I really liked the first game in the series and its expansion but there's something about the sequel that feels incredibly lacking. For one, the gritty art style of the first game is completely absent. I don't blame the developers too much. This was around the time when everything was going through the awkward 'full 3d' transition and some things were lost along the way. A necessary growing pain but not something you want to be reminded of. This also doesn't excuse all of the poor design choices. While the graphic engine is superior in terms of performance, the 3d civilians are goofy, the car designs are uninspired, the worlds are devoid of personality, and the missions, my god the missions... I don't know how anyone could consider the missions fun or useful to the formula. I understand wanting to introduce some variety but some are so unforgiving, it's more an exercise in frustration than a break from the normal mindless gameplay. Also, the soundtrack doesn't hold a candle to the original. I'm not a fan of industrial or metal, but at least Carmegeddon's soundtrack fit the tone it was going for. Carmegeddon 2's soundtrack would fit better in a Tony Hawk game rather than a game about causing destruction. Some tracks are good but there are some genuine stinkers and a severe inconsistency in tone. I'm not sure if it's exclusive to my version but one of the tracks plays twice for whatever reason. This makes the one song more annoying than usual.
