to speed faster.

I also learned that the trucks in the game tend to handle better and thus can turn better. They pay the price in the speed department, however, as the cars in the game have a considerable edge in speed. That’s what upgrades are for! A few select upgrades and your truck will be able to keep up with even the fastest car, trust me I know.

Also, for the record, the crashes in this game look AMAZING. If you somehow end up sitting sideways on the track you may as well restart the race because when another car hits you its gonna destroy your racecar. It will send you flying and barrel rolling down the racetrack in a matter of seconds (which is also fun as heck to watch).

The sounds of the engines are also very well done with each car having a different sounding engine which makes them very unique. Buy a truck and it will sound heavier and thicker, while if you purchase a car the engine will be quieter and smother. Hearing the engine pick up the next gear is that much more satisfying when smashing your way through the leader though, trust me.

This game is by far one of the finest racing games I’ve played in recent times. I can’t imagine how the racing is with a friend. The amount of destruction you can create in this game is sometimes jaw dropping and it is well worth the price. You can now pick this one up in the discount bin at Wal-Mart and if you find it I HIGHLY suggest getting it, you won’t be disappointed.