Midnight Club II
Encyclopedia
Midnight Club II is the first sequel to Midnight Club: Street Racing
, published for the PlayStation 2
, Xbox
and Microsoft Windows
. Players race through cities inspired by Los Angeles
, Paris
, and Tokyo
. The game also features an online multiplayer component.
, and just like Midnight Club: Street Racing
, the city contains many landmarks, as well as numerous shortcuts and jumps. Paris
is the home to cobblestone alleyways, monumental roundabouts, and the Paris Catacombs. Also featured are a lot of jumps taking you across the river of Paris and into an alleyway. Tokyo
is a city of neon
-glittering avenues and tight alleyways, and contains an equal array of tourist sights and attractions.
It is up to the player which route to take from one checkpoint to the next. There are no artificial barriers in the game's open world
environment that force the player to stay on a specific course. Any area that is drivable or jumpable in the free-roaming cruise mode between races may be used to get to the next checkpoint.
Some areas can be driven upon that are not intended for such use outside of a computer game. Examples are escalators, roofs, railways and riverbeds and many ramps. However, many areas that would be drivable in reality, for example entrances and some stairs, are fenced off with invisible barriers. In some areas, the player can jump or drop down. Using this to the player's advantage can be necessary in order to win a race. If the car falls into deep water,the damage meter goes to its maximum stage and the car starts to overheat and the race is immediately lost.
The game features a damage model. The amount of damage inflicted upon a car is indicated by both an HUD
indicator and visual damage to the car. The performance of a car does not degrade with damage. When the damage limit of a car is exceeded, the car explodes or stalls. After a delay of a few seconds, the player can continue with a new car.
s or tail lights. Also, most of them have aesthetical modifications commonly found in the street racing
and import scene
s, e.g. spoilers
and body kit
s.
In the car selection menu, descriptions and stats of each vehicle can be seen, along with the option to choose among 4 colors. Once a car is viewed a sound effect is played in the background, which is unique to each one of them.
The SLF450X is the only original vehicle in the game. Although no stats are seen of this vehicle, practical exercises show it has the highest performance capability of all vehicles previously listed. It's capable of reaching 400KM/H+ without nitrous.
Since the game is not capable of replicating AWD
vehicles, they are only available with RWD or FWD
setups. An example of this is the Knight (based on the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII, with an AWD system in real-life), which only has the power driven to the front wheels. Moreover, the Stadt has a FWD setup instead of the MR layout of the real-life Renault Clio V6 that is based on. The reason for this is that FWD cars usually offer a more stable driving in-game with less risks to spin out
, and thus its description available in the menu states that it has formidable handling.
called it "An excellent online game that offers an ostensibly limitless amount of replay value, given the range of courses and numerous race alterations and variations". In contrast, GameNOW
, grading it a B- for the PS2 version, states "One thing about the game will really piss you off, though, and that's the difficulty. In plain English, the A.I. is fvjh
ng brutal, and if you make one mistake in most courses, you may as well restart the race".
For the Xbox version, GamePro
rated the game a 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating "Visually, the game doesn’t disappoint—lots of shiny cars, detailed environments, and lighting effects that prove crucial during these after-hours races". In contrast, Allgame
stated "The online component is addictive and is almost reason enough to purchase Midnight Club II, but solo players will be yearning for things to do in the cities outside of competing in more checkpoint races".
The game has sold 1.28 million copies worldwide on the PS2.
Midnight Club: Street Racing
Midnight Club: Street Racing is a racing arcade game, developed by Angel Studios and published by Rockstar Games. The game focuses on competitive street racing and the import scene, later popularised by The Fast and the Furious movies...
, published for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. Players race through cities inspired by Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. The game also features an online multiplayer component.
Cities
Dry, hilly suburbs and congested interstates can be found throughout Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and just like Midnight Club: Street Racing
Midnight Club: Street Racing
Midnight Club: Street Racing is a racing arcade game, developed by Angel Studios and published by Rockstar Games. The game focuses on competitive street racing and the import scene, later popularised by The Fast and the Furious movies...
, the city contains many landmarks, as well as numerous shortcuts and jumps. Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
is the home to cobblestone alleyways, monumental roundabouts, and the Paris Catacombs. Also featured are a lot of jumps taking you across the river of Paris and into an alleyway. Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
is a city of neon
Neon
Neon is the chemical element that has the symbol Ne and an atomic number of 10. Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in either low-voltage neon glow lamps or...
-glittering avenues and tight alleyways, and contains an equal array of tourist sights and attractions.
Gameplay
Races consist of a series of checkpoints, represented by columns of light. In some races, the order in which the checkpoints must be cleared is prescribed. In this case, a transparent, glowing arrow points to the next checkpoint. In other races the checkpoints may be cleared in any order. In that case, the arrow points to the nearest checkpoint.It is up to the player which route to take from one checkpoint to the next. There are no artificial barriers in the game's open world
Open world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
environment that force the player to stay on a specific course. Any area that is drivable or jumpable in the free-roaming cruise mode between races may be used to get to the next checkpoint.
