It’s been
awhile since fans of the illegal street racing genre took a late night drive in
a Midnight Club game so it’s good to see Rockstar’s racer back again on
consoles as Midnight Club: Los Angeles and on the PSP as Midnight Club
L.A. Remix. Unlike the last Midnight Club outing on the PSP, L.A.
Remix is not a port of the console version but rather a “remixed” condensed
version with the game that takes key elements from the PlayStation 3 and Xbox
360 version. The result is a portable game that will have fans happily renewing
their membership to the club.
As the title
suggests, L.A. Remix takes us back to the streets of Los Angeles where
street racers wait until the cover of night to race against anyone willing the
flash their car’s headlights. Career mode doesn’t have a deep or interesting
story but it does an Ok job of introducing the illegal street race lifestyle. As
a nameless and faceless street racer, you look to join the secretive club whose
members cruise the streets of Los Angeles looking for a challenger. Introduced
into the lifestyle by a talented racer, you attempt to beat every LA racer and
head to Tokyo where you’ll really make a name for yourself.
Unlike the
console version, however, the city of Los Angeles in L.A. Remix isn’t as
big as the console version. You’ll zip right through Sunset Boulevard and
suddenly find yourself facing the Santa Monica pier (if you’re from LA you know
how strange that sounds) but there’s enough to see in the game while racing our
just cruising the streets in your customized vehicle. Even Tokyo has been
downsized but – again – there’s enough street for a variety of races.
Speaking of
vehicles, the PSP version brings all of the vehicles from the console version.
You’ll be able to get behind the wheel of everything from a 1969 Ford Mustang
Boss 302 to a new Dodge Charger SRT-8. You’ll even get a chance to ride a 2006
Ducati 999R or a 2007 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 if you like to ride bikes instead.
The good news is that each vehicle handles the way they should but thanks to the
PSP controls there are certain things that don’t run as smoothly as the console
version. Drifting, for example, isn’t performed well but it does the trick if
use it enough times. The addition of Slip Stream Turbo is good, though, and
gives you a temporary boost of speed by trailing behind an opposing racer.
Due to the
smaller maps, races are a tad quicker and thus more compact. This actually works
for a portable format when you want to get a quick race in between breaks. These
bite-sized races are still challenging and loads of fun even if it’s a
one-on-one race. Flashing your high beams still flags down potential racers and
race icons are scattered throughout the map. Every race, however, contains some
erratic checkpoints that can be missed thanks to the iffy GPS that isn’t quite
quick enough to tell you where to turn.
Career mode is
actually quite lengthy and it’s great to find the numerous customization options
that can turn your weak ride into a good-looking and tricked out vehicle. Police
presence can also be felt and there are some interesting chases in this one that
amps up the challenge. The game also includes Arcade mode that include a variety
of races from Career mode such as Time Trail but also arcade-styled modes such
as Paint and Capture the Flag that Midnight Club fans will instantly recognize.
There’s also multiplayer via Ad Hoc mode only so those looking for online action
will be disappointed.
On the graphics
front, L.A. Remix is not bad on the eyes despite a few visual glitches.
Los Angeles and Tokyo look rather good and there are many points of interest
that should be recognizable to residents of both cities. While your surroundings
look good, the vehicles just don’t look as good as they should on the PSP. This
is not to say that the vehicles are ugly but we’ve seen better on Sony’s
handheld. There are some glitches, such as cars popping in and out of the street
and top speeds you can easily miss an intersection.
The game also
contains a good soundtrack that contains some rock tunes, some good hip-hop and
loads of electronica. With a great soundtrack, the sounds of wheels peeling out
and the rumbling of each individual car or motorcycle are not bad. The bad urban
stereotype voices are back so expect the Latino racers to say “essay” a lot.
It’s suppose to give the impression that you’re going up against every urban,
hip-hop Angelino but it just comes off as annoying here.
Midnight
Club: L.A. Remix for
the PSP might be a bite-sized version of the recent console release but this
portable racing game is still one surprisingly solid and enjoyable entry worth
buying. It’s far from perfect but there are more positives here than negatives
and the customization features also make a comeback. In other words, there’s
enough here to please fans of racing games and the Midnight Club series
so a membership to this club is a Must.
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Gameplay: 8.0
The game’s controls
are simply Ok on PSP and each vehicle offers something different like a real
racing title should despite this being a remixed version of Midnight Club:
Los Angeles. Career mode has enough going for it to keep racing fans busy
and there are also other modes to sink your teeth into when you’re finished.
Graphics: 8.0
Los Angeles looks
good at night and the game does a great job of displaying this fact. The cars
don’t look as good as the console version but car enthusiasts will recognize
them right away. Even the cut scenes are smooth but I sadly traffic seems to
suddenly appear out of nowhere.
Sound: 8.5
The collection of
tunes is great and much of what you’ll hear from the soundtrack goes beyond the
cool electronica. The voice acting is good but the stereotypes are getting old
very fast.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
The difficulty ramps
up later in the game and you’ll find some smart opponents out in the street so
you will be pleasantly challenged.
Concept: 8.0
The Remix
version of the Los Angeles-based racer has a lot to offer racing fans and it’s
portable too. The game does a great job of setting up the races in bite-sized
chunks that make this utterly playable and less frustrating than its harder
console version. There’s no online multiplayer but at least all the cars and the
customization features are available.
Multiplayer: 8.5
While there’s no
online multiplayer mode via Infrastructure, the Ad Hoc action is hot, stylish
and loads of fun to play with up to four friends. The arcade-styled races are
still a blast to play and will certainly be the reason Midnight Club fans
will be playing the game for a long time to come.
Overall: 8.0
Deliciously
satisfying and utterly stylish, Midnight Club: L.A. Remix is a solid
racing PSP racing game and another great entry in the Midnight Club
series. Yes, the hardware limitations hold it back a little but there are enough
features present to make this one hell of a hot ride.
