Jon Wheel

Is it your dream to drive 200 mph down the streets of Hollywood in a Lamborghini? If so, it’s time to make your dreams come true. Midnight Club: Los Angeles gives you the ability to cruise around Los Angeles in one of 46 unique vehicles, ranging from a Ford Mustang to a Lamborghini Gallardo. There are five different car categories: tuners, muscle cars, luxury, bikes, and exotics, ranging from a $3,000 Volkswagen to a $580,000 Saleen S7. Of course, the entire game is set in Los Angeles, California. The city is amazingly realistic, from the Santa Monica pier on the beach to the Staples Center downtown. The map is much larger than all three cities combined in Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, the previous installment in the Midnight Club series.

The objective of the game is to become the best street racer in L.A. Throughout the game, various street racers around the city will challenge you to different types of races, which consist of yellow checkpoints; the first one to reach the final red checkpoint wins the race. As you win more races, you earn more “rep.” Obviously, rep stands for reputation and how big you are in the street racing world. As you earn more rep, you will unlock new cars and parts so you can win races in style.

You start the game with an awful car, as an unnamed character. Then you meet a man named Booke, who gets you started in the street racing world. Next you meet Karol, who owns two garages in L.A. He will hook you up with all the cars and parts you need to become a legend in Hollywood. After you become a household name and earn one million dollars, you can buy into Karol’s garages and get all the cars and parts you want…absolutely free.

There is much more to Midnight Club: Los Angeles than just street racing against the computer. On PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, you can play online against anyone else in the world. PSN’s “trophies” are supported, and Xbox 360’s “achievements” are as well. Another cool online feature is the Rockstar Games Social Club. Through this, you can track your stats, rate other players’ cars, and enroll in the Rockstar Games Driving Test. By completing challenges in the driving test, you can unlock in-game rewards, such as hydraulics, TIS rims, and after completing all 12 challenges, the stunning Audi R8.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles is definitely not one of those games you can beat in a weekend. It requires a lot of practice and patience to make it to the top. Heavy traffic, and of course the cops, will attempt to keep you out of the winner’s circle. The controls, though, are much easier to adjust to than the game itself. In fact, if you don’t like the controller configuration, you can choose the “Custom Controller” mode where you can make any button perform any function.

Your browser may not support display of this image. Midnight Club: Los Angeles is a must for any racing fan. Its amazing detail and realism provide a great visual aspect to an instant classic. The arcade-style gameplay is unbeatable, but constant challenges will hinder this game’s appeal. The other drivers seem too good, traffic never seems to get out of the way, and the cops are relentless. Still, this game deserves a solid 8.5/10. Midnight Club: Los Angeles is available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, as well as Midnight Club: LA Remix for the PlayStation Portable.