Midtown Madness - Gameplay

Gameplay

Midtown Madness features four single-player modes: Blitz, Circuit, Checkpoint, and Cruise. In Blitz, the player must reach a destination within a time limit; in Circuit, the player races other vehicles; in Checkpoint, the game adds the complication of other traffic, such as police cars and pedestrians; and in Cruise, the player simply explores the city. Players have a choice of up to ten vehicles, although only five are available at the start. To unlock the other cars, players must achieve goals such as winning a certain number of races. Before a race, if the player has previously won the race, they can change the race duration or the weather, which can affect vehicle performance. Checkpoint mode allows players to set the frequency of traffic, police cars, and pedestrians.

The city is modeled after Chicago, including many of its landmarks, such as The 'L', Willis Tower (Then known as Sears Tower), Wrigley Field, and Soldier Field. Its streets feature many objects that the player can crash into, such as trash bins, parking meters, mailboxes, and street lights. In Checkpoint, traffic is regulated by traffic lights, but the player is under no obligation to obey them.

Midtown Madness supports multiplayer games via local area network, Internet, or serial cable connection. Multiplayer mode was originally supported by Microsoft's MSN Gaming Zone, though this service was retired on June 19, 2006. It is now supported by similar services such as GameSpy Arcade and XFire, via DirectPlay. Multiplayer includes a Cops and Robbers mode, a capture the flag-style game in which players form two teams; each team must steal the opposing team's cache of gold and return it to their own hideout.

Car damage is somewhat realistic. After the player crashes into traffic cars, police cruisers or opponent's cars, there is a visible damage on the car. After too many collisions, the car's tires start to appear wobbly and damaged. Once completely damaged out, the tires will fall off and the car will be unusable for a few seconds before being restored into pristine condition. However, in Checkpoint Races, damaging out results in Game Over. The same applies to the cops, once they are damaged out, they will not regenerate. The only way to evade the police is to destroy them.

There are few types of racing:

Cruise (Free roam around the city)

Checkpoint Races (A race over the city with marked checkpoints, you can pass them any way you like. 6 completed races unlock Ford Mustang Police Cruiser)

Circuit Races (A closed track over the city roads with certain number of laps. 5 completed races unlock Ford Mustang Fastback)

Blitz Races (Time race with only player as a driver. The player has to complete the race in the ordered time to pass it. 5 completed races unlock Freightliner Century)