Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition

Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
Developer(s)	Rockstar San Diego, Rockstar Leeds (PSP)
Publisher(s)	Rockstar Games
Series	Midnight Club
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation Portable
Release date(s)	PlayStation 2[1] and Xbox[2] NA April 12, 2005 PAL April 15, 2005 NA March 12, 2006 (Remix) PlayStation Portable[2] NA June 28, 2005 PAL September 1, 2005
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: E10+ PEGI: 12+ OFLC: G

Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is a racing game, developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games, and is the third game in the Midnight Club series. Like previous installments in the series, the game is an arcade-style racer and focuses on wild, high-speed racing, rather than realistic physics and driving characteristics. The name derived from a partnership between Rockstar and DUB Magazine, which features heavily in the game in the form of DUB-sponsored races and DUB-customized vehicles as prizes.

Players race through open world recreations of San Diego, Atlanta, and Detroit listening to 103 licensed music tracks that include hip-hop, rock, and more. The game features a number of graphical view after the player crashes into certain objects, or travels across particular stretches of road. There is also the ability to customize a player's vehicle. Other than modifying the external looks, the car's/truck's performance can also be improved, except for those in the 'A' Class of the game. However, Class A motorbikes' performance can be Totally improved. The game is not compatible with the Xbox 360, but works on original Xbox only.

Gameplay

There are five types of racing in the game. In the Ordered Race, the player must race against multiple other racers, and drive through a sprint course marked by checkpoints, represented by Yellow/Orange flares and eventually reach the finishing line (that being a Red flare). The races are different because there is no ordered lines to drive,but the player can drive wherever he wants. Circuits are similar, except the player must complete a certain number of laps on a circuit run.The first checkpoint marked with a Green flare except in last lap,where is marked with a Red flare

Unordered Races are essentially the same as the Ordered Races, except that (as the name implies), the checkpoints do not need to be passed in order,but they are scattered through a town,and the player must find the quickest route to finish. In the Autocross Races, the track is stripped of traffic, pedestrians, and police, and the streets are blocked in with barriers, meaning that the environment is less open that with other race types. The player must then complete the laps in the quickest time possible, having to beat a set time.

Track events are the same as Autocross, but the player competes against other racers inside the barricaded track instead of against the clock. This can mean racer-crowded, compact streets and the car will probably take more damage than a normal race as it will usually bump into the walls more than in open environment. Players can also create their own races in the Race Editor where the player places down checkpoints within the city. Players can create either a circuit or sprint and can change the racing conditions such as traffic, weather, etc. Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is the first game in the series to include car modification - visual & under the hood. By winning races, the player unlocks new cars and options to customize them with. These options include enhancing the performance, adding vinyls and new paint jobs, and physically modifying the car, by changing parts such as wheels, bumpers, spoilers, neons, hoods, and engine components.

Multiplayer

The game includes an Online mode, where players can race with other players from all around the world. There are also many clubs available to join, but players can also start and manage their own. Most offline modes are available for play online, while in online mode it's possible to chat in-game, including a cruise mode, capture the flag, circuit racing, ordered racing, unordered racing, tag, paint and autocross. Tracks created via the Race Editor offline can be used Online.

Plot

San Diego

The player starts out in San Diego, by meeting Oscar, the mechanic of Six-One-Nine (the area code of San Diego) Customs, the most sophisticated tuning garage in San Diego, who will guide the player through the game. As the player advances by winning races, new body parts, paint jobs, customization options, and cars are unlocked.(The character of Oscar is a lot alike the WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio,because 619 is Rey Mysterio's number in his title song and on his wrestling outfit,plus he was born is San Diego,and Oscar is his real name)

The player begins with a choice of six cars: a 1964 Chevrolet Impala, a 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, a 2004 Dodge Neon SRT4, a 2004 Mitsubishi Eclipse, a Volkswagen Golf R32, or a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta (Remix added the option of a Scion tC). Additional cars can be won or bought as the game progresses.

There are 7 types of cars: Tuners, Luxury Sedans, SUVs/Trucks, Exotics, Muscle Cars, Sport Bikes, and Choppers. As the game continues, different clubs that drive a specific type of car will invite the player to race with them: American Royalty Car Club (Muscle Cars), Big Playas (SUV s/Trucks), By Invitation Only (Exotics), Chopper of America Bike Club (Choppers), Luxury Rollers (Luxury Cars), Original Riders (Racing Bikes) and Unbeatable Street Racers (Tuner Cars). If the player beats them, they unlock a special ability for that class. Tuners, Sport Bikes, Exotics, the Lexus SC430, Mercedes Benz SL500 and the Cadillac XLR in "Remix" inget "Zone" (which essentially slows down time, allowing for more precise handling at high speed), Trucks/SUVs and Luxury Cars (except for the Lexus SC430, Mercedes Benz SL500 and Cadillac XLR in "Remix") get "Aggro" (which makes the vehicle temporarily unstoppable, allowing it to plow through traffic and other obstacles more easily), and Muscle Cars and Choppers get "Roar" (the only offensive ability, it launches a sonic wave that blows away anything in its path including traffic, opponents, and police vehicles).

Street racers in San Diego are:Vanessa (Mitsubishi Eclipse,later Lamborghini Murcielago),Bishop (Lexus GS430),Carlos (1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo) and Phil (Hot-mach). Also, as the player progresses, he unlocks the other 2 available cities: Atlanta & the Motor City - Detroit (Remix also has Tokyo, which was directly copied from the Tokyo in Midnight Club 2).

