Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now

aka: Carmageddon 64, Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now
Moby ID: 1371
Windows Specs
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 3/26 3:01 PM )

Description official descriptions

Carmageddon II is essentially more of the same. Whether this is a good or bad thing pretty much depends on how you liked the first.

In case you need to be told, this game sends the politically-correct-o-meter flying towards absolute zero, perhaps only beaten by Duke Nukem 3D. The framework is a futuristic race inspired by Deathrace 2000 and The Cars That Ate Paris: The contestants, in sport cars, monster trucks, and other motorized abominations, are placed on a track, a real populated area. Getting to the finish line first is secondary, and in fact seldom happens; the real winner is the one to trash everyone else, running over pedestrians on the way for extra profit.

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Videos

See any errors or missing info for this game?

You can submit a correction, contribute trivia, add to a game group, add a related site or alternate title.

Credits (Windows version)

111 People (104 developers, 7 thanks) · View all

Producer
VP of Development
Executive Producer
Public Relations Manager
Marketing Managers
Manual Design and Layout
Traffic Manager
QA Project Supervisors
QA Senior Tester
QA Testers
Compatibility Technicians
Web Team
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 71% (based on 38 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.4 out of 5 (based on 110 ratings with 7 reviews)

The original is better.

The Good
Compared to the original, this game is very similar. The single player game is still crap, although a few new touches offer limited gameplay - maybe an evenings worth.

The network game is also similar to the original, with the inclusion of the rather entertaining Curse of the Vampire game. Also some of the weapons (especially the Repulsificator) are fun.

And that's about it.

The Bad
The graphics look better, but in an attempt to look more "real" they don't quite work - the sounds are still poor - the car's handling is still awful, as are the game physics - there is no sensation of speed (what looks like 50mph is actually 200mph) - the cars have this annoying habit of breaking in half if you hit something at the wrong angle...

At the end of the day, it has all the failings of the original, but it's just not as much fun. Plus the tracks are really crap. Horrible races like the aircraft carrirt and the underground mines are a real pain to play.

The Bottom Line
Got the original - don't bother getting this. Haven't got the original - get it, it's better than this. Here's hoping Carmageddon 3 gets it right.

Windows · by Steve Hall (329) · 2000

A bit different than the first... except for the mass carnage...

The Good
This review has been updated on August 7, 2001. I have now played this game on a machine that can handle the game. So my review is a bit different.

Call me crazy Tomer, but I love the Carmageddon series. As in the first, there is something about crashing cars and running over pedestrians/animals, etc. that I like.

The gameplay (as in the original) is simple... win at all and any cost. There are a few major differences between C2 and it's predecessor.

First off, Instead of ranks, you progress through Levels, and each level having 3 courses and 1 Mission scenario. You progress through each race, and the fourth race is a mission. For instance, in one level you have to jump from rooftop to rooftop destroying satelitte antennas. In another, you have to run over 22 specific pedestrians (they are escaped mental ward patients). Personally I believe it adds a bit of purpose to the game... And you can't progress in the game until you complete the special mission on each level. (and for the record, the pedestrian one is a pain in the ass).

Instead of earning cars, you buy them. Makes for interesting races.

Upgrades are no longer handled in-between races. Now, upgrades are done on-the-fly (similar to repairs in the previous game).

The new tracks are on average with the original, with the exception of the "county fair" level. You can do ton of trick in that one, and it's great in multiplayer.

The graphics (on my PIII 1gz) are really good. They are crisp and clear, although the wheels aren't quite round shape (more like octagonal.. shows the signs of an aging graphics engine). The graphics are real nice. And the addition of newer, larger areas is a much needed change from the first one.

The sound is ok... Personally I don't really care for either Iron Maiden or Sentience, so I shut the music off. The ambient sounds are more varied, so you don't hear the same AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGHH! scream over and over again when you flip and stuff.

The controls (at least on the keyboard) are pretty loose, and it takes a bit of getting used to.



The Bad
There isn't a lot that I don't like about the game. Sure it's repetitive, but that's cool

The Bottom Line
If your a fan of the First, you'll love it. If the game's title alone gives you the heebie-jeebies, you'll hate it. But in either case, I believe it to be a solid non-sim driving game.

Windows · by Chris Martin (1155) · 2000

Trying to beat the best ever wreck-o-rama game ain't that easy.

The Good
If you have happened to read my Carmageddon 1 review you know that for me it's the maybe the best game in the world. You can also see that on my nickname.

What about Carmageddon 2 then? Well, it's basically using the same idea as it's ancestor but it upgrades the graphics, sounds, damages, pretty much everything. But does it all work better than with the first one? Well... no.

When you first look at the game you see that the graphics have been upgraded with a rough hand. Well, it's a good thing, really, as the designers have made good graphics but didn't use too much of the newest gimics to make the game look like a graphics card demo.

When you start playing you notice that the sound engine has been slightly upgraded. Sure, it's not awesome, but it makes it's job.

From the first crash you notice the new damage engine. That's the first real part to make hoorays about. The cars get really demolished this time. For instance, if you hit a wall sideways, the side of the car gets smashed. Some pieces fall off if you damage them enough. The windows get shattered, the doors and the hood get opened up and the chassis might bend. But the most stylish part is when you hit a corner of a wall head-on. Your car get's sliced... Literally. If you're in luck, you can get it fixed up, but usually when the car goes into two directions at once, your race is lost.

The physics engine has been upgraded, but the basic stuff is the same. As I mentioned, the cars get damaged more realistically. One another new thing, though: You can drive through windows and some walls. Well, that's a new thing. One of the scenes has a whole wall full of glass. You can just break the windows if you don't hit the steel supports.

The driveability is pretty much the same as before, and no big news there. And the whole thing has been cherished with new levels and cars. the cars are in fact good, but the levels are checked out in the negative section.

All of these things have been upgraded more or less succesfully. These things make the game better than the first. But...

The Bad
... SCI has also upgraded the gameplay. And that's a big mistake.

First, they have increased the skill level. Well, that's not bad, but they've done it all wrong, by tightening the time limits. With Carmageddon 2, the first seconds are not relaxed driving around. They are panicking on the road as you see your time going on red.

Another thing is the level system of the new game. With the old one, you had five places to drive at a time, and as you won races, you lost old places and gained new ones. You also had very different scenes all the time to choose from, and if you didn't like one, you could just leave it alone. The system was a good example on how it should be made.

Unfortunately the new one is an example on how it shouldn't be done. In Carmageddon 2, you have ten levels and all of them have three similar scenes and one mission... Yes, the game has missions. It might sound good, but it most definately ain't even near good. The missions are not fun. They have waaay too tight time limits and if you make one mistake you have no change to make it. The goals are mostly "destroy all the antennas" or "kill all the cows/lunatics/somethings". You have to win all the three races and the mission to get to the next level. On level's, there are usually two races with the same scene and one different. All this stuff with the levels is a very big minus.

The scenes aren't as good as the old ones. Sure, this one has trains and/or civilian vehicles around, but whey don't get demolished. they are just moving chicanes on wheels. You don't even get points from them. Also, the 3D model citizens are not as nice to drive on as the sprite ones.

On the final note, the game is boring on a long shot. Playing it through took me (a player who played Red Alert 2 and Gran Turismo through over a weekend) two weeks just because I had to keep pauses due the boredom the game causes. You just can't go into the Carmageddon world and drive around hour after hour. I mean sure, you can hit a few pedestrians and drive around some more, but it's not fun after a while.

The Bottom Line
SCI managed to build a legend on wheels with the first Carmageddon. The sequel had big expectations, but it failed them almost completely. The relaxing and amusing feeling of the old game has been taken away on the small but very annoying mistakes in the gameplay compartment.

But, Carmageddon is still Carmageddon. The added graphics and improved damage model succeed in making the mayhem of racing fun in short takes. A few games a day, maybe. Maybe even less. If you get bored, take a pause and play more when you feel like it.

Windows · by Zamppa (99) · 2002

[ View all 7 player reviews ]

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Argentina

The administration of Buenos Aires, Argentina tried to ban this game in 1999. They didn't succeed.

German version

The US version is banned in Germany for excessive violence against the innocent (30.10.99). The German version is censored - it has robots instead of humans.

References to the game

Stainless is thanked for Carmageddon 2in the readme for Grim Fandango.

Soundtrack

The Music in Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now is played by the band Iron Maiden.

UK version

The UK version has zombies instead of pedestrians and green blood.

Information also contributed by David Moron, Emepol and phlux

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Carmageddon
Released 1999 on Game Boy Color
Carmageddon: Reincarnation
Released 2014 on Windows
Carmageddon
Released 1997 on DOS, Windows, 2005 on Symbian...
Carmageddon: Max•Pack
Released 1998 on DOS, 2012 on Windows
Carmageddon 3: TDR 2000
Released 2000 on Windows
Now Games 2
Released 1985 on Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum
Now Games
Released 1985 on Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum
Just Dance Now
Released 2014 on iPhone, Android, iPad
Monopoly: Here & Now
Released 2015 on iPad, iPhone, Android

Related Sites +

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 1371
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Chris Martin.

Nintendo 64 added by Kartanym. Macintosh added by Scaryfun.

Additional contributors: Ola Sverre Bauge, Attila, Corn Popper, tarmo888, Patrick Bregger, Victor Vance, FatherJack.

Game added April 26, 2000. Last modified February 17, 2024.