by Adam - August 22, 2005

Racing is a sport where reflexes, adrenaline, and skill will take you straight to the top. Rockstar�s newest game Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition requires you to be a good racer as well as make smart management decisions in order to stay ahead of the pack. As a street racer you must out drive your opponents through three different cities in order to end up on top. With a wide variety of cars, opponents, and upgrades Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition is a game you won�t put down for a while.

Go Speed Racer!

The game play in Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition is fun and increasingly challenging. Players will drive around the city challenging other racers for money. Some races are one on one, others are timed laps, and there are free for all races. A tournament mode also allows you to race for a cash prize. This adds a wide variety to the game play so there�s always a fresh challenge. All of the races pay for first second and third place. Using this money you can upgrade your cars performance and looks as well as buy new vehicles.

The controls in this game are quite fitting as it is easy to steer via use of the analog stick. The right shoulder buttons controls your hand brake. The d-pad will allow you to look at a reverse camera angle as well as change songs and flash your headlights. The circle button activates your nitrous. The X button will allow to accelerate while triangle reverses. The select button pulls down a convenient menu which will let you choose your next destination or quickly return home to the garage.

The look of a Racer

Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition is a beautiful game. Upon putting it in my PSP I was blown away from the first intro video where they showcase many of the cars in the game. I watched as it showed a realistically light city and lights streaming of all of the beautiful cars in this game. The lighting system is rendered in real time so you can see reflections off of vehicles and wet surfaces. This game uses full motion videos to introduce more advanced races. The vehicles look exactly like their real life counterparts. Upgrades and customization can be seen on your ride in both race mode and the garage mode.

You can customize your ride with all real parts that are available in real life. Upgrades to different parts will enhance your ride such as bigger rotors, a new exhaust, a new spoiler, and new rims. Then you can take your whip to the paint shop get a custom paint job, or new decals to accessorize your vehicle. The ability to change your license plate as well as the style of it also adds character to your wheels.

Better than the game itself

Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition does a great job in the sound department. The purring of a tuned engine as opposed to the standard engine can be heard as well as squealing tires on a power launch start. The voice acting in this game sounds a little cheesy but fits in well over all. The other in game sound effects don�t sound all too impressive, however this game. This is only complimented by the impressive soundtrack that accompanies this game.Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition has a really impressive soundtrack featuring over thirty well known artists. Fat Joe, Cyllax, Big Tymaz, and Jimmy Eat World are just a few that are featured. This games soundtrack is a welcome blend of hip hop, techno, and rock which are all perfect for racing through the various city streets.

Time to Burn

This game is a lot of fun to play. Racing and challenging your self to get ahead becomes even harder as you progress, upgrades and knowing your car�s limits are the real ways to succeed at this game. A good knowledge of the area is always helpful for shortcuts a well as avoiding major intersections reducing chance for collision. Unlocking more cars to customize was a blast as there was always something cool and new to look forward. SUV�s, motorcycles, imports, classics, and luxury cars are all available to ride around and reign supreme in. The real licensing of parts and vehicles is also welcome so your car doesn�t get a lame knock off name.

I personally spent most of my free time trying to play this game, I would go through a fresh charge without even realizing I had been playing for almost 6 hours non-stop. There is a lot to uncover and do in this game so it has great amount of replay value. Cruising around jumping into various races never got tiring as it takes about a minute to find a given race. I�ve played for roughly 15 hours and not enough started to unlock everything in this game.

Road Rally Fun

One of the coolest arts of this game is an 8 person multiplayer mode. This is fun as you and your friends can build your rides then take it to the streets challenging each other. There are many different stages for you and your crew to race through so the game stays pretty refreshing. If you can�t play with any friends you know the single player is great as it features a pure arcade mode in which you can just go straight to a race. This coupled with the soundtrack makes this game addictive.

A performance car

With real upgrades, new challenges, and a high paced multiplayer mode this is one of the greatest race games I�ve played, regardless of console. This game is perfectly equal to its� console counterparts in every aspect. There is one drawback of slow load times but overall this game is highly entertaining and highly addictive. I would strongly recommend this game to anyone who is a big fan of the Midnight Club franchise or anyone who is just looking for a good fun racing game for the PSP.