This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Brian Mohr.
Although Rockstar isn’t bringing their biggest franchise over to the PSP quite yet, they did wet our appetites with one of their secondary hits in Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition. DUB brings portable gaming to a new level with impressive graphics, a slew of options and the wonderful free-roaming atmosphere we’re all accustomed to; this isn’t to say that the game is without faults.
Overall, players will be very impressed with the conversion of Rockstar’s hit racer. Unlike other games that have come to Sony’s new handheld, Midnight Club 3 is not a scaled-down version of the console title; instead it packs just as much punch. The game keeps the free-roaming experience fully intact which fits the handheld perfectly and means you’ll be able to drive through all three cities – San Diego, Detroit, and Atlanta – discovering landmarks, racing the competition and building your garage of vehicles and money. All the cities look impressive and are intricately designed.
The game features multiple modes, including quick race, arcade, career and multiplayer. Most of your time will be spent in career mode as you race the competition and win money that helps you buy upgrades and new cars. The number of upgrades and cars available is incredible – Rockstar’s portable version offers just as many as its console brother, and if you’re not a car nut you can use the auto-upgrade feature instead.
One of the biggest features for any game, especially a driving title, is the control scheme. Thankfully Rockstar made sure that you’ll have no problem. In some games the PSP’s analog nub can be difficult to maneuver, but in Midnight Club 3 it controls wonderfully. Your other buttons are just as properly sensitive and plainly laid out; X controls the gas, square nitro release, R handbrake, and L weight transfer. It’s very easy to get accustomed to the controls and the career mode works you through them comfortably.
The multiplayer feature is also impressive as it gives you multiple options in ad hoc, including paint, capture the flag and tag modes. Each of them you can play with four-six players.
Finally the sound for Midnight Club 3 is very solid. The urban hip-hop and rap is still there and that is all dependent on a player’s choice, but more importantly the sounds of the cars running and tires screeching really makes you feel like you’re apart of the experience.
Certainly the biggest problem for Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is the loading time. Each accounts for up to and over one minute in length. That may not seem like a lot as an onlooker, but when you have to wait every time you change menus or select a game it becomes exhausting and extremely agitating. This is particularly upsetting when you consider that each race runs between one and three minutes long and you’re spending about one-third of your time waiting for the game to start. Thankfully the only time you don’t wait is when you want to redo a race.
A few other faults present include a slightly slow framerate, dark backgrounds that can present problems while racing and the lack of online multiplayer. The framerate issue isn’t much of a problem during the race except that it does make you feel like you’re not going that fast, although the bigger issue in relation to it is that when you’re in the garage you’ll notice jumps when you’re selecting between vehicles or upgrades.
The dark backgrounds can be a nuisance because sometimes either walls, cars or arrows can be difficult to make out on the small screen especially in the darkness and fog. One way to solve this problem is to brighten your screen; I noticed this helped but didn’t completely solve the problem.
Finally, the lack of online multiplayer is very disappointing particularly with such an impressive racer like Midnight Club. I would have rather waited a few more months for the opportunity to take the ad hoc experience online. This certainly would have been a perfect title to put such a feature on.
Overall, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is probably one of the best PlayStation Portable titles in stores and brings the full console experience to a handheld, both in terms of graphics and console options. The game looks and feels amazing and the controls are easy to pick up and play. The game falls flat when it comes to the load times which are intolerable at up to and including one minute. Sadly the game also doesn’t include online play either, a disappointing drawback.
In the end, if you’re willing to wait out the load times then you’ll be pleasantly surprised with one of the best titles out for the PSP to date.
The controls are simple and easy to pick up. The racing is competitive and fun.
The cities, cars and environments are very well designed – even the dark fog looks impressive.
The music is a matter of personal opinion, but the engine sounds and tire screeches are nice.
When you get to play, the game is fun, but sadly the load times drag down the experience.
There’s plenty to see and do. Career mode will give you a lot to play; add to that ad hoc.
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