Some areas can be driven upon that are not intended for such use outside of a computer game. Examples are escalators, roofs, railways and riverbeds and many ramps. However, many areas that would be drivable in reality, for example entrances and some stairs, are fenced off with invisible barriers. In some areas, the player can jump or drop down. Using this to the player's advantage can be necessary in order to win a race. If the car falls into deep water,the damage meter goes to its maximum stage and the car starts to overheat and the race is immediately lost.
The game features a damage model. The amount of damage inflicted upon a car is indicated by both an HUD
HUD (video gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
indicator and visual damage to the car. The performance of a car does not degrade with damage. When the damage limit of a car is exceeded, the car explodes or stalls. After a delay of a few seconds, the player can continue with a new car.
Cars
The vehicles in Midnight Club II all resemble real life vehicles but have subtle differences to their counterparts, such as different headlampHeadlamp
A headlamp is a lamp, usually attached to the front of a vehicle such as a car or a motorcycle, with the purpose of illuminating the road ahead during periods of low visibility, such as darkness or precipitation. Headlamp performance has steadily improved throughout the automobile age, spurred by...
s or tail lights. Also, most of them have aesthetical modifications commonly found in the street racing
Street racing
Street racing is a form of unsanctioned and illegal motor racing which takes place on public roads. Street racing can either be spontaneous or well-planned and coordinated. Well coordinated races are planned in advance and often have people communicating via 2-way radio/citizens' band radio and...
and import scene
Import scene
The Import Scene or Import Racing Scene or Tuner Scene refers to the subculture that revolves around modifying imported brand cars , especially those of Japanese brands, for street racing.-History:...
s, e.g. spoilers
Spoiler (automotive)
A spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to 'spoil' unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion. Spoilers on the front of a vehicle are often called air dams, because in addition to directing air flow they also reduce the amount of air...
and body kit
Body kit
A body kit or bodykit is a collection of exterior modifications to a car, typically composed of front and rear bumpers, side skirts, spoilers,paint jobs, and sometimes front and rear side guards and roof scoops. There are many companies that offer alternatives to the original factory appearance of...
s.
In the car selection menu, descriptions and stats of each vehicle can be seen, along with the option to choose among 4 colors. Once a car is viewed a sound effect is played in the background, which is unique to each one of them.
The SLF450X is the only original vehicle in the game. Although no stats are seen of this vehicle, practical exercises show it has the highest performance capability of all vehicles previously listed. It's capable of reaching 400KM/H+ without nitrous.
Since the game is not capable of replicating AWD
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
vehicles, they are only available with RWD or FWD
Front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
setups. An example of this is the Knight (based on the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII, with an AWD system in real-life), which only has the power driven to the front wheels. Moreover, the Stadt has a FWD setup instead of the MR layout of the real-life Renault Clio V6 that is based on. The reason for this is that FWD cars usually offer a more stable driving in-game with less risks to spin out
Fishtailing
Fishtailing is a vehicle handling problem which occurs when the rear wheels lose traction, resulting in oversteer. This can be caused by low friction surfaces...
, and thus its description available in the menu states that it has formidable handling.
Characters
Each character will cruise around the city waiting for a challenge. This excludes Moses, who begins the Career Mode, and the four champions who will seek you out after all predessors are beaten. They will talk to the player or 'think loudly' during pre-race cutscenes during which you can discover their motives, learn statistics of their vehicle, and preview their theme song.Reception
The game received positive reviews from critics. For the PS2 version, IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
called it "An excellent online game that offers an ostensibly limitless amount of replay value, given the range of courses and numerous race alterations and variations". In contrast, GameNOW
GameNOW
GameNOW was a United States-based video game magazine that was published by Ziff-Davis from November 2001 to January 2004. There are 27 issues of GameNOW in total. In addition to video game consoles like PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, and Game Boy Advance, GameNOW also covered games for...
, grading it a B- for the PS2 version, states "One thing about the game will really piss you off, though, and that's the difficulty. In plain English, the A.I. is fvjh
ng brutal, and if you make one mistake in most courses, you may as well restart the race".
For the Xbox version, GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
rated the game a 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating "Visually, the game doesn’t disappoint—lots of shiny cars, detailed environments, and lighting effects that prove crucial during these after-hours races". In contrast, Allgame
Allgame
Allgame is a commercial database of information about arcade games, video games and console manufacturers.Allgame is owned by All Media Guide, along with Allmusic and Allmovie....
stated "The online component is addictive and is almost reason enough to purchase Midnight Club II, but solo players will be yearning for things to do in the cities outside of competing in more checkpoint races".
The game has sold 1.28 million copies worldwide on the PS2.