Racing built around destruction
FlatOut 2 is a combat racing game where the track itself is part of the fight. Fences shatter, tyre walls explode, and water tanks and barrels get knocked loose into the path of other cars. Every track holds over 5,000 destructible objects, and each of the 45 vehicles has 40 deformable pieces, so the damage keeps piling up as the laps go by. When a big smash sends a driver through the windscreen, the game cuts to a rag-doll view of the aftermath. The handling runs on an enhanced version of the original physics engine, paired with faster track designs.
Playing with your group
You can race against up to 7 friends online. The game also includes LAN multiplayer modes, plus local multiplayer for sharing a screen. Beyond standard races, there are 12 rag-doll mini-games covering baseball, bowling, football and basketball, and the total count of mini-games is double what the first game offered. With 57 track combinations and a wider set of race environments, there is plenty of room to keep rotating events across a session.
Before you start
The career mode is more involved than in the original, with more vehicles to work through and more environments to unlock. Expect a game where trading paint is normal rather than a mistake, since the destruction systems are the main draw. The soundtrack features tracks from Rob Zombie, Papa Roach, Fall Out Boy, Nickelback, Wolfmother and others. Online play is available, and LAN play is a separate option, so check which one your group wants to use before you set up.