Okay...I know all of you are just dying to find out what Motortoon 2 is like, 
so I'll write a short review here (mind you, I haven't gotten all the "goodies" 
yet, so there IS more that I don't know about)

* PACKAGING *

Comes is a nice two-cd jewel case. (2 cd's, you're wondering? One is for the 
actual gameplay, and the other is for link-up! No having to buy a second copy 
to play head-to-head. Ed Note: The US version only comes with one CD!) 
Instructions look highly detailed with lots of info, but I can't read Japanese, 
so I wouldn't know.

* FIRST IMPRESSIONS *

Okay, so I did the little double swap, and the game started up. First thing I 
saw was the opening of a FMV sequence. It shows short clips of each character, 
what they're doing, etc. Very well done, IMHO. I think it's one of the best 
I've seen in a while (besides Tekken 2, of course). Anyhow, after that was 
done, it popped up with the same opening music for Motortoon GP1 (gotta love 
that tune). The first thing I noticed were the additional menu options. Wow. 
There was Single Race, Free Run, Time Attack, Championship Race, and Replay 
Theater. More in depth on these, later. Anyhow, I ran single race, and as I 
went into the beautifully designed world, I noticed the controls were 
CONSIDERABLY different! No more drift, and thankfully, no more going out of 
control! Instead, you control more realistically..which I think is very cool. 
There is also an items system now..you get coins throughout the track, then you 
get an item from each coin (rockets, bombs, etc)..very fun. You'll also notice 
that the game is a lot harder now...which is good. 

* GRAPHICS * 9/10

Awesome! A lot of improvement over the first game! The worlds are *so* much 
more detailed now. Every little detail is there...plus, there's 5 worlds (plus 
racing them backwards). The animation is much more fluid...and even though some 
may not care, the FMV is -SUPERB-.  I love it...it's one of those FMV's that 
you wanna show to your friend's. The only reason I do not give it a 10 is 
because it suffers the same problem as in MTGP1...when you come real close to a 
wall, you'll see INSIDE of it...its weird, but nothing distracting..it's very 
minor.

* SOUND/MUSIC * 10/10

The sound effects are very good..everything is done accordingly...not much else 
to say there...the music is AWESOME. A lot of it is remixed/original versions 
of MTGP1 music, but gosh darnit, that music was great...especially Gulliver 
House 2. 

* CONTROL * 9/10

If I were grading MTGP1 here, the control would be 3..maybe 2. The reason for 
this is that in MTGP1, if you crashed into a wall, you could consider the race 
over..you lost. Thats not the scenario in this. Crashing into a wall is 
common...you crash, you slow down..you don't bounce across the screen. The 
control is VERY hard to get used to though. Well, it may not be if you've never 
experienced MTGP1 before, but if you're like me, you'll find it frustrating the 
first few times through..but then you'll smile and say "Ah, that's 
better"...but have fun trying to go back and play MTGP1 again :). I think it 
would be a lot easier using an analog stick, but it works fine with standard 
PSX controllers.

* GAMEPLAY * 10/10

Ah...this is where the game REALLY shines. You've got options gallore 
here..enough to keep you busy for a very long time. As I mentioned before, 
theres an item system...if you get a rocket, you can shoot it at an opponent, 
causing him to jump in the air and go haywire...get a stopwatch, and the time 
stops for a bit..get a star, you've got shields...it's very well done, and adds 
a lot to the game. The championship mode is a really a blast in this game. It's 
a bit like Wipeout..in the sense that you race all 8 characters and if someone 
gets in first place, they get 10 points, 2nd they get less, and so on..and 
after each race, it's all added up so you can see who is currently winning the 
GP. If you get first place in the Grand Prix, you get a "goodie". For instance, 
if you beat easy level, you get extra characters...beat normal, you get more 
tracks, and beat hard, you get a mini-game called "Tank Combat"...this game 
isn't that much 1 player, but 2 player looks like it'd be a blast...I'm really 
looking forward to playing that 2 player...anyhow, I've never beaten 
Professional or Expert levels, so I'm looking forward to seeing what else is 
next. Oh yes, I should also add that split-screen racing is now GONE. This made 
me cry. :) I, like most people, do not have 2 playstations...and my friends 
don't have one...so linking is not an easy thing to do...I'm sure the reason 
split-screen is gone is because of the highly detailed worlds..but I can't wait 
to race via linkup (if i ever do). So basically, all I've been saying here is: 
IT'S FUN AS HELL!!

* OVERALL * 10/10

This game really does deserve a 10/10. It's the most fun I've had on my PSX to 
date. This game was definately worth the $74 I paid for it...so c'mon guys, 
don't pirate this game..it's really worth the money...I should also add one 
other thing before I go...in case anyone gets offended easily, there's a scene 
in the intro with a nude (backside) Princess Jean, taking a shower. It's 
nothing graphic, and it lasts a second...just thought I should mention it.

- Fred Bliss