62 out of 62 people found this review helpful.
It's time to get even with the crazy drivers out there!
Date of Review: May 26, 2000
I don?t know what traffic is like in your city, but in Denver it is getting very bad. It seems that one of the downsides to having one of the greatest economies in the country is that people move here from other parts of the country. They, unfortunately, bring their own nasty habits of driving with them.
What was ten years ago a pristine city that took 20 minutes to transverse now is smog-filled and takes nearly an hour to get across.
People cruise through red lights like they?re going out of style. They make U-turns where none are permitted. They race down city streets. They cut through parking lots to avoid red lights.
Simply speaking, they drive like maniacs.
There I am, looking at them, wondering where the cops are, and screaming What are you doing?!?!
I know that if I was to do what these nutty drivers did, I would either cause a huge accident, live with the guilt or I would get myself arrested for causing an accident resulting in death. I?d then get sued for everything I have.
I don?t want some lawyer taking away my Epinions royalties!
Let your imagination run wild, though ? just for a second. Wouldn?t it be fun to drive through a major city without worrying about anyone else?s safety? Wouldn?t that be a great way to vent some frustration and stress?
Microsoft gives you the opportunity to be that *&^%$#@ behind the wheel with their smash-hit game Midtown Madness.
Midtown Madness takes place in downtown Chicago. Never having been to downtown Chicago, I can?t tell you if the scenery is real or not, but it appears to be realistic. You are shown a map of the city, and are able to navigate down streets and even an interstate highway.
You are given the opportunity to drive several vehicles, including a Panoz GTR-1 racer, a Panoz roadster (a neat little hot-rod), a 1967 Mustang Boss 602, a 1999 Ford F350, a Cadillac El Dorado Touring Coupe, the new Volkswagen Beetle, a 1999 Ford Mustang GT, a Freightliner semi truck, and a city bus. You can even pick the car?s color.
If you?d like, you can even be a cop.
These vehicles come with somewhat realistic physics that you, as the driver, must contend with. Each vehicle has certain advantages and disadvantages you must learn about or you will suffer the consequences. As an example, the VW Beetle is able to out-maneuver almost every other vehicle, but isn?t the sturdiest vehicle on the street. The city bus can smash through just about anything (think of the movie Speed) yet is very slow and cannot corner well. The Ford Mustang GT is fast, but is rear wheel drive and therefore harder to control. The Ponzer street rod is very maneuverable, very fast, but can become a total loss in next to nothing.
The total loss of a vehicle is just about the only barricade you?ll run into with Midtown Madness. You are encouraged to break just about every traffic law there is as you try to win the race. This includes taking out plate-glass windows and driving inside a shopping mall (remember The Blues Brothers?) or cutting across a city park to shave off a few blocks.
Of course, driving like a maniac has its disadvantages. First of all, your car does sustain damage. When you take out a traffic light post, your vehicle sustains some damage. When you cruise down a sidewalk and strike parking meter after parking meter, your car sustains damage. As you smash into your competitors and innocent drivers, your car sustains damage. When the damage becomes too severe, your race is over.
Second of all, the police aren?t too keen on making the streets of Chicago your personal racetrack, and they will hunt you down, smash into you, and try to arrest you. As the game progresses, the cops become more and more aggressive and can really hinder your performance.
To start off, you are allowed to pick the Beetle, Cadillac, city bus, Ford F350, and the roadster. All other vehicles are locked until you win races. As you win more, you are unlocking the next set of tracks and every so often get another vehicle to drive.
There are five modes of racing in Midtown Madness. You can choose from racing the clock, doing checkpoint races, city-circuit racing, on-line racing, or are given the opportunity to cruise the streets at your own leisure in a practice mode.
My favorite race is the checkpoint. Each race consists of various flags you must reach before you can go on to the next checkpoint. The object is to be the first car through each of the flags and eventually win the race when you reach the finish line. Your race is against six computer-generated opponents.
A green arrow tells you where the next flag is located. However, the green arrow doesn?t tell you the shortest route to that flag. You have to smash your way through traffic, back alleys and shopping centers to shave off seconds.
In order to win a race in amateur mode, you must be one of the first three vehicles through the flags and to the finish line. In professional mode, you must actually win every single race.
Even in amateur mode, this is easier said than done.
The first two races are a cinch. I finished #1 in my first attempt. I was worried I wasted my money on this game.
At the third race, it took me close to 20 tries to come in third. The fourth race took longer. The fifth even longer. The game got progressively harder and harder, but was still a lot of fun.
This game currently sells for $19.99 at Best Buy, CompUSA and Circuit City. It has been on the market for roughly a year, and no longer fetches the $39.99 price tag it once had.
About the only other game I could compare Midtown Madness to is the Carmageddon series, and that?s not even a true comparison. Midtown Madness is based on somewhat realistic racing, while Carmageddon is based on crush, kill and destroy, with the race being ancillary.
This game does not compare whatsoever with the Need For Speed series.
In conclusion, I would definitely recommend Midtown Madness as a great way to kill some time and have a lot of fun in the process. It has been a long time since thinking became part of gameplay in a race-simulation game.
When you cut those drivers off, be prepared to have people yell Whaddya doin?!?!? at you in that Chicagoland accent!
