Midtown Madness for Windows

Screams from people in the streets, cars racing by without hesitation, running red lights, cops chasing you, and you don't care. Now you know what it is like to be driving a vehicle in Midtown Madness.

I have fallen in love with this game. It is so addictive and it is no wonder after you read the above statement. I enjoy the fact of a racing game with literally no rules. If you want a game with attack and fun, then buy this game.

I will explain to you some of the features of this game, and also what is generally asked about a game before anyone ever considers buying it.

Object of the Game:

The object of this game is very simple. Smash through everything in your way, run red lights, and ignore the police as you try to outrun the others to the finish line. The game is based upon the greatest road rage America has ever seen. As you are racing you can find shortcuts through back alleys, over bridges, and though the park if that is what it takes.

Each game has its own level of difficulty, such as sharp turns, close roads, building, people, and even cops. As you progress the levels get harder, the car level increases, and the cops, well they get more aggressive. The point of this game is to get you interested for a long time, and if you enjoy racing games, you will become more than addicted to it.

Cars:

Throughout the whole game there are 10 available cars. Of those 10, 6 are usuable anytime in the game. The other 4 are not usable until you unlock them. I will explain unlocking the vehicles later in the article. The cars that are available throughout the whole game includes the Cadillac Eldorado, VW Bettle, Ford Mustang GT, City Bus, Panoz Roadster, and the Ford F-350. The vehicle that have to be unlocked include the Ford Mustang Cruiser (Police Car), Ford Mustang Fastback, Panoz GTR-1, and the Freightliner Century (Semi-Truck).

Each car displays its' own uniqueness to the track. Take for instance the VW Beetle. The Beetle is very quick when turning, and able to maneuver very well, but it is definitely not the fastest vehicle. The Panoz GTR-1 is very quick, but can't take a lot of damage. And the City Bus, well you can guess that it can take a beating, but it definitely won't be very fast. So you can now see that each vehicle has its own style that you need to learn.

Realism:

Scenery:

The scenery is decent, but it could be better. I understand that fast games like this don't require the best of scenery detail, but it never hurts a game, unless you have a slow computer. The graphics for the streets, buildings, and hazards, are better than average, leaving just a slight blurred effect, but they still look great even when moving at high speeds.

Driving Physics:

The driving physics are almost perfect. The cars respond almost exactly as if they were the real thing. This is great, because most of us are used to how a car responds, and well, wouldn't it be easier to play a game that you have some type of background it.

The cars slide around corners like a real car, they accelerate almost the same, and even the handling is the same. The only downside is, the fact that the cars tend to crash a little bit more like a cartoon game. When is the last time you saw a VW Beetle hit a Semi full speed and not be totally crushed?

Damage Physics:

The damage physics are very poor. As stated before, almost all of the cars seem to take crashing almost without and serious damage every time. The only car that I know just won't take any damage is the Panoz Roadster. I really doesn't hold but one good crash, and it is done.

The cars do show signs of damage like crushed parts, but that is only a slight portion of the full picture. The other part of this section is the damage done to other vehicles, people, and in-animate objects. The damage to people is expected as death. This is true. The damage to other vehicles, other then that they don't move is slight. And the damage to poles, and mailboxes are substantial, as they seem to fall or break in half.

Real Life:

This game is not meant to be accepted as anything other than a game. Therefore if you were to take this seriously, you would be in serious mental health. If you were to do the things that this game promotes in real life, you would be putting everyone else's health at risk, not mentioning your own. The real life factor in this game is so small that I won't even put it on a scale, because it is so slim in margin.

Gameplay:

Age Level:

This game is focused towards all age groups, from young to old. The young can appreciate it for its exciting game play and destructive nature. As most younger children do anyway, seeing this is a "cool" thing to them. The game is also enjoyable to the older children in the world (Adults) because when was the last time that when you got mad at someone, you could just run them over the ledge of an open bridge. Or just go ahead, and run that red light.

The only reason that this game wouldn't be good for younger children is because it does somewhat hint that crazy driving is acceptable. Younger children should be informed that this is only a game, and can be restarted. And that they are a living creature, as well as the others that drive on our streets, and well, that life can't just be restarted.

Skill Level:

This game really doesn't require much skill at driving. All the skill you need is to be perceptive. If you are a very quick learner, then you will attach to this game very quickly. You will learn how the vehicles behave, and how the tracks work. After that you will have a great time playing this game no matter how long you have played racing games, or even if you have just started with this game.

Fun Level:

Of course you know this game is going to be fun. When was the last time you could run that other driver off the road without penalty? I'm guessing . . . . NEVER! So when you can let loose, and just do whatever you want to, that is extremely fun.

The game can get frustrating further into the levels, but if you are like me, you enjoy the challenge and that in itself makes it fun.

Graphics:

Details:

The details in the game are average to above average depending on what you look at. If you look at the cars they seem to hold detail very strong. If you are looking at the scenery around the vehicles, then you may be left wanting a little. Both of these issues have been addressed above, and don't really need to be re-addressed again.

Choppy/Fast:

Graphics are extremely smooth as long as you have a Graphics card that will support the game, and a computer with a fast enough processor. I am using a P-233 with a Voodoo 2000 PCI graphics card, and I have not had any trouble with the game being choppy or locking up. The gameplay is very smooth and consistent, and do not take away from the excitement of the game.