FlatOut returns to the Xbox after an oh-so-short break. In fairness, this is of no great shock after the surprise success of FlatOut last year. Although the racing was solid and the destructible environments complemented the free-for-all racing that it delivered, it was certainly the rag-doll physics and crazy mini games that got the game into a lot of homes by giving the experience a unique edge over its competitors. So, it was with a fair dose of apprehension that I picked up FlatOut 2, fearing an EA-esque repackaging of the exact same game. Wasn't it to my surprise then that when I turned the game on for a closer look at the bodywork and an inspection under the hood, I found that Bugbear had delivered a complete overhaul rather than a slight tweak of the same engine. Given the short amount of time between FlatOut and its much sleeker sequel, one has to praise developer Bugbear for getting the job done and delivering a far superior game to that of the original. That's not to say this game is by any means perfect, but it has at least given itself a chance of standing out in an overcrowded genre, while surely giving Bugbear the opportunity to push the series forward onto next generation consoles in the not too distant future.

As you have probably already guessed then, FlatOut 2 is a pretty fine game and superior to the original in nearly every respect. Although the free spirited nature of FlatOut remains, the whole experience has been streamlined and given a coat of gloss that wasn't apparent first time around. One negative however from all this is the fact that rather than a game standing by its own premise, it now feels largely like just another competent racer, very much in the mould of Burnout: Revenge. Sadly, as with nearly every other racer in the genre, this raises unflattering comparison with Criterion's pack leader. In fact, many of the new features added to the game, combined with the glossy presentation from the off, you may well think you're playing an EA game, with the pointless character profiles on loading screens and the pop-up boxes as you race, informing you which run of the mill rock band is accompanying your brutal race to the finish line. That aside however, as a game in its own right, FlatOut 2 brings more than enough new material this time around to warrant another slice of stock car racing fun.

A wealth of options are offered right from the start, from a greatly expanded and improved career mode to immediate multiplayer action, including an impressive four player split screen mode and a very entertaining eight player option over Xbox Live. Fans of the original will also be very happy to hear that the mini games are back, this time with a few other inclusions, giving you the opportunity to smash your rather unfortunate driver through the windscreen at a multitude of different targets, or just the floor, if you're feeling particularly vicious. The main bulk of driving and single player career is split into three different classes - Derby, Racing and Street - each with their own unique set of cars to smash, giving immediate variety to the gameplay, as well as the available environments. Combine this with the already mentioned mini-games and the inclusion of the always entertaining Destruction Derby and you are soon to realise that there is a lot on offer here, and certainly more than most other racing games in the genre.

The general gameplay in FlatOut 2 is a big improvement over the original. For starters, the cars handle surprisingly well for a game that encourages such disregard for your car and driver's safety. It certainly is a step in the right direction after the very floaty handling of its predecessor. The handling is generally tuned to encourage full speed at all times, be it hurtling down a straight or hurtling into a wall. For most of the race, you will find that there is little need for the brakes, with the emphasis instead on power sliding around corners, much in the same way as OutRun or Ridge Racer, i.e. let go of the accelerator briefly as you go into the turn, then slam it back on to line up your car going into the next straight without ever really losing that much speed in the process. Okay, so the power sliding here is nowhere near as slick or polished as in those aforementioned titles, but it certainly works with the game's architecture and allows for some pretty breathtaking speeds once you get going. Combine this with the return of the nitro boost, almost unchanged from the original, and you can really pick up some speed and smash through the abundance of destructible environments in a way akin to a modern day blockbuster action movie.

As mentioned previously, some of the free spirited racing of the original has been lost in FlatOut's transition into mass market hopeful, with a greater emphasis on scripted moments of mass destruction on the course, rather than the more random rubble found scattered around the dirt tracks of the first game. However, this is no bad thing, as there are still large sections in which you can run off track to find your own route and the damage caused in earlier laps remains in place as you come around for the second and third time. These routes may not be as subtle as they were first time around, yet they are certainly more exciting, as huge jumps and destructible environments are found at nearly every turn. Inevitably this leads to many races feeling more staged and scripted, however this can be forgiven when complemented with the much more expansive and detailed level design, which catches the eye as you blast through pretty much everything in sight.

The destructible aspect of the courses has really been raised up a notch this time around and certainly matches games such as Full Auto for on-screen carnage. Sadly, however, this is also one of the aspects in which the game fails to live up to its premise; although there are often huge amounts of debris to drive through, especially come the final lap, the physics of the rubble lets the experience down, as only the largest items of debris feel like they are slowing you down in any way. This largely takes one of FlatOut 2's potentially strategic strengths out of the gameplay, instead leaving drivers with the only option of ramming other cars like in Burnout. However, this is something Bugbear would have done well to sidestep, as it again draws unflattering comparisons with the superbly refined balance of Burnout's risk and reward system.

One really can't look at FlatOut 2 without looking at what made the original so popular. The mini-game aspect has really been given a shot of adrenaline this time and now includes a much greater range of 'stunts' to pull off, although stunts is not the word I would use to explain shooting your driver out of the car's windscreen, usually hundreds of feet into the air or through rings of fire, more times than not leaving the poor rag-doll fellow in a rather painful looking pile on the floor. It's pretty much just more of the same in this department, with a very golf like drive, set angle then watch as your driver, often hilariously, goes through the inevitable motions. There is the added after-touch system now in place, which allows you to control the movement of your hapless avatar as he glides through the air. Sadly this has not been implemented well into the gameplay and feels like something quickly added just so Bugbear can say that they have at least attempted to improve and add to every aspect of the gameplay.

