However, he felt the fun gameplay in two-player mode outweighed this, though he recommended that gamers with no one to play with buy a different racing game. Todd Mowatt of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it an 8 out of 10, citing the power-ups, selection of characters, and season competition, while his co-reviewer Joe Rybicki gave it a 5 out of 10, saying the graphics and animation do not exploit the PlayStation's capabilities, and the gameplay fails to improve upon the unexciting original. A reviewer for Next Generation somewhat similarly commented that 2Xtreme "seems to be a little more sedate than the frenzied original was."
However, he found the enjoyable two-player mode more appealing than the negatives, recommending gamers without partners to choose a different racing game. Todd Mowatt of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it an 8 out of 10, praising power-ups, character selection, and seasonal competitions; Joe Rybicki's co-reviewer rated it a 5 out of 10, criticizing the graphics and animation for not fully utilizing the PlayStation's features and the gameplay failing to improve upon the original. A reviewer from Next Generation similarly noted that "2Xtreme" felt more relaxed compared to its predecessor.