jakncoke
07-23-2008, 02:44 PM
The City of Angels serves as the backdrop to the various different forms of racing, and in using the same RAGE technology that powered Grand Theft Auto IV it's every bit as stunning as the most recent realisation of Liberty City. With a full day and night cycle now included, it allows the Midnight Club formula to finally break away from the nocturnal dwellings of the first three games, and renders its title a little misleading. Though understandably not explicitly geographically correct, with this vision of Los Angeles sporting some extremely wide boulevards that make the racing more forgiving, it's still a familiar setting that's come alive with a few little tweaks to the already impressive graphics engine.
It's all beautifully presented in a map that's accessible with the touch of a button, prompting the camera to swiftly pan out to reveal the game's Los Angeles in all its splendour. It also harbours a fully functioning GPS that shows off the whereabouts of rival drivers, negating any infuriating citywide searches for a race. There's no routefinding, as seen in GTA IV, as it's believed that such an inclusion would discourage players from memorising the geography of LA, something that's integral to becoming adept at racing the streets.
It's not just in the overarching cityscape that Rockstar's phenomenal behemoth Grand Theft Auto IV makes its presence felt in Midnight Club, however, as key to the game's interface is a mobile phone much like the one that aided Niko Bellic through his escapades. A fully branded T-Mobile Sidekick (which, for European dwellers, is much like the now ubiquitous Blackberry) acts as an in-game menu alerting you to events and races throughout the city, and also delivering much of the game's narrative. The story, or the very little we know of it, centres on the New Kid, an eager upstart racer who's just relocated from the East Coast of America to the game's West Coast setting. It's a nice personal touch that should help usher the game along with a further sense of progression throughout the game's myriad modes.
When the lights turn green, the handling of the cars proves extremely gratifying, with a marked difference between the different models we got behind the wheel of in our hands-on. Vehicles boast a subtly exaggerated physics that help retains the series' arcade sensibilities, with the cars actually feeling alive in their movements, and different vehicle types feel suitably distinct. Adding to the larger-than-life thrills is a weight shift button, allowing drivers to pop the cars up onto two wheels. While allowing for some fairly outrageous showboating – we didn't manage to use it to squeeze through minute gaps in traffic, but were told it's possible and can't wait to get more time with the game to actually achieve it – it also serves as a tactical aid, robbing pursuing racers of a slipstream. More aggressive drivers are likely to see the extremely competent damage model in effect, with scrapes and dents accumulating over races that can be dealt with by taking a little detour to one of the various garages.
What's likely to appeal most is the in-car camera, featuring well-modelled recreations of the various car interiors as well as the eerily hairless and pale forearms of the game's protagonist. It's still a welcome inclusion that will likely be the go-to viewpoint for racing diehards, working together with the gloriously realised surrounds to create a heightened sense of realism.
We got to see three different racing styles during our time with the game. The most prominent was the standard race, where you compete against four other racers through a series of checkpoints. We also played through a couple of red light races--one-on-one point-to-point races where the idea is to find the quickest route to the finish line. The final racing style we saw was the dynamic freeway race, where you compete against one other racer at speed on the motorways surrounding LA. The traffic on the freeway means that you have to weave much more than in the city centre, but some stretches do allow you to open up the throttle and get up a decent amount of speed.
For the first time in the series, Rockstar is set to incorporate a storyline Midnight Club: Los Angeles. We didn't get to see any of it during our play, but short cutscenes will show you as a young driver who gets involved with street racing in order to win money and respect. The reward system is based on these two features, so you'll earn more money and respect for coming in first in races and driving better vehicles. There are also races where you can lay wagers, play missions to deliver packages, and take part in pink slip races where you can bet your car against someone else's car. Finally, tying in with the story are revenge missions, which will trigger cutscenes before and after each race as you take on special characters from around the city.
