Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition - Playstation Portable (PSP) Reviews


	Platform PSP Genre Racing Publisher Rockstar Developer Rockstar ESRB T (Teen) Released June 2005

- Great graphics - Special moves - Frantic gameplay - Three cities - Tons of vehicles

- Frame rate issues - Loading times hurt a lot

Review: Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition (PS2) Review: ATV Offroad Fury Blazin' Trails (PSP Review: Wipeout Pure (PSP)
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Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition

Score: 7.9 / 10

Midnight Club3: Dub Edition (MC3) was released a few months ago on the PS2 and Xbox. It was a great game and I enjoyed it a lot more than Need for Speed Underground. Now, the PSP version is out and while it retains the frantic gameplay from its console counterparts, it seems to lack in other areas.

The PSP port just cannot hold its ground when comparing it to its console counterparts. There are some frame rate issues that I can forgive, but then there are the loading times. Damn, this game takes forever to load the city, a race, and even just doing something simple like viewing cars in the garage. That’s right, when you are looking for a car to buy, you have to check out its stats really fast because if you are not quick enough, the game automatically loads the model of the new car which sometimes takes over ten seconds to load up. These terrible load times are not only frustrating, but can be very inconvenient. For example: I was in a car with my friend and once we reached our destination, naturally I wanted to turn the game off. However, I was stuck in a load screen and it literally took the game about three minutes to finally load so I could turn my PSP off!

Despite the load times, the game is still great to play. It feels very similar to its PS2 counterpart and the controls are friendly. After my unfortunate experience with the analog stick from playing ATV on the PSP, I was very concerned how MC3’s controls would turn out. To my surprise it turned out quite well! The analog stick works great for this game. The d-pad is used to flick your lights (to catch a racer’s attention) and to change the music.

Career mode does not have much of a story, but to be frank, I do not think many people are buying a street racing game for a deep and engrossing storyline. Your character is a typical street racer who rises from a nobody to a well-respected racer who leaves his mark in street racing history. There are cutscenes in the game with characters telling you about new races and sometimes dropping hints. Some

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races have to be completed in order to unlock others (obviously). There are three different kinds of races found in the streets of San Diego, Atlanta and Detroit. City races are a good way to make some quick cash, there are many street racers around looking for some good competition; Club Races, which are only open to certain vehicle types; and Tournaments, which is where the big bucks are made.

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What is neat about the game are the special moves. No, your car cannot shoot the hadoken from the Street Fighter games, but the special moves in MC3 can be equally as handy. Some moves are exclusive to certain vehicles like Argo, which is a move that allows SUVs, trucks and luxury sedans to plow through traffic. Another special is the Roar, which is available to muscle cars and choppers. This move sends out an engine rev so loud it will scare people and traffic will disperse. These are just a couple of the many moves that can get you out of a bind.

There is a multiplayer mode and up to 5 opponents can play. Unfortunately I cannot see many people being willing to play multiplayer due to the long loading times between each race. It’s better than nothing, but I think most people would rather play multiplayer with other games on the PSP.

Graphically, this game is sharp and looks just as beautiful as it does on the PS2 but the choppy frame rate as mentioned above does hurt, but not to the point where I would say that it is not enjoyable to play. The graphic quality of the cars and city do make up for it.

The sounds effects could’ve been a little better, especially on crashes. The music quality is great and there is a decent amount of hip hop, rap and techno, however I feel that people like me who prefer rock are missing out on some other songs that would have fit the game well. There should have been a wider range of rock implemented into the game.

As long as you can stand the loading times, I see no reason why I would not suggest picking up Midnight Club 3, especially if you are a fan of the console version and just want a racer on the go.

- J’Tonello

(August 3, 2005)