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Midnight Club Los Angeles
What do you
get when you cross Stre4et Racing with the Grand Theft IV engine? The
answer is Midnight Club Los Angeles which is one of the
most thrilling racing games of the year. What sets this title apart from
its competitors is the sense of freedom and realism that is unparallel
in the world of racing games.
Although in
its essence, Midnight Club Los Angeles features all the stereotypical
elements from movies such as Gone in 60 Seconds and the Fast
and Furious, the title also contains a slight story to assist in
immersing the gamer into this high speed racer. Even though the story
takes a back seat, it does help in giving you some ownership of the cars
and environment where you race.
With that
in mind, In Midnight Club Los Angeles, players assume the role of a
cocky newcomer who wishes to become LA's best street racer. Of course,
your character has to jump through quite a few hoops and races before
this can happen but this is where the charm of the game begins. As you
progress through the game so does the cars that you have access to and
also your competitors which become harder and harder as you race the
streets of LA. It's classic street racing, however with almost unlimited
racing freedom.
As the game is set in LA, there will be
many landmarks which become apparent to the user and as I've been to the
city of Angels before, I must admit that the developers have created a
great virtual world of LA. Match that with various weather effects and
different parts of the day where you can race, for example in the day or
at night and the world of Midnight Club Los Angeles is a living
breathing entity.
In terms of gameplay, Midnight Club Los
Angeles is a racing game and in order to race, you need to find
opponents and when you find someone, you give the "secret" street racing
flash of your lights and you begin. Apart from racing, you can engage in
a variety of missions and be careful because the police in the game are
quite proactive and adds to the adrenaline rush of virtual street
racing. By completing races, you are awarded money and your respect
level increases which allows you to compete in harder challenges
Your opponents in Midnight Club Los Angeles are quite competent which
does make the difficulty of the game slightly higher than standard
racing titles. This becomes apparent when you are racing against
oncoming traffic. Although at the end of the day, Midnight Club Los
Angeles may feel like your stock standard street racing games, however
the Grand Theft Auto IV engine really lends itself to this racing genre
and truly gives you a sense of speed and once again freedome
Feeling up
for multiplayer? Why not try your luck with up to 16-players online? You
can even create your own races or play some of the cool pre-existing
modes such as capture the flag, keepaway or stockpile. There is also a
great community beginning online which allows you to showcase your
abilities and victories.
Graphically, the title is a visual treat on the XBox 360 thanks to the
high resolution textures and impressive background environments that
boasts certain real-world parts of Los Angeles. The vehicles are
exceptionally realistic and move with a real-world grace, however the
star of the game are the backgrounds and special effects, including
realistic lighting effects that looks brilliant on a high definition TV.
Best of all, the game maintains a steady frame rate with only some slow
down. however fortunately this is far and few.
In conclusion, Midnight Club Los Angeles is
an entertaining street racing game that successfully uses the GTA IV
engine to create an almost limitless racing environment that includes
great racing and some interesting missions. Definitely for those who
love the genre or want a unique racing experience.
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