If Midnight Club: Los Angeles was only a simulator – a vehicular version of Google Earth designed to explore a tighter, cooler version of LA, it would be an awesome creation. But it is actually a fully-developed sequel to Rockstar’s hit street racing series. Made specifically for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the game is drenched in visual beauty that surpasses the realistic roadways and city structures of Grand Theft Auto IV.

Despite the number of racing games out there (and how many of them felt the same on PS2), Midnight Club: LA is distinctly different from its predecessors. It also stands apart from GRID, Gran Turismo, GTA, and others with definitive driving mechanics. LA has never looked so good or been this exciting before, which is why upon entry, it will become the city you won’t want to leave anytime soon.

Speed Demon

Using specific camera angles, a slight camera shake, controller vibration, and other graphical tricks, Midnight Club: LA is instantly intense. You really feel the power of your engine as it starts up, even if it belongs to a piece of junk vehicle whose rustic appearance and mismatched door repair clearly don’t belong. As you pull away, accelerating as fast as your initial vehicle (1988 Scirocco, 1998 240SX or 1983 Golf/GTI) allows, the game feels as good as it looks. Later on you’ll be able to purchase better rides, including motorcycles, modern and classic Mustangs, the new Chevy Camaro, Pontiac Solstice, the Shelby Cobra concept, a slick Nissan roadster and many others.

The steering is tight, though not so tight that you’ll be able to weave in and out of traffic with ease. But this is very much the arcade type of experience street racing fans desire, with hints of Burnout 3 and Need For Speed Carbon thrown in – not as a knock-off but as a subtle influence that shows how the genre is evolving.

Globally Positioned

In the beginning, players may be tempted to ignore the races and just cruise around the city. It’s easy to lose yourself in the wonder of it all, but thanks to the realistic implementation of streets and landmarks (including the LA Convention Center, the official home of E3 2009), players won’t be physically lost. To help us in our quest to become the street racing king, the developers created one of the best map systems ever conceived.

At any time in the game, during any race, players can tap the select button to bring up the GPS map. This highly detailed device pulls the camera away from your car, out past the city, and up to a top-down view high above LA. The visual transition is not perfect – if you look closely, it does appear that the map is separate from the city you actually race in, but is designed to look the same. The game quickly swaps the physical, gameplay city out for the map view when switching to GPS, and vice versa when going back.

Regardless, the transition – and most of all the map itself – is very impressive. Streets can be highlighted with the tap of a button, and like GTA, you can plant a marker on the mini-map for a guide to your next destination. But even without all that, this is not a game where you will be confused or annoyed. The developers purposely added shortcuts – likely wider and more obvious than in the real LA – to make navigation much more intuitive. The city is very vibrant, even at night, and looks gorgeous no matter where the light is coming from.

Population: Enormous

Midnight Club: LA is heavily populated. Pedestrians are harmless – you can’t run them over, and they won’t hurt your progress. In every situation they’ll manage to evade your vehicle just before an accident could occur. Other vehicles, however, are a whole other story. Taking a cue from the Burnout series – and pumping it up with Midnight Club’s own brand of exhilaration – Midnight Club: LA is a racer where crashing is inevitable. If you thought you were good at maneuvering out of harm’s way in Crazy Taxi or any other driving game, think again. Civilian vehicles are not forgiving. You won’t necessarily burn out or lose the race for a minor collision.

But a serious crash spells instant trouble. Your vehicle – or motorcycle – will crunch, spin and thrash its way across the pavement. If you’re on a bike, expect to see a cringe-worthy animation (nothing too violent; this game is rated Teen). No matter how severe the crash, the most cringe-worthy thing of all is watching your opponents pass you by. It’s a truly painful experience, especially when you’ve just spent the last several checkpoints gaining enough speed to finally pass the bunch, only to have it lost in the blink of an eye. That’s the story of today’s racing games, which are more immersive with realistic traffic, but that addition comes at an obvious price. It is, however, a price worth paying. Over time we’ll get used to driving through heavy traffic and be able to conquer these games without issue. Until then, it’s a wonderful challenge to embrace.

Check Your Points

Though you will have no difficulty finding your way around the city, it is hard to keep up with the checkpoints – which could be dispersed in any direction – when competing in the first chunk of races. Checkpoints come up fast, and there isn’t much time to look around and figure out your next destination. This is especially true when using a nitrous boost, which accelerates your vehicle so quickly that it may be impossible to make the next turn – should one come up.

The best way to tackle a race is to start it by accessing your GPS, which provides a clear view of where all the checkpoints are located. It won’t help you much if you boost past one of them (the time it takes to turn around and hit the missed checkpoint is likely to cost you the race). But they become much easier to see and anticipate with every race. Still, expect to enter 20 to 30 races (many of them repeats because you lost) before the semi-overwhelming feelings are lifted.

Gameplay: 8.7
The controls are excellent and feel distinctly different from other racing games (including the previous Midnight Club titles), the streets are bustling with vehicles, and the sense of speed is truly joyous.

Graphics: 8.8
Extremely impressive. The crashes are a tad weak (you can't demolish licensed vehicles without upsetting car manufacturers), but the game is super quick, looks gorgeous, and is an excellent way to enjoy LA driving. (Who knew that was possible!?)

Sound: 5.9
Expect to endure a bunch of repeated lines from competitors who insist there’s no chance you can win. Likewise, the music is repetitive, a tad distracting, and not very memorable. It can be turned down, thankfully, allowing you to get rid of the music without sacrificing the sound effects (which are quite good).

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
You'll feel like a failure when you lose (a frequent occurrence), but feel like a champion when you win.

Concept: 7.8
Midnight Club: Los Angeles is a wonderfully polished game that pushes the series forward. But it doesn't break any new ground.

Multiplayer: 8.5
Loads of race types for up to 16 players, as well as the option to sit back and watch while others compete.

Overall: 8.5
An exhilarating blend of Burnout 3 and Need For Speed Carbon, Midnight Club: Los Angeles is an intense street racer where everyday traffic is your biggest threat.