I have found a racing experience so deep, so rich, so maddening and addictive, that forcing myself to put the PS2 controller down inspires a reaction not dissimilar to Chris Rock’s crackhead in New Jack City – shaking, short temperedness, and a desire to get back to my addiction as soon as possible. Midnight Club 2 is that enjoyable. How did I get to this sad state, you ask? Read on…

I wasn’t expecting much from MC2 – I had purchased the original way back in the PS2’s release heyday, and wasn’t impressed. The graphics were shiny, but bland, and the overall racing experience wasn’t much more than a hopped-up Midtown Madness on console. After a few plays, I had traded it in towards something else. So when Rockstar announced a sequel, it’s safe to say that I wasn’t exactly wetting myself with excitement. Then information started trickling out – the superior design of the tracks compared to the original, proper implementation of motorcycle racing, better-tuned artificial intelligence for the opponent racers, improved character design, and the holy-grail of console gaming lately, online play.

Now, while racing against others online was an intriguing bullet point for the back of the box, it’s not a real selling point in my book unless implemented correctly. Crap played online just means you’re sharing the crappy experience with several people. Well, my skepticism was unfounded – Midnight Club 2 is the best racing experience on console to date, and the best multiplayer racer since Sega introduced Daytona Racing to arcades years ago.

Let’s start with the tracks. MC2 has three different cities for you to race in – Los Angeles, Paris and Tokyo. As you’d expect, progressing from race to race, city to city gets harder and harder the further you go, and the track design between cities differs between each of them in varied and interesting ways. Most races involve a checkpoint system, but since you’re in a city, it’s up to you to find the best route to win. Alleys and jumps all provide shortcuts for the racer who’s aware of his or her surroundings, and multiple routes present themselves to the gamer who wants to succeed. In fact, the single player experience is crucial to online success, for it is those racers who know the back streets best that usually come out on top. The reward system in place is truly satisfying, especially when you’ve beaten a frustrating set of AI opponents who always seem to know how to pip you at the post.

The AI itself has improved greatly since the first game – racers don’t all take the same paths, and it’s often to your benefit to follow certain opponents to see where they go when the greenlight is given. For each race, there is a specific personality who sees you as a rival, verbally challenging your skills and pushing you to become better. You’ve got the LA gangster, the Brit, the cute Asian girl, the fiery Latino and others – all play off the typical stereotypes you’d expect, and add a lot of personality to the proceedings. Watch out during the race though. They take no prisoners, and if you should be so bold as to bang them around during the race, they’ll take note, spewing vitriol in your direction. None of the opponents are above taking a few sideswipes at your vehicle should the opportunity present iself, either, so be warned.

There is a veritable car dealership’s worth of vehicles to collect, all of which can be used in both single and multiplayer racing only when they’ve been unlocked. It’s worth taking the time to progress through single player as much as possible before taking a spin online, because everyone else will have the high-powered vehicles, making mismatches commonplace unless restrictions have been placed by the host machine. Motorcycles, hemis, and tons of sports cars await the race fanatic, providing that real “Fast and the Furious” atmosphere – minus Ja Rule, thankfully. Each vehicle has their strengths and weaknesses regarding weight, acceleration, control and overall speed, and the smart racer will take those into account before each race. Some races demand balls-out speed, others more maneuverability and it’s important to choose accordingly. Also, certain special moves such as peeling off at the light or hopping up on two wheels are unlocked as you progress with cars, wheelies and the like for motorcycles. In fact, motorcycle racing here is the most satisfying yet, with the ability to use weight transfer to fine-tune the control on your crotch rocket. Lean down into turns, use aerodynamics to gain speed or wheelies to whip down straightaways in style – once you learn how to use it, you’ll be hard pressed to play any other motorcycle racer. And that’s coming from a guy whose a dyed-in-the-wool Road Rash fanatic.

MC2’s music is well done and suits the atmosphere perfectly, but this is Rockstar, after all. I recognized a couple of artists from Grand Theft Auto 3, and found many others that were good enough to listen to on their own, even if I’m not playing the game. Engine sounds provide a throaty, bassy note to the proceedings – and it’s great on my system.

Online play is truly where MC2 takes racing to the next level, however. As a broadband-only enterprise, I’ve never experienced lag in the many races I’ve completed online – it’s been as smooth and jitter-free as the single player game, and this speaks volumes to the solidity of Rockstar’s net code. You can set up checkpoint races, end to end city races, even a cruise if that’s more your speed, and limit entry to certain classes of vehicle if you so desire. There are weapon icons that can be introduced, and while I prefer to race without them, using the option doesn’t turn the game into a glorified version of Mario Kart, thankfully. All of the choices are put into the hands of the players, and that’s the way it should be. There’s USB keyboard support, so trash talking in the game lobby is not only allowed, it’s encouraged. Those of you without a keyboard can map certain phrases to your buttons, so everyone has a chance to express themselves.

My only real complaints with the game? Vehicle detail could be better – it’s improved over the first, but not to the extent that everything else has. Also, I wish that regular traffic was implemented in the online game. Setting up accidents for other racers to plow into is sweet in single player, and I would have loved to see that in the online experience as well.

Overall, Midnight Club 2 is the best racing game I’ve played in months, and anyone looking to release a title in this genre now should look long and hard at what Rockstar’s been able to pull off here. This is how a sequel should be put together, fixing what was wrong with the original and bringing a great new experience to the table. The new standard has been set – and Midnight Club 2 is it.