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/892/892863/midnight-club-los-angeles-20080722042659589.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/892/892863/midnight-club-los-angeles-20080722042701855.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/892/892863/midnight-club-los-angeles-20080722042706511.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/892/892863/midnight-club-los-angeles-20080722042708792.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/892/892863/midnight-club-los-angeles-20080722042711448.jpg
looking really good, purchase by me= hell to ****ing yes.
It's all beautifully presented in a map that's accessible with the touch of a button, prompting the camera to swiftly pan out to reveal the game's Los Angeles in all its splendour. It also harbours a fully functioning GPS that shows off the whereabouts of rival drivers, negating any infuriating citywide searches for a race. There's no routefinding, as seen in GTA IV, as it's believed that such an inclusion would discourage players from memorising the geography of LA, something that's integral to becoming adept at racing the streets.
It's not just in the overarching cityscape that Rockstar's phenomenal behemoth Grand Theft Auto IV makes its presence felt in Midnight Club, however, as key to the game's interface is a mobile phone much like the one that aided Niko Bellic through his escapades. A fully branded T-Mobile Sidekick (which, for European dwellers, is much like the now ubiquitous Blackberry) acts as an in-game menu alerting you to events and races throughout the city, and also delivering much of the game's narrative. The story, or the very little we know of it, centres on the New Kid, an eager upstart racer who's just relocated from the East Coast of America to the game's West Coast setting. It's a nice personal touch that should help usher the game along with a further sense of progression throughout the game's myriad modes.
When the lights turn green, the handling of the cars proves extremely gratifying, with a marked difference between the different models we got behind the wheel of in our hands-on. Vehicles boast a subtly exaggerated physics that help retains the series' arcade sensibilities, with the cars actually feeling alive in their movements, and different vehicle types feel suitably distinct. Adding to the larger-than-life thrills is a weight shift button, allowing drivers to pop the cars up onto two wheels. While allowing for some fairly outrageous showboating – we didn't manage to use it to squeeze through minute gaps in traffic, but were told it's possible and can't wait to get more time with the game to actually achieve it – it also serves as a tactical aid, robbing pursuing racers of a slipstream. More aggressive drivers are likely to see the extremely competent damage model in effect, with scrapes and dents accumulating over races that can be dealt with by taking a little detour to one of the various garages.
What's likely to appeal most is the in-car camera, featuring well-modelled recreations of the various car interiors as well as the eerily hairless and pale forearms of the game's protagonist. It's still a welcome inclusion that will likely be the go-to viewpoint for racing diehards, working together with the gloriously realised surrounds to create a heightened sense of realism.
We got to see three different racing styles during our time with the game. The most prominent was the standard race, where you compete against four other racers through a series of checkpoints. We also played through a couple of red light races--one-on-one point-to-point races where the idea is to find the quickest route to the finish line. The final racing style we saw was the dynamic freeway race, where you compete against one other racer at speed on the motorways surrounding LA. The traffic on the freeway means that you have to weave much more than in the city centre, but some stretches do allow you to open up the throttle and get up a decent amount of speed.
For the first time in the series, Rockstar is set to incorporate a storyline Midnight Club: Los Angeles. We didn't get to see any of it during our play, but short cutscenes will show you as a young driver who gets involved with street racing in order to win money and respect. The reward system is based on these two features, so you'll earn more money and respect for coming in first in races and driving better vehicles. There are also races where you can lay wagers, play missions to deliver packages, and take part in pink slip races where you can bet your car against someone else's car. Finally, tying in with the story are revenge missions, which will trigger cutscenes before and after each race as you take on special characters from around the city.
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/892/892863/midnight-club-los-angeles-20080722042659589.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/892/892863/midnight-club-los-angeles-20080722042701855.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/892/892863/midnight-club-los-angeles-20080722042706511.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/892/892863/midnight-club-los-angeles-20080722042708792.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/892/892863/midnight-club-los-angeles-20080722042711448.jpg
looking really good, purchase by me= hell to ****ing yes.