LGR - Midtown Madness 2 - PC Game Review

I love this game. I really love this game. I truly love this game. Did I mention how much I love this game? :) For me, Midtown Madness 2 is more than a PC racing game; its an addiction. From the moment I got it I couldn't put it down, and for the longest time I would play at least once daily. The crazy physics and unrealistic scenarios make it a must have for my collection - it's the kind of Arcade Racer I enjoy to the fullest ^_^ I came about both Midtown Madness games quite unexpectedly. Back in 2001 I went to this wholesaler in Van Nuys, CA for a look-see (the owner would go to various auctions and state sales to buy anything he deemed worthwhile to resell); the place had no real name and everyone that knew about it called it Suite 321. As I was browsing the computer software section I noticed some unopened boxes in a corner; I asked one of the employees and he said to go ahead and open them. Four boxes had the usual productivity and utilities stuff; the last one (big and heavy) had a bunch of CD games. Most of the ones on top I already had (Warcraft, Doom 2, X-COM: UFO Defense, Half-Life, MDK 2, Unreal, etc.), when I got to the bottom however I noticed several Racing Madness and MM2 CDs. Racing Madness was shrinkwrapped with a shiny Sony VAIO logo across the front; MM2 only had generic shrinkwrap and some minor stains and scratches on the jewel cases. Neither game had a price sticker. I grabbed one of each and asked the same employee about them; he went to get the owner. He told me Racing Madness came from a software bundle for Sony VAIO desktops, while MM2 came from a warehouse that had been flooded in a storm and all the game boxes were badly damaged; the CDs were taken out, unwrapped, inspected, and the good ones were rewrapped and offered to him for resale. I made him an offer for both on the spot; after a bit of haggling we agreed at $35.50. I went home with a smile on my face - a smile that got bigger and wider as I played both games for the first time :D :D I still have Racing Madness and Midtown Madness 2; don't play them as much as I used to, but when I do I have this silly grin that won't go away for a while and also relive the days when I first got to try them out. <a href="http://i.imgur.com/prbVyh4.png" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://i.imgur.com/prbVyh4.png</a> <a href="http://i.imgur.com/Ng787y2.png" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://i.imgur.com/Ng787y2.png</a> <a href="http://i.imgur.com/S1BEWs2.png" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://i.imgur.com/S1BEWs2.png</a> They're a bit the worse for wear nowadays but that's just fine with me. It's evidence of how much use both games have had over the years. PS: Thank you very much for reviewing both Midtown Madness games Clint, I thoroughly enjoyed watching both and became a subscriber to your channel and a Patreon supporter as a result. I've already watched about half of your videos and every time I do some wonderful memories keep coming back. Keep up the good work (and keep cheering up this old PC gamer '^^').

Me, my brother and my old man all use to love sitting down and taking turns playing smugglers run and midtown madness three. Brings back alot of good memories.

Nice! That's a neat little package filled with (arguably) all the best games in the Madness series.

LGR

Seeing your Patreon page, it seems you stuck with playing racing games! Do you have a particular favorite?

LGR

Excellent! I hope it was worth the wait.

LGR

Indeed! Always makes me happy to see old school game communities still going strong. Although, Doom's is still going, so I guess it's not the most unheard-of thing now that I think of it :)

LGR

I bought Racing Madness on eBay, which includes Monster Truck Madness 2, Motocross Madness and Midtown Madness. Unfortunately the postage cost were a little high since I could only get an import copy, but hopefully it'll be worth it.

Caleb Bott

This game was my childhood. 3 year old me would play this all day.

I remember this game. There were a lot of mods for it that added other cars and atuff

Jessie Cook

You have no idea how happy I am to see that you've finally made this review, been waiting for it for a long time now! ^^

A tad disappointing to see that it was a glorified expansion pack (with downgrades) - but honestly, it's always inspiring to see a game still have a community, and mods, patches et al… after 17 years.

Rob Caporetto

Not a bad game. I am not sure that I will go through the effort to get it though.

Rush is still one of my favs from that era. Dreamcast port was excellent!

LGR

Realistic physics? You sure about that Mr. Developer? I don't believe cars are supposed to flip like that. You mention damage models to cars... and it reminds me of San Francisco Rush. How the cars used to crumple up in various ways depending on where/how you wrecked. And blowing up after taking one too many wrecks? Glorious. :P

The Enforcer

Still one of the only games I'm aware of that comes with one :)

LGR

I think the double decker has got to be my favorite. :D

Mintaka