Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition Review

We really enjoyed the last installment of Midnight Club for the PS2, so we had very high hopes for the first PSP version of the game — and we weren’t disappointed. The PSP version of Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition keeps the same open, roam-able cities as the console versions, quite an undertaking for a portable system. As you motor through San Diego, Atlanta, and Detroit, you’ll need you knowledge of the maps and quick reflexes to win.

One of the first things we noticed about Dub Edition, and more than likely you will too, are the epic load times. These load times are somewhat made up for in the sheer size of the cities and the amount of things to do in the game — there’s a lot to do in this game. Some of the races are repetitive, but this has been true with practically every game in this series, so it’s somewhat to be expected. The controls are rock solid (once you get them set the way you like them), but framerate issues can undo even the most precise control when rushing through traffic. Overall, Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition is a great game, with hours of gameplay, and a fantastic presentation and soundtrack. Only the long load times and framerate issues keep it from earning our top score.

Review Round Up:

1UP: 7.9
“Despite the load time issue, an occasional problem with being able to see certain cars and roadside objects that blend into the dark backgrounds, and a slightly reduced sense of speed overall, there’s very little to criticize here. The load time especially is something that’s difficult to ignore, but don’t take that to mean the game is unplayable. It’s one of the best games on PSP, and one of the best suited for the hardware. The PSP may not be hurting in the racing game category right now, but MC3 is more than welcome in filling the free roaming gap.”

GameSpot: 7.3
“Some things are forgivable, but the protracted load times, sputtering frame rate, and unimpressive sense of speed all combine to drag down what could have been a great game. The gameplay is still more than solid, however, and the deep career mode should keep PSP players entertained for a good long time. All told, it’s a flawed but fun street racer, and genre enthusiasts will certainly enjoy it on some level.”

IGN: 7.1
“On the other hand, it’s a good game deep, deep, deep down inside. It took me a long, long time to warm to this PSP game at all; I wouldn’t expect most other gamers to give it that much time. Even car geeks into all the customization and detailing will get turned off by the load pauses. What I got to really like about the game, however, was its sense of chaos and mayhem. Blast this game for doing this to me, but I’m almost spoiled for other racing games now — everything else feels like a Sunday drive on an open highway.”

GameZone: 8.0
“Even with its small share of problems and the exclusion of a few features here and there, Midnight Club: DUB Edition for the PSP is a Must-Have for gamers that are in the mood for arcade racing at its most fun. You’ll be surprised how wonderfully faithful to the console version this game really is so give this a try if you’ve already worn out Ridge Racer or Need for Speed Underground: Rivals.”

Aggregate Rating: 7.8