Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights

Review from Samo, Samo, Samo, Samo, Samo and Samo - Wednesday, 30 January 2008 @ 11:41pm

Growing up, my household was one that was always well behind the technology curve. We were one of the last houses in town to upgrade our TV aerial with a UHF receiver and even then that was just so dad could watch the footy. The internet too, we didn’t get onto the most basic of dial up internet connections until well after the turn of the century. The CD player was the same. Despite wanting to get onto these new fangled CD’s so I could listen to the music I wanted to listen to, my parents insisted that the LP and Cassette tape were all one really needed. However of course as time went by mum discovered Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night was released on double CD and of course, we needed a CD player to play that.

So there it was we finally had a CD player in the house and the only media we had for playing with this new toy was an old person’s album. However it was through playing with the CD player that I discovered one of rock’s great albums.




Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights is, in fact nothing like Hot August Night and how the developer’s marketing people managed to draw the similarity I have no idea. Maybe they’re old people looking back at the ‘70s with rose coloured glasses in addition to the LSD that they’re either still taking or never fully recovered from the effects of. Either way, I sit here now listening once again as Neil belts out Crunchy Granola Suite, it’s easy to see that while one Hot Night has gone down with the classics the other certainly won’t be.

"It don’t say much and it won’t offend" – Crunchy Granola Suite

Of course a moronic street racer title would have to be the opposite, Juiced 2 says a lot and it does offend. While it’s a tuner racing title and we all seem to be getting used to, dare I say tolerating the ridiculous and annoying street racer attitude, it is starting to wear very, very thin. No, actually it’s not wearing thin, I’m bloody sick of it ruining good racing titles.

My big problem with the first Juiced was that no matter how hard you tried to stay on the track a random bump or undulation in the track would send you flying uncontrollably into the wall. I’m easily frustrated and it resulted in many controller throwing tanties. The first thing I liked about Juiced 2 was when I experienced none of this problem at all. Don’t take this to mean the game drives smoothly. All the cars feel a bit twitchy, even the lumbering muscle cars, which is a touch disappointing considering the bump problem had been fixed. Still it doesn’t save the racing from being anything more than just another mediocre street racing title.

"Good time never seemed so good" – Sweet Caroline

The only real shining part of Juiced 2, is the new drift events. It must be said that EA tried it with Need For Speed but never really made the drifting REALLY work. Juice Games, however, have really, properly nailed how drifting in a video game should be done. The drift tracks are generally quite wide to allow you a bit of space and speed and from there on it’s just really, really good fun. The drifting isn’t particularly difficult and before too long I found myself nailing some of the most outrageously long and spectacular drifts that I felt like the driving god that I’m really not. It’s so good that as I went up through the career mode I found myself going for the drift events first and then trudging through the circuit events just so I could get to the drifting in the next level.




It’d be easy to say that the drifting mode carries the rest of the game a bit and to be honest, it does. The drifting is so good it nearly feels like it belongs in another game. The other racing around it feels very run-of-the-mill arcade racing game with little to nothing to make it stand out. Still, the car modification is excellent as before, with mostly licensed parts and body kits, which is much better than the imaginary stuff that makes Need for Speed Underground to Carbon such an eyesore. There’s also hours to be spent in the decals and vinyls mode making up designs for your car. If you can be bothered. It’s to be expected now though, no good street racing title would be complete without a quality car art editor.

"You and me, we go in style" – Cracklin’ Rosie

If Juiced 2 has a real point of difference, it’s in its online career mode. This enables you to play out the whole career mode against other people online. It’s a great touch and something I was really excited about. Racing game AI is something that has irritated me since I first played Need for Speed SE way back in my Windows 95 days. However, after I’d bought my first car then modified it to my liking, I couldn’t find a race. It seems the other five people who’ve already bought Juiced have already progressed up the level scale so there was no-one in my league to race against. Great idea, so much for that.

"Mmm, I know you know what I'm sayin" – Cherry Cherry

Hot Import Nights is once more an annoying take on an annoying genre with one racing mode that carries it through. Sure, the drifting mode is great but besides that it’s all decidedly average. Unfortunately it’s really just an affront to one of the greatest names in musical history and Juice games should hang their head in shame, just as well THQ has dumped this shrine to mediocrity.

Summary

If it wasn’t named after one of the great rock albums of all time maybe I’d have gone easier on Juiced 2, but when it proclaims greatness, I expect greatness. Juiced 2 delivers very little to no greatness at all and excels at mediocrity.

Pros

Great drifting mode, car customisation is superb.

Cons

Non drifting races are decidedly average, more annoying and idiotic street racer 'tude than any living person should be subjected to, driver DNA is a stupid idea, online career would be a great idea if there were actually people playing it.