But Flatout 2 was a reinvention and a strong contender for the surprise of 2006. It served up an orgy of glorious physics-based demolition. The improvements from the first game were many and it delivered upon the series’ promise of fun, aggressive, arcade racing. The destructible tracks were a highlight, ranging from smashes through red-neck country, to blitzing through shopping malls, and the spongy handling of the original was tightened up immensely.

Yet still most of ‘us’ missed it. Despite that, the game sold well on the Xbox, PC and PS2 over the slow summer months, enough to allow Bugbear to develop an upgraded version for the 360 and PC. Make no mistake; this is a retread of old ground and non-fans of Flatout 2 should stay clear. But many coming to the series fresh will find a gem of a game revelling in obliteration, although one lurking beneath an unoriginal facade. The game's biggest problem in its appeal is a reluctance to really blaze its own trail. So similar in look is the game to Burnout Revenge (even down to the menu font and the horrid rawk soundtrack) that it looks much more like a clone that it really is. In play however, there are key differences. Flatout is a lot less solitary than Burnout despite the lack of pedestrian traffic. In the standard races, the player will always be close to the pack of twelve racers (upgraded from eight in Flatout 2). The racing is much more like a traditional stock derby, with cars in constant competition jostling for the lead. Precision is less important than aggression, in contrast to Burnout’s ‘driving a missile through the eye of a needle’ style.

The series' USP is the gradual disintegration of the tracks from lap-to-lap as cars smash through the scenery, creating new hazards. Ultimate Carnage takes this feature to pornographic levels, littering the track with literally thousands of trackside objects to be torn into, ranging from tyre-walls to farm buildings to biplanes, all leaving areas strewn with wreckage. The resultant mess is more catastrophic than any game to date (far surpassing even Crackdown) and even though all that magnificent debris remains for every single lap, the rock solid game engine never drops a beat. The player is encouraged to smash into these trackside objects as, along with ramming opponents and gaining air, hitting them is the main method of gaining boost.

While the game may lack a truly unique identity, the AI drivers do not and this gives the game that unquantifiable quality - ‘soul’. No longer are you racing against faceless AI, but drivers with personality and the game takes every opportunity to let you know exactly who is ramming into your side. The AI is aggressive but rarely unfair. They make mistakes and will take each other out. You will develop your own enemies and there is nothing more satisfying than pushing Lei Bing into a tree and watching her ragdoll body eject through the windscreen and under the wheels of your tuned derby car.

Of course, taking this game online just takes the fun to another level. It’s the kind of game that makes you grin like an idiot. It’s not the most original release, but when it covers all the important bases with such flair, it’s hard not to adore it. Netcode is solid like it should be and the game even features strong support for the force feedback wheel (although a few more options to configure the face buttons would have been nice).

In addition to the racing, the Ragdoll Olympics from the previous games return: mini-games where the aim is to send your driver through the windscreen and score points through fiery rings or into a giant goal. The events are from Flatout 2, but online has been improved in that players can play at the same time, rather than waiting turns like before. The other players show up as ghosts. Also new to this version are the Destruction Derby style arenas. These additional events help to break up the racing and avoid the game falling into the trap of repetition. Far from being simple distractions, they are enormous fun in their own right and complement an already meaty package. The best part is that online mini-tournaments can be created combining a number of races, minigames and derbies into a variety strewn competition.

Besides being a rehash and looking too similar to the competition, the only real negative is that the physics can sometimes result in frustrating situations of being spun out by other drivers, cars losing control on landing after a big jump and vehicles becoming slightly stuck after a collision. This is partly alleviated by the useful reset button (which puts the player back in position on a rolling start) but they can be avoided completely by choice of car and driving style. To be frank, it's something that some players will experience and others will not.

It’s been a long time since the first release of Burnout Revenge and, Flatout aside, there’s been little to fill the gap. Despite a glut of racing games in recent weeks, Flatout is extraordinarily welcome. It may not be the definition of next gen, but it is solidly old school in its delivery. It’s not often that a title comes along so devoid of hype and once again many gamers may pass this by, but if you have yet to sample the delights of the series, you could benefit from effectively three games worth of development that has honed a rough diamond into something getting closer to perfection. There is still room for a true Flatout sequel, but in the meantime enjoy the frankly obscene amount of physics-based pleasure on offer.