PSP World

Midnight Club LA Remix Review

Alright, show of hands: who enjoys a nice adrenaline pumping, trash talking, law-breaking racing game? Or are you the type to just sit on the floor and mess around with hot wheels all day? Rockstar games has brought the action back to Los Angeles with Midnight Club LA Remix. This is another installment in the long-running series that made its debut on the PS2. All I have to say is pump up the volume, because we're ready to roll!

The story is very simple, you are a racer and with your (prepare for product placement) T-Mobile Sidekick, you receive missions and tasks. A dude named "Brooke" seems to be the main opponent in the game, yet he is helping you become a better racer. You start off the game with four main tuner vehicles; however my personal favorite is the Nissan 240SX because it has great handling and is good for drifting. The Nissan 240SX is a "D" class vehicle, however it can still take on the other classes with no problem. It seems that Rockstar went the San Andreas route and made their version of LA huge, and it is much bigger then the cities in Dub Edition from my own observations. Also, be ready to leave the country because LA is not your only stop in the game. You will also find yourself taking part in races in Japan before the game is through. With all of the events and locations, the game features a good amount of diversity. Gameplay is free roaming and you have a lot of room for practicing with your new customized rides. The formula remains the same as always: each mission you complete earns you more money and upgrades.

There are fewer vehicles in this game than in previous versions. You only have 40 vehicles and 3 motorcycles to play with, however I am hoping the PSP will obtain some DLC love as the consoles will. I know that some of you want more vehicles to play with, but remember the PSP is a handheld system so don't be greedy. Real fans can use the handheld version to get practice before racing on the console; practice on the go is what I call it.

The vehicle physics are always impressive in this franchise; my personal favorite is the weight transfer system which could work in your favor...sometimes. Now, if you get used to a tuner car then you better be ready to use a muscle and exotic car because they all handle differently. You will have to change up your driving style while doing the missions in the game and yes the game will force you to use different vehicles. Some missions in the game require specific vehicles to progress through.

The new features in the game include the transition of night and day. Yup, you are not stuck at night all the time, you will be able to see the sun rise and even deal with harsh weather conditions. The damage control in the game is amazing and since this is a PSP game they are pretty much showing off. You get to see the hood crack, paint scratch, and glass break. Also new customization features are included for the interior, and exotics can be customized now. An oldie but goodie has returned in the form of the AI interacting with you during races. I missed that feature back when Midnight Club 2 came out and I am happy to say they brought it back. You actually feel as if you are playing against real opponents without being online. You bump into their vehicle they will respond and if you fall beyond they will tease you about it which will push you to be more aggressive with your racing.

Last but not least, the special ability of each vehicle is back. These are of course the slow down time, roar and the famous slip stream boost. Even putting hydraulics on your car as an option is all up too you, but honestly it is only to show off to friends. Each of the features come in handy with the appropriate strategy and choice of time to attack during races. I would suggest saving your "Nos" for when it really matters and remaining behind your opponent sometimes!

The bottom line this game is hardcore and amazingly fun. I am looking for flaws but really it has the right level of difficulty and motivation to make you want to compete in more races. Rockstar has earned a lot of respect by polishing this game to the extent that it has. The developers have succeeded in creating an action-packed racing game with many shortcuts and jumps to keep gamers on edge. Finding the fastest route through any race is very important and makes it more fun that way too. in my final analysis I award Midnight Club LA Remix a well-deserved 5 out of 5. That's right, a perfect score! Stay frosty gamers and I shall see you in LA!