This product is like new. At NexWave Games, like new means:
Additionally, all discs at NexWave Games are carefully inspected and assessed for quality. When discs arrive, we do not accept any that are so badly damaged that they are unlikely to work. We only accept discs with light scratches at most. Discs with scratches are then treated in our professional disc repair machine. By warming the disc and polishing it with soft brushes, these machines can remove a very thin layer from the disc. This removes the layer containing surface scratches and improves the disc’s readability. This ensures the disc works properly, even on consoles with ageing lasers that have difficulty reading games! Great news for the player.
Wild Wild Racing for PlayStation 2
Wild Wild Racing for PlayStation 2 is an off-road racing game with buggies and other all-terrain vehicles on routes through the United States, India, Iceland, Mexico and Australia. You steer over tarmac, gravel and ice, take jumps and look for shortcuts to stay ahead of opponents. Rain and snow alter conditions on the course. The cars have their own names and shapes: you begin with a limited choice and earn new vehicles and improved versions of existing cars as you play.
The championships progress from Beginner through Amateur to Pro. You collect points over several races and try to finish at the top of the standings. Winning races alone is not enough to unlock everything. In Time Attack you improve cars by beating times on flat, uphill and downhill sections. The Challenge tasks ask something different again: collecting hidden letters for a new vehicle, pushing a large ball through an obstacle course or completing a stunt course within the time limit.
An individual race lets you choose from unlocked cars and circuits, with adjustable weather and time of day. This lets you practise a corner or shortcut without driving a whole championship. You use a DualShock 2 controller and can change gears automatically or manually. Two players race against each other locally on a split screen, each with their own controller; a Multitap is not needed. During races, opponents, slippery surfaces and landings follow one another, so simply keeping a straight course is not enough.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Wild Wild Racing for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Wild Wild Racing
Wild Wild Racing came out in 2000, the first year of PlayStation 2. Rage Software developed the game and handled the European release; Imagineer published it in Japan and Interplay in North America. The European release followed on 24 November 2000, alongside the console's introduction in Europe. That placed it among the games through which players could first try the new hardware. In America, Sony also explicitly named Wild Wild Racing in its official overview of the original PS2 launch.
An announcement from May 2000 placed development at Rage's Liverpool studio. The company had several PS2 projects in preparation during that period. Wild Wild Racing used that early hardware for all-terrain vehicles with visible suspension, varied surfaces and routes that went beyond a flat tarmac circuit. The design combined a championship with separate skill tests. This allowed the developers to use driving the same vehicle in different ways: for a fast lap, searching for letters or moving a ball precisely.
The original manual deliberately links progression to those different parts. A subsequent championship requires a better car, while time trials and tasks provide the vehicles and improvements. That structure gave the relatively small collection of cars several functions. The fictional names, from Double Moon to Wild Wolf, also distinguish it from racers that collect real car brands. Wild Wild Racing remained a standalone PS2 game. Its combination of off-road races and small driving tests shows how varied racing games were around the console's launch.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
Smuggler's Run on PlayStation 2 shares the all-terrain vehicles, major changes in elevation and emphasis on finding a usable route. You transport illegal cargo and try to evade pursuers. Wild Wild Racing mainly builds its action around races on fixed circuits and separate driving tests. In one you decide on a route to a delivery point; in the other you seek a shorter line to the finish or collect letters within the time limit.
MotorStorm: Arctic Edge on PS2 also brings different all-terrain vehicles and difficult surfaces together. The whole racing festival takes place in Alaska, with snow and changes in elevation as recurring conditions. Wild Wild Racing visits several countries and gives its small driving tests a larger role in unlocking cars. Both reward reading the terrain and corners, but their progression differs: a festival with vehicle classes versus championships connected to time trials and tasks.
Colin McRae Rally 3 on PlayStation 2 also makes you deal with changing grip, gravel and snow. The co-driver helps you through special stages against the clock, while damage and service stops affect the rally. Wild Wild Racing puts several cars on a circuit at once and adds letters, ball tasks and stunt courses. Terrain matters in both, but you divide your attention differently: rally instructions and keeping the car intact versus direct opponents and playful driving tests.
MX vs. ATV Unleashed on PS2 also offers dirt races, jumps and vehicles with different responses. It places motorcycles and quad bikes alongside other vehicles and also lets you explore large areas. Wild Wild Racing stays with cars and buggies and links improvements closely to time trials and tasks. Both require a feel for landings and the surface, but the collection of vehicles and the way you earn new possibilities are built quite differently.
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec on PlayStation 2 includes rally races alongside tarmac events, so grip and catching a sliding car also become important. It gathers real car manufacturers and puts considerable emphasis on tuning and a tidy racing line. Wild Wild Racing uses fictional vehicles and gives searching, jumping and pushing balls their own place in progression. The similarity lies in learning to handle different cars; the driving tests and presentation take a different direction.
