Motocross Madness 2 is not unlike other sports titles in the fact that its modes are divided up into several different divisions/events within the sport itself. Some of these events have carried over from the original, but the final list for MCM2 is quite impressive. In addition to the older Baja, Nationals, and Supercross events, Rainbow Studios has thrown in two new modes that both add their unique play styles and tracks to the mix. One of these new events is called Enduro Racing; these events take place in outdoor interactive racing areas that range from farms to trailer parks. Each of these tracks has series of mobile and immobile obstacles to either avoid or utilize during the race.

Pro-Circuit racing is probably the biggest mode in the game, and also offers the most possibilities. In Pro-Circuit racing mode players can begin a racing career as a rookie and work their way up through all the events in the game. As a player gains wins they can buy new equipment as well as new bikes. The bike selection in Motocross Madness 2 is quite large, and the actual performance of these machines can vary due to player's preference as well as event layout. I myself ended up picking the bike with the lowest whine to its engine, some of the bikes have some really high-sounding engines.

Rainbow Studios has crafted a very beautiful game. The detail found on the bikes and their riders is very sharp and matches the detail found on other objects found in the game. The landscaping alone, however, is enough to get most people excited. The rolling hills and the barren deserts have been reproduced with all the unique qualities each type of environment possesses. Each track (and there are a lot of tracks) is populated with all types of foliage, rocks, roads, train tracks, buildings, cars, and other riders, but this is all done to a convincing degree. While this sounds like a lot, for the most part things do not become a hindrance to the gameplay, but just another extreme challenge to deal with.

The tracks/areas are insanely large, and this is well complimented with the sheer number of these tracks. Each event has its own set of large and detailed tracks, and the attention to overall detail is never lacking. I spent a lot of time during practice races just riding my bikes through drainage ditches and over bridges. I even managed to use nearby ramp to jump my bike onto the top of an oncoming train. The idea of racing is enforced, but the tracks were clearly designed to be open ended.

There is a slight issue when the somewhat stunt friendly physics meet the realistic environments. This doesn't cripple the game, but it does make things a little bit more difficult. Despite the very intuitive control system, the player can be airborne and out of control by putting a little too much pressure on the gas. Most of these problems only really crop up during the more confined events like Supercross, but this doesn't mean it cannot be controlled. What this situation introduces is a somewhat steeper learning curve on certain events. Players will need to learn to adapt their riding styles to each event and be more careful when dealing with terrain obstacles.

That aside, the control system as a whole is pretty tight. It can be a little loose during certain situations but the system's overall simplicity is what gives it a boost. Getting into the game is easy; doing well in the game is a bit more difficult. The comforting part to all of this is the AI isn't carrying the Superman gene. The AI will often crash in certain spots and fall victim to a lot of the same things the player will. Of course this changes in accordance with the difficulty setting but I think a great balance was struck with the AI in Motocross Madness 2. Players will more often lose a race to careless riding, than positively evil artificial intelligence.

In summation, Motocross Madness 2 clearly expands a great deal upon the original with Enduro Mode as well as the all-encompassing Pro-Circuit Mode. Beyond this, MCM 2 obviously reached a new level of detail and presentation that easily lets it stand out as one of the more beautiful titles of this year. While the game may prove difficult at first thanks to a few inconsistencies in the physic model, I think the wealth of options and gameplay experiences to be had easily makes up for it.