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RaychelSnr · 11-13-2008, 10:30 PM

A lot of street-racing games seem to be going the "open world" route lately. You have Test Drive Unlimited available, where you can tool around a realistic Hawaii location for hours on end. You have other titles like Burnout Paradise, where you can fly around an open city and lay waste to rush hour traffic. The "original" street racing game, Need For Speed, has seen numerous changes over the years, but Need for Speed Underground 2 is still one of my favorite racers.

Now, into this already crowded genre comes Midnight Club Los Angeles. The question is whether there’s enough here that’s different enough to keep you playing it. The answer will vary, depending on your tastes.

Read More: Midnight Club: Los Angeles Review

asu666 · 11-14-2008, 09:59 AM

"You have basic groups and stages to upgrade, but no individual aftermarket parts like the Need For Speed games. "

Are you sure about this? I thought I remembered different parts makers on some of the categories.

Anyway, good review. Because of all the other games that just came out I'm only a couple of hours in, but so far it's an 8/10 imo. I would have liked to see less pop-in, the cops can be a little annoying when they come after you for minor violations, and a few of the races had turns that could have been marked a little more clearly. What I have played has been fun and I love the city, map feature, and method for altering my cars.

TCrouch · 11-14-2008, 11:37 AM

Yes, it has basic breakdowns for stage 1/2/3, but you can't choose from a bunch of individual carburetors or separate shock manufacturers, etc. You have one basic upgrade stage on each component to choose from, but I didn't notice if it had an official manufacturer tied to that upgrade stage. If it does, it certainly wasn't very evident to me

Complex · 11-14-2008, 12:20 PM

Solid review. 8.5/10 imo. This is an extremely attractive game but more cars could have been included like the DUB edition. And where are the trucks?

Scott · 11-14-2008, 12:22 PM

Solid review as stated above. I give it around a 8..It was nothing but a mere gamefly rental for me though.

asu666 · 11-14-2008, 02:17 PM

"The game scales, it rubber bands, and sometimes it feels like it's flat-out cheating to artificially lengthen the series."

This is something I noticed too and wasn't sure what was going on. In a couple for races I was running smooth and fast, not wreaking or loosing too much speed in the corners. I'd be out in front for most of the race and then at the last second the pack would get close and one would sometimes rocket by me like I was standing still. I caulked it up to the CPU having a bunch of boost for the final sprint, but it felt cheap to lose like that.

asu666 · 11-14-2008, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCrouch


	Yes, it has basic breakdowns for stage 1/2/3, but you can't choose from a bunch of individual carburetors or separate shock manufacturers, etc. You have one basic upgrade stage on each component to choose from, but I didn't notice if it had an official manufacturer tied to that upgrade stage. If it does, it certainly wasn't very evident to me

I'm sure you're right. I must have been thinking about the stages. I haven't played it for a couple of weeks now. Good job with the review.

Steve_OS · 11-14-2008, 06:49 PM

Vote for your reader score.

11-13-2008, 10:30 PM	#1
RaychelSnr Executive Editor OVR: 57 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 4,846 Blog Entries: 490	Midnight Club: Los Angeles Review A lot of street-racing games seem to be going the "open world" route lately. You have Test Drive Unlimited available, where you can tool around a realistic Hawaii location for hours on end. You have other titles like Burnout Paradise, where you can fly around an open city and lay waste to rush hour traffic. The "original" street racing game, Need For Speed, has seen numerous changes over the years, but Need for Speed Underground 2 is still one of my favorite racers. Now, into this already crowded genre comes Midnight Club Los Angeles. The question is whether there’s enough here that’s different enough to keep you playing it. The answer will vary, depending on your tastes. Read More: Midnight Club: Los Angeles Review Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360

11-14-2008, 11:37 AM	#3
TCrouch MVP OVR: 33 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,812 Blog Entries: 14	Re: Midnight Club: Los Angeles Review Yes, it has basic breakdowns for stage 1/2/3, but you can't choose from a bunch of individual carburetors or separate shock manufacturers, etc. You have one basic upgrade stage on each component to choose from, but I didn't notice if it had an official manufacturer tied to that upgrade stage. If it does, it certainly wasn't very evident to me

11-14-2008, 12:22 PM	#5
Scott Your Go-to TV Expert OVR: 52 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 19,781 Blog Entries: 81	Re: Midnight Club: Los Angeles Review Solid review as stated above. I give it around a 8..It was nothing but a mere gamefly rental for me though. __________________ PSN-Shugarooo Steam-ScottM.816 Twitch.tv/Shugarooo

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11-14-2008, 09:59 AM	#2
asu666 Pro OVR: 34 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Phoenix, Arizona Blog Entries: 8	"You have basic groups and stages to upgrade, but no individual aftermarket parts like the Need For Speed games. " Are you sure about this? I thought I remembered different parts makers on some of the categories. Anyway, good review. Because of all the other games that just came out I'm only a couple of hours in, but so far it's an 8/10 imo. I would have liked to see less pop-in, the cops can be a little annoying when they come after you for minor violations, and a few of the races had turns that could have been marked a little more clearly. What I have played has been fun and I love the city, map feature, and method for altering my cars.

11-14-2008, 12:20 PM	#4
Complex MVP OVR: 24 Join Date: Oct 2005 Blog Entries: 6	Solid review. 8.5/10 imo. This is an extremely attractive game but more cars could have been included like the DUB edition. And where are the trucks?

11-14-2008, 02:17 PM	#6
asu666 Pro OVR: 34 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Phoenix, Arizona Blog Entries: 8	"The game scales, it rubber bands, and sometimes it feels like it's flat-out cheating to artificially lengthen the series." This is something I noticed too and wasn't sure what was going on. In a couple for races I was running smooth and fast, not wreaking or loosing too much speed in the corners. I'd be out in front for most of the race and then at the last second the pack would get close and one would sometimes rocket by me like I was standing still. I caulked it up to the CPU having a bunch of boost for the final sprint, but it felt cheap to lose like that.

11-14-2008, 06:49 PM	#8
Steve_OS Editor-in-Chief OVR: 77 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: OS Eastern Office Posts: 31,662 Blog Entries: 556	Vote for your reader score.