Midnight Club II is a racing video game released in 2003. It was created by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Microsoft Windows. It is the follow-up to Midnight Club: Street Racing and the first game in the series to include motorcycles. Players can race through cities such as Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo. The game received positive reviews.

Gameplay

Races in Career and Arcade modes have checkpoints shown as light columns. Most races require players to follow a set order of checkpoints. In these cases, a glowing arrow shows the next checkpoint. Some races allow players to complete checkpoints in any order. When this happens, the arrow spins without pointing in a specific direction. Players choose their own path between checkpoints. There are no artificial barriers in the game’s open world that force players to stay on a specific route. Any area that can be driven or jumped on during free-roaming mode between races may be used to reach the next checkpoint.

Some areas in the game can be driven on that are not meant for driving in real life. Examples include escalators, rooftops, railways, riverbeds, and ramps. However, some areas that could be driven on in real life, like entrances and stairs, are blocked by invisible barriers. In some places, players can jump or drop down. Using these methods can help players win races. If a car falls into deep water, the damage meter reaches its highest level, and the car is destroyed immediately, ending the race.

Compared to its earlier version, Midnight Club: Street Racing, Midnight Club II has many improvements. Vehicles and cities were created from scratch, and new features were added. These include 2-wheel drive, Burnout, and Weight Balance (for motorbikes). The game also includes damage models. A car’s damage is shown on the screen and through visible damage. Unlike some racing games, a car’s performance does not worsen with damage. If a car’s damage limit is reached, it explodes or stops working. After a short delay, the player can continue using an undamaged version of the same car.

Los Angeles has dry, hilly suburbs and busy highways. Like its earlier version, the city includes many landmarks, shortcuts, and jumps. Paris has cobblestone streets, large roundabouts, and the Paris Catacombs. It also includes jumps over the Seine River and into alleyways. Tokyo has bright, neon-lit streets and narrow alleys. The city includes many tourist attractions and sights.

Vehicles in Midnight Club II look like real-life cars but have small differences, such as different headlights or taillights. Most cars also have style changes common in street racing, like spoilers, hood scoops, and body kits.

In the car selection menu, players can see descriptions and stats for each vehicle. They can also choose from four colors. When a car is viewed, a unique sound effect plays in the background.

Each character in the game drives around the city and waits for a challenge. Moses helps the player start Career Mode. Four champions appear after the player beats all other opponents. These characters talk to the player or "think loudly" during race introductions. During these scenes, players can learn about their goals, see their car’s stats, and hear their theme songs.

Midnight Club II includes online multiplayer. The Xbox version used Xbox Live, which stopped working on April 15, 2010. Now, the game uses replacement online servers called Insignia for Xbox players.

Soundtrack

The album was given away for free at E3 in 2003 to promote a video game. It includes mostly techno, trance, and rap music. The soundtrack has 38 songs created by different artists. Two songs, "Outrun" and "Extra Dry," were used in the 2002 movie Irreversible and were made by Thomas Bangalter.

Reception

The game received favorable reviews. Metacritic scored the PlayStation 2 version at 85 out of 100, the Xbox version at 86 out of 100, and the PC version at 81 out of 100. Entertainment Weekly gave it a B+ and noted that "whether racing against the clock or competing in checkpoint challenges, learning the maps and finding shortcuts is essential." The Village Voice rated the PS2 version 8 out of 10 and wrote that "the only way to improve the game would be to set it in Boston, where drunks are removed from bars long after public transportation stops running, creating crowded highways." Maxim also scored the game 8 out of 10 and stated that "while it lacks garages filled with popular car models found in other racing games, the dark racing scenes of Midnight Club II offer similar excitement." Playboy gave it a 75% rating and described the controls as "touchy" and imprecise.