Read reviews & Check out new games
|
READ
|
DISCUSS
 Joytron PSP Sli...
 Pelican for Son...
 PSP IVO Sound M...
 DiGi iNVaDeRS
| Go on! You know you want it
| Summary: Good Quality Racing Game, Worth Checking Out
85
While it has been out for some time now, I have finally gotten to a point where I feel I can write a decent review for this game. While this game wasn’t one of those games you can’t put down, it was still a great quality game that I’m glad to have purchased. While there is a plethora of other racing games available, I feel Midnight Club stands its ground amongst the competition.
- 85
While they aren’t the best graphics I’ve seen on PSP, this game has very good graphics and lighting. I love driving through the cities and watching the different lights off the buildings reflecting off my car. For the most part the graphics are fairly clear and crisp but the occasion jagged lines are prevalent. I enjoy modifying my cars and seeing every new modification on my car from the decals, to the body kits, to even my custom license plate with the state plate of my choice. To make a long story short, I’ve been adequately satisfied with what I’ve seen.
- 90
All the sound effects have been great and for the most part are very realistic. The screeching of tires while I peel out or drift fit just fine, while collisions sound great.
I don’t listen to that much new music so I can’t say I’ve heard a lot of the songs before, however, they match perfectly for the feel of the game and there is a wide selection of music to choose from as you are driving.
- 80
There are a lot of options for races in this game as you advance through the 3 different cities available to race in. You have your tournament races, exotic races, sports bike races, chopper races, truck races, sports car races, not to mention the open races which move you along the game, in which you can usually use any vehicle of your choice. While all these races are in the career mode, you have the option of a quick race and arcade races in the main menu which is exactly what you would think they are. For this review I will focus on the career mode. You basically start out being able to buy some of the lower end cars in the beginning and work your way up to buying the faster cars, bikes, trucks, and so on.
You drive around the cities looking for races and there is a map which helps you easily locate the race you want. For the most part your races will be free roaming style races in which you are in charge of making sure you are going the right way. While a lot of racing games almost require you to use the better cars along your way, I found that I was able to get through a lot of the main races with the lexus IS300 that I got from almost the get-go. Something to note is the special abilities for the different vehicles. The first one you will probably encounter is the zone, which is basically bullet time for the sports bike and tuner imports.
By driving good and not smashing into things, you will gain the zone. It helps with sharp turns, avoiding traffic, and sometimes makes it too easy to win races. Trucks have the ability to ram traffic out of the way while choppers have the roar to scare cars out of their way and put them in front of other cars. For me personally, I don’t like to use the special abilities so much because I like to leave the challenge in the races and keep it feeling like a traditional race.
- 90
The different race styles and different vehicles and their specific handling make this game good for replay. Whether or not you want to play the arcade races or the races in career mode there are a lot of options to meet your racing fix. They have many different arcade style races which allow you to play “paint the town” style of racing where you race around capturing as many sections of the city as you can. However, like I said, this review will consist mostly of the career mode as the arcade mode will take a lot more time to review.
You could go through the main races with just a car the first time through and have a completely different experience going through the game with a motorcycle. I love racing the import tuners like my Nissan Skyline, but I love weaving through traffic with my Ducati motorcycle like I have a death wish. The vehicles all have very different feels to them making it a different game to race with them all. While I have raced the majority of the main races, I’m still only 60% complete due to all the side optional races that you can partake in.
Pros
This is a very well balanced game with good graphics, good gameplay, and good replayability. There are tons of vehicles at your disposal with even more customization options for each. It falls short of being a great game but it definitely is a good one. It feels very well made and I have failed to see an instance that it has felt like it cut corners on production. In the end, you’ll forget that you’re playing a handheld portable game.
Cons
It can be hard to navigate on the open ended races even when using the map. All races take place at night and even though there are well lit arrows to point you in the right direction; it can still be hard to see which route they are pointing to. One other thing to note, LOADING TIMES of course. You will not hear someone who has played this game not complain about the loading times. They range from 20 seconds up to a minute. They are the worst loading times I’ve seen so far, but it’s understood when you see the cities that have to be loaded.
I recommend this game to any hardcore racing fans that like the illegal street racing theme, import tuners, or just a racing fan in general. For those not into racing games, you still might have fun customizing cars to the limit and flying it around giant cities so you may want to rent it. I do not regret buying this game in the slightest.
REVIEW IT
PRODUCT INFO
BUY IT
|
15
