Jet Moto 2 (known as Jet Rider 2 in Europe and Jet Moto '98 in Japan) is a racing video game developed by Sony Interactive Studios America and SingleTrac and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It is the second installment in the Jet Moto series and the sequel to the 1996 game Jet Moto. It was released in North America on November 11, 1997, in Europe in April 1998, and in Japan on August 6, 1998. In January 2008 Jet Moto 2 was made available for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network. The Greatest Hits re-release, branded within the game as Jet Moto 2: Championship Edition, is slightly different from the original in that the framerate is increased, the number of competitors is limited to four, and all the original Jet Moto tracks are unlocked from the start.
As with Jet Moto, gameplay in Jet Moto 2 revolves around the use of hoverbikes to traverse a racecourse, similar to modern-day motocross, but with the added ability to traverse water. Reviews for Jet Moto 2 were mixed. Some reviewers were satisfied with the improved controls and variety of tracks over the original, but some found the changes insufficient for what is normally expected of a sequel, and the unusual physics still drew some criticism. Jet Moto 2s popularity would spawn one additional sequel, Jet Moto 3.
Gameplay
thumb|220px|left|Jet Moto 2 retains the [[split screen (computer graphics)|splitscreen gameplay from the original while adding more diversified locales in which to race.]]
Jet Moto 2 retains all of the basic gameplay from its predecessor. Players control hoverbikes which sit close to the ground and can be ridden over land and water. The courses in the game are designed to take advantage of this ability. Characters are split into teams, and bikes are adorned with logos of products such as Mountain Dew and Jet Ski, similar to real-life sponsored racing. The riders received an overhaul, with only a total of ten selectable characters being available, and subsequently only ten racers on the track at any given time. The Greatest Hits version of the game, dubbed Jet Moto 2: Championship Edition, further changed the gameplay mechanics. All Jet Moto tracks were immediately unlocked for the player. Additionally, the number of in-game racers would be reduced from ten to only four to allow the game to run at 30 frames per second.
Development
thumb|An unused cover for the Greatest Hits version, with art and text depicting it as the Championship Edition.
Jet Moto 2s original cut from 20 competitors to 10 was "to open the game up to a broader market, one that wasn't driven by hardcore." and its Japanese title is Jet Moto '98. and in PAL regions on December 11, 2008.
Reception
Jet Moto 2 received mixed reviews from critics. It held a 70.08% at GameRankings, a video game aggregator, based on 12 reviews. Like Jet Moto, the games popularity would earn it a spot in the PlayStation Greatest Hits. Between the original version and the Greatest Hits Championship Edition, Jet Moto 2 sold over 800,000 copies. A number of critics also found that it is easy to get disoriented and lose track of where the edges of the course are. GameSpot deemed it not quite as good as the original, but still a worthy follow-up. On the more negative end, all four Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewers gave it a 6/10 or lower, with Dan Hsu remarking, "It can't be a good thing when, while playing this game, all I can think of are ways to improve it." Jet Moto 3 was released August 31, 1999 exclusively in North America. To date it is the last title in the series to be released. Two other titles were cancelled during their development. Pacific Coast Power & Light was also developing Jet Moto 2124 for the PlayStation, set over a century after the first three games, however the game was cancelled when Jet Moto 3 showed poor sales. Jet Moto: SOLAR, developed by RedZone Interactive, was also cancelled. SOLAR would have been the first title in the series to appear on the PlayStation 2.