Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 Review (PS4)

Kids from the 90s will have fond memories related to some underrated American sports such as wrestling or monster truck racing. While the former grew into a yearly video games franchise, the latter almost completely disappeared from the gamer’s radar. So no worries if you have not heard about Monster Jam Steel Titans, the second iteration of the series will make sure you did not miss out on anything.

The first game developed by Rainbow Studios and launched in 2019 tried to bring back the charms of this hobby that can be called a sport only by a long stretch of the imagination. The game was so well made that most of us did not actually hear about it. The main problem was not the theme of the game, but the final product missing a lot of essential characteristics of rumbling at the wheel of immensely oversized toy cars. THQ Nordic promises a better experience the second time around so let’s see what Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 brings to the garage.

Although you may expect to see arena-based carnage, crushed cars, and a frenzy of the spectators caused by the smell of gas mixed with burned rubber, the game starts you in an open space, with an almost idyllic vibe. Large open spaces, beautiful and lush greenery, birds chirping away carelessly, and in the middle of it all the sound of a powerful V8 engine tearing up the scenery. This is the result of the duality in the developer’s approach, who wanted to combine the thrill of the arenas such as Camping Worlds Stadium, Mohegan Sun Arena, or Petco Park, with the joy of open-world exploration.

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The result is a mixed bag of threats with ups and downs. On one hand, it is quite fun to discover all the secrets hidden in the five different areas of the game world. on the other hand, the graphics that are average at best serve as a constant reminder that this is a budget game. The variety is welcome, but the relatively small space of each area makes acquiring the collectibles feel more like a chore, rather than a thrilling discovery. The intentions were good and commendable, but the implementation could have benefitted from a bit more finesse.

If you are expecting a simulator, you will be utterly disappointed. It becomes clear from the very thorough tutorial part, that Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 is a pure arcade experience. The control is pretty basic, even if you take into account that you control independently the front and rear axles of your monster truck. The same can be said about the challenges lined for you through a series of smaller events. There are some basic themes like wreaking destruction in a limited amount of time, circuit, or checkpoint races. The game gathers all these challenges in a series of events, that determine your standing in the world championship.

The difficulty level follows a smooth curb, and each event becomes a bit more difficult than the last one. Still, your main concern won’t be your opponents but keeping the car in the right direction and with the wheels to the ground. Although due to their technical nature, you expect the behavior of the trucks to be somewhat tricky, it becomes obvious pretty early in the game that the approach to physics is quite loose. Even the smallest hill can send your truck belly up or spin until you end up facing the wrong direction. The same can be said about bumping into your competitors or carelessly accelerating over an obstacle that should present no challenge even for regular cars.

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In total, you will be able to collect 38 monsters, either by collecting items scattered around the map, discovering hidden animals, or winning events. Using the cars will generate experience points that will be used to automatically upgrade different technical aspects, increasing the performance and handling of the beasts. Still, there is no real difference among the different trucks, and you will stick to a monster you will already have maxed out since it offers the biggest advantage in the competitive events.

Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 looks ancient both in the arenas and in the open world. Despite the outdated visual representation you will have to put up with the occasional frame drops especially in the races where you go head to head against several other monster trucks. The physics as mentioned already are a joke, all the cars feeling like balloons filled with helium. What can be and cannot be destroyed is absolutely arbitrary: you can bring down entire water towers, but sometimes you will get stuck in a small piece of fence or a small tree. The engine and the environmental sounds of the game are spot on, but the soundtrack is a forgettable selection of generic tunes.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion