Pros: Variety of cars and weapons, interesting online-only modes, nicely designed environments.
Cons: Lag during building collapse sequence, lack of storyline.
The bottom line: Full Auto 2: Battlelines is a game to try if you've enjoyed other racing games and would like to spice things up.
Do you like fantasize about speeding down the street in a slick car? Do you dream of destroying other cars with missiles? Do you want to experience both? Look no further than Full Auto 2: Battlelines for the Playstation 3. You’ll be guaranteed to be blown away (no pun intended) into another world.

Storyline

The storyline isn’t a big deal in the story. Pretty much all you do is race…and destroy. How nice.

Gameplay

Full Auto 2: Battlelines for the PS3 is in truth very similar to many other racing simulators when it comes to racing. Players will get to choose from a variety of cars fit for different occasions. The usual modes include career, arcade, and online. In truth none of these modes differ greatly – they all involve either beating rival challenges and time trials or eliminating enemy vehicles.
Take, for example, the career mode. The mission objectives don’t differ much – but provide a lot of fun anyway. Typical mission objectives include: escort runs, straightforward races, taking out specified cars or landmarks.

One new feature that Full Auto 2: Battlelines presents is arena-style combat, in which players can drive around with weapons on the hoods of their cars to shoot down other cars. Ever been jealous of someone else’s ride? Well now you can do something about it. There are 6 unique combat arenas that I feel are well designed. They are included in the career mode as well as the arcade mode. Within each map, there are areas that contain power-ups such unlimited ammo and instant repair. I found these to be a big help in some tight situations. Rather than making the game easier to play as one might imagine, these power-ups increase the heat of the competition because it forces players to race to reach these areas and learn some tricks along the way.

Every map contains strategic settings that players can use to disarm their opponents. Entire buildings, railway systems, bridges, cargo bays, and ships can all be destroyed with firepower. Just imagine your opponent cruising along and the overpass over his head collapses. Well it’s not a pretty sight. These environments were strategically impressive.

Full Auto 2: Battlelines offers unique cars that you probably won’t see in other racing games. Besides the usual sports and muscle cars, SUVs, police cruisers, and trucks are all part of the game. This allows for huge amounts of possibilities within the gameplay. For example, players will need to consider their primary objectives before choosing their ride. You wouldn’t go trying to finish first in a straightforward race in a truck, for example, although that would be pretty funny. Every car can be customized with visual skins and weapons, which may be unlocked by winning races or events.

I was quite satisfied at the numerous weapons put at my disposal. Just to name a few, there are missiles, mines, machine guns, lasers, spiked ram plates and napalm. Cars can also equip smokescreens among other toys. The large amount of weapon choices really adds to the entire gaming experience. Just imagine equipping your already slick ride with grenades, missiles, spiked ram plates, cannons, and lasers all at once.
I experienced some lag while I was busy shooting down buildings. The building collapse sequence does cause a decrease in the frame rate or so it seems. Straightforward racing is generally lag-free though.

Graphics

The graphics are normal by Playstation 3 standards. You won’t be disappointed by this rendering engine. The environment is very detailed and the destruction seems quite realistic.

Sound

Be sure to expect some upbeat music and a whole lot of weapon sounds. A sky full of missiles and lasers can really cause a racket. I found the music to be interesting and it fit the mood and feel of Full Auto 2: Battlelines quite well.

Controls

Controls aren’t much of a problem. The game manual was quite clear while explaining and they didn’t take much time to pick up. I was able to change up the controls quite a bit to suit my own needs.

Online Play and Multiplayer

Offline features first. There are deathmatch and team deathmatch modes in which players go all out seeking elimination. These modes can really offer some nice entertainment when you have a couple of friends over.

Online features next. Base assault and Cat and Mouse are two online-only modes. Base assault requires two teams to successful detonate a bomb in the opponent’s base, while Cat and Mouse is a fun reenactment of Tom and Jerry. Staying true to its name, Cat and Mouse lets players hunt and finish off an enemy. Although these modes sound simple, they can last up to hours of playtime. As they say, time flies when you’re having fun.

Final Thoughts

Full Auto 2: Battlelines is a great racing simulator that packs a punch. With large varieties of cars and weapons to choose from and awesome environments to roam and destroy, Full Auto 2 will last for a long time. With its focus on racing and destroying, it’s no wonder that the storyline is not given much attention.