World Racing 2 is the sequel to the poorly received World Racing (also known as Mercedes-Benz World Racing), which was released in 2003. Bland visuals, run-of-the-mill gameplay, a restrictive car license, and a poor sense of speed were just a few of the original game's many problems. The changes made in World Racing 2 demonstrate that the developers were aware of the criticism that the first game received, but many key issues have gone untouched, and none of the changes make the game more enjoyable.

Poor controls mean you'll frequently end up like this.

It's almost as if Synetic actively looked for ways to make the game less fun while World Racing 2 was in development. Right off the bat, you'll find that the menus are unattractive and difficult to navigate. Far and away, the game's biggest problem is that it suffers from an identity crisis. It can't decide whether it's a simulation or a pure arcade racer. The car will feel slow and heavy one minute, but just seconds later, the slightest bump will send it careening. While you can make a few handling and braking adjustments, they don't have any effect other than to make drifting a little easier. The game is playable using just a keyboard, but unless you're eager to accelerate the onset of carpal tunnel, you'll want to use a controller. While a controller might save your hands from cramping, there's a noticeable lag between when a button is pressed and when the action occurs onscreen. This makes the already sloppy controls even more unmanageable. All of the race modes employ catch-up artificial intelligence, like an arcade-style racer does, but they're also completely unforgiving, much like a sim is. On the one hand, the catch-up AI keeps you close no matter what. On the other hand, just bumping a single object on the side of the road could mean you won't have enough time to finish a race. One unlucky break on the final lap means you're probably going to finish dead last, and unlucky breaks are a common occurrence thanks to the random traffic that has a habit of coming out of nowhere mere feet from the finish line.
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