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Audio:		8.0
Visual:		10.0
Gameplay:		8.0
Story:		6.0
Replay:		9.0
Score:		9.0

Platform:	X360
Genre:	Racing
Players:	1
Website:	http://www.rockstargames.com/midnightclubLA/
Release Date:	October 21, 2008
Rating:

If you’ve ever had the displeasure of driving in Los Angeles, you know there is nothing remotely fun about it. Apparently the folks over at Rockstar San Diego beg to differ – at least in the videogame world. The Los Angeles they’ve created in Midnight Club Los Angeles is vibrant, colorful and full with detail and life. Unlike the Burnout series, you have a cityscape that has people and an environment that is actually like a city. Add to that the fact that the newest iteration of this street racing series is just plain fun, and you’ll have yourself a blast tooling around in your beautifully rendered, totally pimped out ride (sorry, no TVs in the trunk).

After you pick your jaw off the floor from the stunning visuals and check out the wicked chrome effects on your car you’ll quickly see just how smooth your car handles. Granted the physics are more Burnout then Forza but if you’re a total gearhead and you really wanted to drive your virtual car more realistically you have that option. The driving experience as a whole lives up to and outshines previous midnight clubs making MCLA pure empty-headed fun. The feeling you get is that you are driving at exhilarating speeds thorough crowded city streets racing other fools for some mad cash and making your way up the ranks.

Never mind the story because if there is a weak spot, that’s it. The Midnight Club series was never really about plot so at this stage of the franchise why even bother to have one? Just know that when the race begins, it’s on. When you’re not racing, you’ll have a grand ‘ol time customizing your car 10 times over. Everything from the hubcaps to the exhaust to the paint. No need to fret too much on what you’re beefing up your whip with. You get a fairly decent guide of what the performance parts do and cost. Just roll on up to the garage and have at it.

Seamless online racing adds to the fun as you careen about the streets of L.A. trying to beat strangers and friends alike. With support for up to 16 players, race and co-op modes that resemble a first person shooter, MCLA has depth and replayability to spare.

For fans of the series if modes and gameplay seem familiar, it’s because they are. What Rockstar San Diego did was not reinvent the wheel, but make a better performing and better looking wheel.