FlatOut... Oh—that's that rip-off of the Burnout series, right? WRONG. After playing FlatOut 2, I can vouch for the fact that this is not just a Burnout rip-off. The extreme mayhem, elaborate areas, and overall chaos of FlatOut 2 is a joy to behold, and in my book, beats the pants off of Burnout.

Racing in FlatOut 2 is non-stop fun. You can break through nearly all of the objects that you see on the screen. The races can become some of the craziest you'll ever have a chance to play. Crashing your car into others can be rewarding—and actually gives you points. You'll have to be careful not to hit a stationary object though, as your driver will fly through the windshield (which in and of itself is sweet).

The racing isn't perfect though—it does have its flaws. The AI is very difficult and annoying. It's basically impossible to hold a position for longer than half a lap, and the nitro does not seem to do much at all. You'll be fishtailing all over the place if another car so much as nicks your bumper. Thankfully, you can simply press a button to be transferred to the track right away if you crash or lose control and run amuck.

The more races you win, the more money you'll get to upgrade your car. You'll be able to improve your looks, acceleration, top speed, and others. It's good motivation to win, because if you don't upgrade, you'll have trouble continuing to win.

The graphics look fantastic for an Xbox title. The damage modeling is spectacular, as you'll lose parts and see every little dent throughout a race. The detail is wonderful. Environments are also awesome in this game. You'll see the mayhem unfolding around you, and feel it too. Pieces of wood and glass will fly by, cars will collide with you out of nowhere, and did I mention you can run over just about anything?

The sound in the game is great, apart from the music. It consisted of a lot of harder rock and emo songs. So if you like those, you may enjoy it. It lacks variety, but will suit some rocker and emo fans.

Arguably the most fun part of FlatOut 2 is the minigames. These involve you doing various things that make you launch your driver through the windshield.The mini-games include sports such as Baseball, Soccer, and Bowling, to other games such as Stone-Skipping, High Jump, and Ring of Fire. These games are so crazy that they are addicting, and you'll want to keep getting better.

FlatOut 2 is a blast to play. Apart from some of the AI troubles, there is really nothing wrong with this game. It is a great title that has variety, character, and great graphics and gameplay to go along with it. If you are a racing fan, you must pick this up.