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Broadly speaking, Juiced 2:
Hot Import Nights isn’t really
a game, more something to
pass time. Let us elaborate: just as
the game’s pole dancers are women
targeted at those who don’t interact
with them in real life, the overall quality
on offer is mere chewing gum for those
who have sampled so many superior
racing titles. Next to NFS Carbon, this
appears financed by an afternoon’s
change hunt down the bus station. Not
only are washed-out textures papered
over by nauseating blur effects, but
new concepts are also introduced by a
mixture of voiceover and flashing icons.
As far as racing action goes, things
begin to feel pointless pretty quickly.
Nitrous use brings all cars on the track
together with little to no subtlety,
resulting in drifting, power-up use and
dangerous collisions. In other words,
what people buy this kind of game
to experience – the worst possible
tactics. In one particularly memorable
experiment, we completed a standard
circuit race without touching the
cheat gas at all, while our opponent
intermittently overtook, lost interest
again and then dropped back. When
this happens directly after a straight
taken at 60mph faster than anyone
else, it’s a little frustrating. What’s
more, Juiced’s fresh mechanic (the
ability to make racers wipe themselves
out by hanging close to their tail
bumper for a few seconds) seems a
futile exercise when you know they’ll
be back two corners down the line.
back two corners down the line.
All of this is quite a shame, given
how much effort has been put into
keeping things interesting. Rather than
racing strictly stipulated championships,
you’re given Achievement-style
goals to accomplish before climbing
the notoriety ladder. These include
momentary actions, like spooking
out specific racers, besides more
overarching feats, such as winning bets
and beating various competition types.
Consequently, a handful of criteria can
be ticked off after only one run – well,
if you’ve the skill to master cars that
feel like they’ve been skewered through
the centre of their chassis, that is. Put
bluntly, it’s impossible to recommend
any aspect of the game without a
damnation accompanying your praise…
Dave Shaw
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