Although the inclusion of all these extra events does feel like stretching a simple premise to its limits, it would be unfair to say that not nearly all of the new additions are a huge amount of fun, especially when played in small doses or with a group of friends. The high jump and darts mini-games make a welcome return, along with all new stone-skipping, which is probably the best of the bunch, along with baseball and soccer, to name but a few. Needless to say, the variety, as with most aspects of this game, is quite staggering. The actual precision it takes to be successful at many of these events should also be noted. It would work if, like Super Monkey Ball's famous mini games, the player is eased through the learning curve of a low to an eventual high score; however, FlatOut 2's mini games are instead still very all or nothing and can become annoying once the initial laughter of seeing your driver nosedive into the ground wears off.

To add to the package is the inclusion of the always enjoyable Destruction Derby and a host of very simplistic racetracks, usually a figure eight or oval, to encourage the largest amount of destruction in the shortest amount of time. As you would expect, the destruction derby and the continual repetition of the same style tracks don't hold your interest for as long as you would like, but with a decent array of different looks and styles available to what are essentially the same tracks, an effort has certainly been made to keep you hooked for as long as possible.

In-line with really pushing for FlatOut as a marketable brand name in its genre, there has been an unsurprising improvement in the graphics and overall presentation. As mentioned previously, there is certainly an EA-like feel to the proceedings, with flashy, well-designed menus and an overall higher production value. The cars are very well designed, and the damage is modelled quite impressively. The damage however does not always feel specific to the kind of hit taken and instead seems more random, hence working only aesthetically. This damage does look good though, and adds to the feeling that you are truly driving in a brutal event. The tracks also look a lot more detailed this time around and are generally a lot more expansive; destructible items around the track break and explode in an entertaining manner and are always easy on the eyes.

Sadly, there is still a pastel look to the game, much like there was in the original. Although very detailed, you can't help but think that it always looks a bit blurry, kind of like a next generation Nintendo 64 game. This occasionally makes it difficult to know which way to go and can see you driving straight into a wall that you thought was going to be destructible. Generally though, given that this title has come along near the end of the current generation, it certainly does not look out of place next to the other big hitters on the market and has some nice lighting effects up its sleeve, as well as an impressive sensation of speed. It does, however, come a pretty distant second on the looks department when put next to Burnout: Revenge, buy hey, so do most other driving games as well.

Much like the graphics, the sound in FlatOut 2 is usually of a pretty high standard. The engines roar with a reasonable amount of bite and the environments are destroyed with a bang. Sadly, however, with a game so fixated on destruction, you really have to feel like they could have turned it all up to 11. When houses fall and walls collapse you want the screen to shudder, as the remains smash into the ground behind you, giving you a real feeling that you are causing some high level mayhem. Instead, you are left with a just appropriate enough crash for your completely reckless endeavours.

One area that the sound effects really let the game down are in the mini-games. This is a real disappointment, as you will probably find yourself cursing the lack of atmosphere surrounding the uber-violent Olympic-style events. The commentator sounds a million miles away and the rocket-powered engine of your stunt car just does not growl like you feel it should. The other aspect of the sound is very much going to be down to personal taste. It is like Bugbear have stolen the soundtrack from Burnout and stuck it straight into FlatOut 2, with pop up boxes for song and band titles still intact from the move. You can expect an array of pop, rock and punk that moves along at a nice pace and actually quite suits the style of the game, plus it is a definite improvement on the gangsta rap soundtracks that you find in most other racers at the moment.

As with most games of this kind, the multiplayer aspect is essential. With an abundance of mini-games and the way in which they suit multiplayer party matches amongst you and your friends, it is here that the game most shines. Although fun on your own or as part of the career mode, the mini-games, that so much of the original's success rode upon, really do come into their own when played with friends. You just never seem to get bored of watching your friend's driver continuously nosedive into the dirt, catching an array of pylons with face and torso on his way to the solid asphalt. With the wide variety of these mini-games available, it will be this that takes up the most of your time when sitting around the TV with friends.

Although the multiplayer racing also fares quite well, when pushed to a four player split screen race it is hard to make out where to go with the in-game details taking a real blow. However, Xbox Live certainly changes all that. A game such as this is perfectly suited to the kind of mayhem that can be created when all eight cars are controlled by real people. These races do tend to get pretty violent, as players barge relentlessly for their piece of the road, but this again works to remind you of some of the missed opportunities in FlatOut 2; none more so than the poor physics of the debris that litters the racetrack. There would be few things more gratifying than stopping a pursuing racer in his tracks as a barn house crushes his car after you had driven through the bottom floor. Still, these are still very entertaining races and usually run at a very smooth pace, given the amount of destruction often on screen, and so you're going to have a lot of fun with it online.

There's no disputing that FlatOut 2 is a very big improvement over the original and will surely secure the series into the next generation of consoles. It may not be quite in the same league as Burnout, but it certainly has enough charm and variation to be considered a real contender, one that may begin to catch up with the market leader given a next generation sequel and a little more time to iron out the creases. For now however, it is a great little arcade racer that holds more than enough challenge, with a plethora of options and surprisingly realistic handling, plus of course its unique brand of destruction and mini-games, and is most definitely worth taking for a spin - just make sure you put your seatbelt on! Or perhaps you shouldn't, as seeing your driver taking a dive out of the windscreen just never seems to get old…

Reviewed by Liam Pritchard for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).