I didnt recognize the game at first. Memory isnt as good as it used to be. However, I do remember it now and I gotta admit that this game was pretty frakking good for its time.

I'm interested in this game as I've just recently purchased a 360 controller and feel the need for racing games again (far too lazy to set up my MS 2 FF wheel every time I wanted to play a racing game).
Just how big are these open ended levels though? I want some decent length races rather then small areas that are completed in a few minutes.

The races are quite fast-paced, and are usually over in a couple of minutes. If you're looking for a rally type game and long, grueling fights against the terrain, might want to look elsewhere (I'd recommend another Hungarian-developed game, Screamer 4x4). This one's more on the arcadey side. The levels are completely open, the map wraps around, no invisible walls or anything. Their size depends on your definition of "large", I guess. They don't feel small to me.
Anyway, this topic made me reinstall the game, it's still as fun as ever. Almost done with championship mode.

This was a great one, and I owned it when it was originally released. Still have the CD somewhere.
The biggest fun, and one thing that kept me playing once the intended play got a little old, is where I would spend my time seeing how much damage I could do to a vehicle, and still attempt to drive / race. This is a facet of play that this game maker has decided to leave out of all their follow-up racing stuff. While the new games look unbelievable, you'll discover that the second you crash the car to any real extent, you're yanked out of the gameplay and have to restart. What a drag. If I want to try driving with only three wheels, then let me! They could include an arcade mode, and the only change from normal is that extreme vehicle damage does not end the race. I know it's unrealistic, but it's fun! Turn around on the track and go head-on into the oncoming racers! Letting off some steam and having fun doing a crash-up is great, and looks great on the replay. 1nsane did this right.
Oh, and the multiplayer for this was really great. At 1st there were several servers hosting races and lots of people to play. Lots of custom cars and tracks made for the game. I used to host a race called Wartburg challenge, and only allow the horrid wartburg wagon as a car selection. It really was a fun race, and a nailbighter, when you and everyone else can barely get their underpowered clunker-car going, or over a hill or across a jump. Quite a challenge.
This game was a fun racer, and a great crash-up, much like the fun of Carmageddon 2, where you could literally slice your car in half in a wreck!

Man, I loved this game when it came out. My friend had it and I use to love just roaming around and jumping off cliffs. If it weren't for gog I don't think I'd ever have run into this game again.
Instant purchase. Fun, fun game.

A have played this game since 2002 or so. And I really, really like this game. One of the great car games that is made by Codemaster. Next after Colin McRae Rally 2.0.
Birger :)

I played it once at a lan party and had a total riot with it. Not a huge fan of the single player stuff though. It's an odd game, that's for sure!

Downloading, I can't wait!!!
How did i missed this one? I love Screamer 4x4 and Flatout 2, 1nsane should be a good compromise.
Come on, quick, quick!!

I agree, this is a fantastic multiplayer game. Not only is it fun to play (there are some really imaginative modes), but once you're done playing "properly", there's just so much mad fun to be had - partly thanks to the, well, insane damage model.
I do think it's a wee bit overpriced, though. I think it would probably be more successful at $5.99, as that would make it better impulse buy material.
Anyway, I hope Good old Games will get their hands on Cross Racing Championship, another very enjoyable racing game from the same developers. It takes some time getting used to that one, but it's really good fun.
Info here: http://www.crc-game.com/index.php

I agree with Zeewolf on the price! When I first saw 1nsane here I immeadiately wanted it, but the 9.99$ price threw me off for quite some time. But now I just went and bought it since the my son seems to be loving the demo but it just isn't enough for him.
Not to mention that I want to play it too! =D

This game is definitely worth $4.99; just grabbed it before the promo ends.

I like Drag Racer V3, This is as close to Need For Speed Underground on the internet as there is. Tune, Customize, and Race your whips.
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I picked this game up shortly after it came out in stores. Both my brother and I have put many, many, MANY hours into it. Like someone above said, gamers can have a lot of fun with just the physics/damage model alone. Nothing like driving your VW off of a cliff to watch is flatten itself from the weight. ^_^

I bought it years ago when it came out and had so much fun with it. Now, I found gog.com and just got it again for $5.99 to try it out on my Linux computer. And it works with wine (1.2)! The sound vanishes after the first start of the game, but my 4 year old son has so much fun just playing hours in the "practice" mode. The good physics and damage model combined with a good balanced difficulty is a blast even for young children! All they need is the four cursor keys and the backspace ("repair") key. :-)

I played this game when it first came out and forgot about it. Looked good on sale, so I grabbed it here. Now I remember it... Don't like it much at all, to be honest.

All of the cars I've chosen feel the same. Floaty, ultra-springy suspension. They tip over at the slightest turn. Ram an opponent and my car rolls over while they keep driving. If they ram me, I roll over and they keep driving.

The jamboree race is annoying in that the gates that are chosen to be active are random? This tends to reward more of a cherry-pick approach instead of keeping you racing in tight with the other drivers. Capture the flag was the only other mode I played. In the default view mode, your vision is almost completely obscured by the flag when you pick it up and it seems like you have to ram opposing drivers much harder than they have to ram you (ie. just touch) to steal the flag. Plus, the world is just so empty in this game that it feels unfinished, like a tech demo of a game to come.

Codemaster's FUEL was a much better take on this genre.