Both for singleplayer and multiplayer arcade racing and party gaming, Flatout is a recommended game.
If you can say 'check' to the questions above, Flatout could be your game.
Its easy, and very relevant, to compare this game to Burnout - but in reality they are more different than they appear.
First and foremost, Flatout is really two games. It has the singleplayer campaign, which is a typical 'career' mode. Unlike Burnout, it is possible to upgrade the cars you drive, and you have to earn money - by winning races -if you want to have better cars. The single player campaign is pretty straightforward, but the velocity and ferocity of the races makes it interesting nonetheless. And requires, surprisingly, some skill, as the courses have some bends and twists, as well as different surfaces, ranging from desert sand to good old tarmac.
The second part of the game - the party mode - is a nice bonus. It concentrates on the aspect of the driver flying through the windshield, which has been the trademark of the Flatout series since the original Flatout.
The party mode support up to 8 players who plays in turn, so theres no need for an extra controller. The different minigames takes very little time for each turn (around 30 sec.), so even if you are 8 people playing, theres not too much waiting. The different minigames ranges from bowling to flying through rings of fire. Common to them all are the concept of getting the car up to speed, and then (with a press from a button) throwing your driver through the window and then control him in the air. It may sound easy, but Bugbear has tweaked each event, so it requires some reflex skills getting the right angle. Still, the game is not impossible to play, even when you've had the first 5 beers.
The graphics are impressive, especially considering the amount of debris, clutter and breakable objets on each course. Bugbear claims that the amount of breakable objects (and the following debris) is about 8000 per course, and it doesn't seem like an overstatement. On top of that, put in the car damage and shaded surfaces, and you have a very nice looking game. But the amount of debris is also the weak spot of this game, as the debris push your car a bit too much, hitting a broken fence can throw your car off the road and possibly cost you your 1st place - and the amount of debris on the course makes it very difficult to avoid crashing into something.
The loading times are relatively short, and the sound would've been great, if not for the rather limited soundtrack. Were talking about mid-class nu-heavy music late 90-ish, and not many of them to boot.
So what do you get for your money?
You get an above-average career mode. Fun, challenging driving. Very good party mode (enjoy it with beer) and the price (in my country at least) is very low. So it may not be a classic, but its recommended.