![]() ![]() Getting to the finish line first is secondary, and in fact seldom happens the real winner is the one to trash everyone else, running over pedestrians on the way for extra profit. It was conceived and developed by Stainless Games, published by SCi and released Novemon PC & Mac. ![]() The framework is a futuristic race inspired by Deathrace 2000 and The Cars That Ate Paris: The contestants, in sport cars, monster trucks, and other motorized abominations, are placed on a track, a real populated area. Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now is the second of a series of graphically violent driving-oriented video games. In case you need to be told, this game sends the politically-correct-o-meter flying towards absolute zero, perhaps only beaten by Duke Nukem 3D. Whether this is a good or bad thing pretty much depends on how you liked the first. Carmageddon II isn't the most ambitious game you'll ever play, but chances are it'll be one of the more enjoyable games you've tried lately.Carmageddon II is essentially more of the same. What you're left with, then, is a game that isn't serious at all but instead offers a fun and colorful, albeit predominantly red, environment to drive across, through, or over. But the game isn't all that difficult, and a little perseverance should get you past any roadblocks, metaphorical or not. That's not to say it never gets annoying because of the linear race progression, you'll sometimes get stuck on a timed mission objective that you'll have to replay until you get it right. And because the collisions rarely force you into a frustrating situation, and the physics model is so open-ended, and there are so many silly power-ups, Carmageddon II ends up being entertaining for a long time. Thankfully, you can magically repair or recover your car at the touch of a button, and for a price. You'll find yourself in all sorts of incredible and ridiculous wrecks, often with those hapless pedestrians at the center. ![]() Either objective is made both challenging and enjoyable thanks to the wacky hyperrealistic physics model behind the game that has cars careening through the air and against buildings and one another at the slightest invitation. You can race around the track past a series of checkpoints through several laps and end a race, but you'll often find it easier (and a lot more fun) to total all the enemy cars vying to do the same. Like the first game, you don't need to follow too many rules. In any event, you'll probably be too wrapped up in the game to be bothered. Unfortunately, the other sound effects in the game are only fair, as pedestrian screams and steel wrenching against steel all start to get repetitive fast. And the carnage is set to the perfectly appropriate music of the quintessential heavy metal band Iron Maiden, as well as a few guitar-heavy instrumental pieces that, while they aren't Maiden, aren't bad. You'll pick up dozens of different power-ups that affect the innocent bystanders in absurdly hilarious ways: They'll explode when hit, pop and fly away, dance in place, stumble like drunks, have huge heads, turn huge altogether, turn tiny, turn fat, turn tall, turn skinny, turn completely immortal - you name it. But if the country can embrace a foul-mouthed and foul-mannered prime-time cartoon show, then it's ready for Carmageddon II. Were it not for the rather plain-looking tracks and a frame rate that can falter even on high-end systems, Carmageddon II would look entirely excellent. They'll come apart at the seams, go flying through the air, burst into blood and guts, and worse as you careen into them in every which way, earning money for each and every kill. But now the pedestrians, comprising a cornucopia of humans and wildlife, join their hunters in the third dimension, which unlocks a world of gory, new opportunities for the player. Then again, the cars in Carmageddon always did look good, although the same couldn't be said for their targets, the lowly pedestrians who were mere 2D sprites in the first game and didn't look right against the 3D cars. They're not real cars, but they look real enough, especially when you smash them (or into them) and they crumple and crack in all the right places. The three dozen-odd cars are meticulously detailed and wildly creative: You get to drive and destroy everything from a tricked-out '70s low-rider sporting front-mounted jackhammers, to a muscle car crossed with a World War II prop plane, to a dragster, to a dune buggy, and much more. You'll need to be at least a little mean-spirited to truly appreciate them, but Carmageddon II's graphics look good by any standards. However, if you're not adverse to a little lowbrow humor and a lot of violence and mayhem, you'll find plenty of action and still more fun in the visually refined sequel. Well, if you're the sort to play a game and apply those skills you've just cultivated to your real-life routine, then not only should you not come anywhere near Carmageddon II, but you should probably just be locked up somewhere safe. The original Carmageddon was banned in Brazil for inspiring road rage. ![]()
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