I got Midnight Club: LA a while back, and am really loving it. It is a lot of fun, and provides a very contrasting experience to the soulless cookie cutter Need for Speed series. The game has a lot of personality, features some enjoyable music, has a very varied and interesting city to race in, and actually provides a surprisingly challenging experience.
The game uses the GTA4 engine, and uses it well. It looks very impressive technically, at least in terms of the vast detail it affords its city. But it looks even better in terms of art style, where everything looks very pleasing in a normal sorta way, especially when compared to the desperately "gritty" look that Need for Speed has adopted.
MC:LA does tend to slow down at times, which is hardly surprising, considering the level of detail. But since the game really does perform at the edge of what the hardware allows, it does mean that it features less of the arcade style stunting that was so brilliant in Midnight Club II. Comparatively, MCII looked like ass when it came out, but the less punishing engine allowed the developers to experiment more with the physics.
But as I said earlier, MC4 is quite challenging, which I love. It also is extremely unpredictable, which means that you may suddenly end up losing a race you had been dominating, or vice versa. It makes for extremely sweet wins, some of which will leave you screaming in delight.
What makes the whole thing so unpredictable and challenging? I am glad you asked D.
Firstly, if you've never played a MC game, the game features an open world ala GTA, where while street racing, you will have to do your own pathfinding via the mini map (It is a LOT easier than it sounds, and the game makes it easier with tons of little checkpoints), while at the same time you try to avoid oncoming traffic etc. And unlike the NFS games, environmental objects actually affect your gameplay. For example, you won't magically pass through street lights, and instead will smash into a dead stop.
Secondly, your car will get damaged, and there are consequences to poor driving, to a point where your vehicle will stop functioning if it gets too smashed up. Again, a welcome change from the NFS franchise.
Then there is the slipstream turbo: If you driving right the tail of a competitor, your tubro meter will go up to a point where you can activate a little boost... a boost that at the end of a race, can at times be good enough to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Overall, I highly recommend this title. It is a lot of fun, and provides a welcome challenge.
