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ome on now, let's be honest. We've all secretly dreamed of driving a large vehicle through a built-up area without shall we say, due care and attention. Haven't we?
Well here's your chance, because Midtown Madness 2, Microsoft's recently launched sequel to a game regarded by many as the finest in its genre, lets you do just this in a huge variety of vehicles, including some nifty sports cars and—crucially for those of us that understand size IS everything after all—heavy vehicles.
The action takes place in two venues, London and San Francisco, which are closely enough mapped to satisfy. Bath have distinctive challenges: London's river, bridges and cobbled streets contrast with the famous hilly slopes, bay scenery and raised freeway of San Francisco.
You get to drive loads of dif ferent vehicles, including the Freightliner Century bonneted tractive unit, the American LaFrance Eagle fire-fighting truck with equipment-laden trailer (laden, that is, until you go around the first corner a mite too fast), the London double-decker bus and the San Francisco City Bus. For those of you who actually want to win one of the many races, however, there's also the Ford F-350 Super Duty pickup and a huge variety of... ahem... cars, including the Mini Cooper, Audi 11, Volkswagen Beetle RSi, Aston Martin 087, Panoz Roadster, and even the Ford Mustang Fastback (letting you re-enact Steve McQueen's stomach-churning car chase from Bulktt). Not all the vehicles are available straight away, though; some require "unlocking" by winning a few races or completing the basic training.
The training involves a series of tutorials as a black cab driver in London or a stunt driver in Hollywood, and covers all the main manoeuvres you'll need, including handbrake turns, jumps, losing a tail and trashing other vehicles.
When you get on to them, there are three main modes of race: "Blitz" involves passing checkpoints against the clock; "Checkpoint" allows you to race again a group of computer-controlled opponents through checkpoints; and -Circuit" involves lapping one of the many city circuits against computer opponents. The common thread is pushing your pedal to the metal and to hell with the consequences.
Our personal preference, however, is "Cruise" mode, where you aren't actually racing at all—just cruising freely through the streets looking for bridges to jump, glass-fronted buildings to destroy, impossibly steep gradients to negotiate and police cars to taunt.
In all the driving modes you can maximise or minimise police, pedestrian and traffic densities and choose time of day and weather conditions. However hard you try, though, the one thing you can't do in Midtown Madness 2 is hurt anyone. Pedestrians flatten themselves against walls as you scrape down the pavement past them and perform amazing acrobatic feats to get out of your way in the open. so you simply can't hit the blighters.
Fortunately, destroying inanimate parts of the environment is much easier, and telephone boxes, rubbish bins, postboxes, burger stalls, street lamps, trees and shop fronts are all fair game—as are other vehicles you encounter, It's highly satisfying, it must be said, to turn around and pummel a police car that simply won't leave you alone until its body parts are strewn over the tarmac and its lying in a disabled heap, smoking heavily. Shame there's no action replay facility.
You can opt for various views when driving, though the most realistic is the dashboard view, which puts you firmly behind the wheel. Switch on the rear mirror option and map, honk your horn, and away you go.
In the end it all adds up to a highly enjoyable, if not terribly realistic, driving experience. The feeling of speed is certainly there as long as your PC Is up to it, and the handling of each vehicle is distinctively different. The screams and shouts of indignation of pedestrians and other drivers as you tear past them (and sometimes over them) all add to the party.
So, if this is the stuff your dreams have ever been made of, Midtown Madness 2 is definitely worth checking out. And if it isn't, go and see a therapist RM