There is a lot riding on this sequel games may have awarded it 7/10, but Juiced certainly wasn’t the greatest racing title to emerge from the previous generation. Nevertheless, the game sold by the bucket load, which was more than enough to help UK developer Juice Games to get the go-ahead form the THQ to make a follow-up. Unfortunately, that is unlikely to be your initial response.
Those bright and clashing colors, the scantily clad girls, the DJs spinning their loud and expensive decks, and all the damned neon Yes, first impressions of Hot Import Nights will probably involve a degree of hatred, and rightfully so. While different from Need For Speed Carbon, which recounts a story with all the depth and intensity of a week episode of The Bill, there is a nagging feeling that Juice Games loves Hot Import Nights a little bit too much. It’s like a cool party that you’re not even invited to.
One of the game’s most attractive features is that of spooking your opponents. Tailing other cars causes a bar to gradually rise; once it is full it will cause the driver to spin out of control. In last Man Standing, the aim is to spook the other racers and emerge victorious. It’s almost the antithesis to Burnout’s Road Rage in that you essentially take opponents out by doing no damage. Oh, and the menu system itself inadvertently becomes part of the game’s learning curve. But if you can lay these problems asides, it’s once you get into the actual races that Juiced 2 really starts to shine.
[via IGN]
