Illegal street racing minus Paul Walker

Rockstar Games has become a major player within the video game industry these past few years, as its "Grand Theft Auto" series has blown-up into a full-fledged cultural phenomenon. "Midnight Club II," the sequel to one of its lesser, but nonetheless entertaining games, continues the proud, deviant tradition set forth by the label. "MCII" is edgy fun, but it lacks the grit and perversity that made "GTA III" and "Vice City" so damned cool.\nGamers man souped-up cars and bikes in a series of illegal street races stretching across Los Angeles, London and Tokyo. While no licensed vehicles are featured, the programmers over at Rockstar are astute enough to churn-out convincing and easily decipherable rip-offs. Luckily, "MCII" boasts numerous play modes i.e. cruise, circuit race and two variations on capture the flag, which deepen and differentiate the gaming experience. The controls are easy to pick up. Levels are vast, chock-full of sick jumps and feature top-notch graphics. Certainly, it's a handsome and utterly playable game. \nDespite the apparent craftsmanship, my mind wanders back to "GTA" -- the "gold standard" in gaming. Sure, you can hit pedestrians, but there's no bloody tire streaks. Often, I yearned to mow down a bevy of pimps and street hustlers via a crotch rocket drive-by. No such luck. Worse yet, your opponents are a string of grating, trash-talking racial stereotypes begging for such vile treatment.\n"Midnight Club II" is an improvement over its predecessor. The inclusion of motorcycles, nitrous oxide boosters and the ubiquitous hit-and-runs helps considerably. The game is well-worth a rent and world's more entertaining than the similarly-themed recent flick, "2 Fast 2 Furious." For the more depraved gamers out there: just stick with "GTA"