Racing in San Diego By Rockstar Games

As most gamers are aware, Rockstar Games are the geniuses behind the Grand Theft Auto Series and Bully. They are also responsible for producing State of Emergency, which is one of the worst games I have ever wasted money on. It was with some reservation and anticipation that I picked up Midnight Club 3:Dub Edition, from my local used video game store. There are worse ways to throw away $15 I figured, and since I tend to like racing games, the package alone was promising with its description of being able to fly down city streets. Since I'm now a bit older, and maybe a little more wiser, I don't engage in reckless driving like I used to in my teenage years. While it was wonderful learning how effective our local police department was in running radar, I got tired of paying fines, and realized that I need to keep my drivers license.

You can't hurt yourself or anyone else driving recklessly in a video game, and my personal favorite is Test Drive 6. While I know there's no way any racing game will probably ever pass that high bar of standards, I had a lot of hope for Midnight Club 3, because it had similar characteristics in being able to customize cars and drive through uraban areas. This game was released in 2005, so it was among the first ones designed for the Sony PSP. With that in mind, I am still disappointed by the load times. While some might be amused watching a spinning wheel with a star in the middle of it for several minutes, it can get old fast, and it is the first of several disappointments that I have experienced with this game. It is the slowest loading game I own, and the times that it takes is unacceptable in every regard.

The graphics are pretty awesome, as I like how the cars and city environment look like. The cars look the real versions, and I like how you see sparks off of them when you crash into something or slide on a railing. This level of detail is appreciated, and I like how the buildings look realistic also. You really do feel like you are on the streets of San Diego, moving around other cars and lamposts as you try to defeat your opponents. The only problem with this, is while I expect some blurring of graphics at high speeds, there's too much of it here. While everything should go flying by you, there is a lot of distortion once you hit around 125 mph in any car, and the white lines on the road can be blurred even before that. Playing this game for extended periods will give you a headache as result of this, and I wish they could have resolved this problem before releasing it.

I do like the yellow arrow that points you in the right direction. The map that shows the streets is fairly worthless, but the arrow is easy to see, and gives you enough warning in advance to make turns without too much effort. The blue highlights over the cars you are competing against is a handy touch, and much appreciated as well. At least you can see where you are going, even with the blurrying of the graphics, so for this they do get some extra brownie points. The finish line is easy to see as well, so you can know to hit the accelerator and not let up.

The controls are sloppy though, as I don't like the steering controls. When you turn with the control stick, the steering is just as bad as a Jeep Cherokee would exhibit, which is not what you want when driving high performance cars. This is a major negative, and even though you do learn to compensate for it, it detracts from the fun that could have been possible with this game. The acceleration always seems to take too much time, and there's not a lot of difference from any of the vehicles. They all seem to drive and handle the same, and it doesn't matter if its a 64 Impala or Mercedes. In great racing games, such as the old Test Drives and even Grand Tourismo you could feel a huge difference between vehicles. For this to be like it is, cannot be acceptable under any circumstance. If you've driven the cars in Rockstar's older GTA's, you'll understand this.

There are some positive aspects to this game though. The rap music and sounds are awesome, and I just love hearing the engine of the cars revving. The tire squeals will make you turn your head. The soundtrack for this game is one of the most jamming I've heard in a long time, and it may be the best part of the game. Its at least a good reason to spend some time behind the crummy cars here, because it does distract you from some of the game's failures. I do like how you can race and then customize your cars though, at your garage. Any game that offers this capability should be commended, and this is one part that I do like about Midnight Club 3. However, it is not enough to make this a winner.

This is a poor product that could have been better served, but due to its shortcomings, I cannot recommend it. Its not one of the worst games I've played, but I think it would be more fairly priced around $5-$10. People who are not really passionate about cars or racing may be able to overlook its shortcomings, and be impressed by some of the graphics or customization capabilities that it has. However, as a fan of this type of activity, I was saddened by its lacking abilities. Its especially annoying to find all of the cars basically the same, and then to have that awful blurrying at high speeds. While the concept of customizing and driving through different urban areas is a good one, this game failed to live up to my expectations, and I will probably be soon trading it in for something else.