After the player defeats all the starting racers early in the game, he ends up back at Six-One-Nine (one of three garages where vehicles can be customized), and Oscar tells him to meet his friend Phil in town, who is racing the player for his chopper. After the player wins, Oscar appears again, this time with the news that the American Royalty Car Club has challenged him. After the player beats them, the Luxury Rollers Car Club challenge him. After defeating the club, the player ends up back at Six-One-Nine and witnesses Oscar playfully arguing with a guy named Vince. Oscar mentions that he's been "Hearing a lot of crap about you", meaning that the player has been built a reputation as skilled driver. Oscar introduces the player to Vince, his Detroit counterpart, and says that there are some big time races in Atlanta that the player may be interested in, so he tells him to go to the shipping company (which is used to get from city to city) to make the trip.

Atlanta

The player arrives in a rather nice looking garage in Atlanta called "Apone Team Racing". The owner, Apone, introduces himself, but is distracted by his most prized procession: A 1964 Chevrolet Impala (the obsession over which apparently cost the man his marriage) that he customized and is constantly tinkering with. After that, the player exits, and a few racers challenge him. A tournament is also going on, and the prize is a "DUB'D-Out" 2004 Cadillac Escalade EXT. After defeating some racers and completing the tournament, the player ends up at Apone Team Racing, and Apone tells him that a street bike club called the Original Riders has challenged him. After that, the player races more individual drivers, and upon defeating them, Apone informs the player that an SUV club called the Big Playas has challenged him. After completing tournaments and defeating all racers, Apone is back with more news: there are some serious races down in Detroit next week and he thinks it's a good idea for the player to check it out.

Street racers in Atlanta are: Roy (1969 Dodge Charger R/T,later 2004 Dodge Charger R/T,and he later appears in Detroit in Dodge Viper),Dre (Cadillac Escalade) Cheng (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII) Vito (Ducati),Naomi (Hotmach)

Detroit

The player arrives in Detroit and sees a familiar face, Vince. Remembering him, he welcomes the player to town and his shop. He later points to a Lamborghini Murciélago and says it's the prize to whatever car club turns out the best street racer. Some returning faces from Atlanta come to Detroit, including Roy and Angel, who are plot-affected racers but they are never seen or mentioned. The player races them a couple of times, as wells as the car clubs. Early in the player's Detroit career, a tournament is held and a 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline (as Oscar describes it "Just the car to win in Detroit!") is the prize. Upon defeating the racers, the player scores a challenge from the By Invitation Only Exotic Car Club. Defeating them unlocks "Zone" for Exotics and a Chrysler ME Four Twelve. At this point, the player races all drivers twice, and upon defeating them, is crowned the victor of the U.S. Champion Series. Afterwards, the player returns to Vince's and is rewarded the Lamborghini Murcielago from before. Vince says "It should be driven with respect and not by some San Diego swinger who thinks he's something.

Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix

Cover art for Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix

Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix is an update to Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition. It is available as a Greatest Hits release on PlayStation 2 and a Platinum Hits release on Xbox. It was released on March 12, 2006.

The game features all of the cities, vehicles, and music from Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition. This version of the game also allows the player to import the Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition data on their Memory Card to Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition REMIX to make up for lost progress, thus saving the player from starting all over again. The following features were added in REMIX:

• 24 new vehicles (including some from brands not in the original version, such as GMC, Infiniti, Pagani, and Scion).
• Tokyo, as a new city, which is a slightly updated version of the Tokyo city from Midnight Club II.
• More licensed music.
• More races and battle maps.
• Players are able to make your own races in all cities, including Tokyo.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	PS2: 86.33% Xbox: 85.88% PSP: 74.50%
Metacritic	PS2: 84/100 Xbox: 84/100 PSP: 74/100
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	A (PS2)/(Xbox) B (PSP)
Eurogamer	7/10 (PS2)/(Xbox) 5/10 (PSP)
GameSpot	8.3/10 (PS2)/(Xbox) 7.3/10 (PSP)
GameSpy	4.5/5 (PS2)/(Xbox) 3.5/5 (PSP)
GameTrailers	9.1/10
IGN	9.2/10 (PS2)/(Xbox) 7.1/10 (PSP)

The game received mostly positive reviews from critics. On GameRankings, the game received aggregate scores of 86%, 86% and 75% for the PS2, Xbox and PSP, respectively. On Metacritic, it received aggregate scores of 84/100, 84/100 and 74/100 for the PS2, Xbox and PSP, respectively.

IGN, rating the home console versions a 9.2/10, called the game: "An insanely fast, chaotic, and progressive racing game that betters the second with more accessible racing, without losing its competitive edge." While GameSpot, rating the home console versions an 8.3/10, stated: "The career mode, with its lengthy list of races and deep customization mode, would by itself make the game worthwhile. However, the addition of entertaining online play, arcade races, and a race editor really makes this one of the best street racers currently on the market."

However, Play.tm, rating the game a 74%, says: "Technical faults such as difficultly seeing where you're going and suspect frame-rates are serious issues when it comes to games of such speed requiring cat like reflexes." While Edge Magazine, rating the game a 6/10, says: "There's no question that DUB Edition can be pleasurable, especially in the multiplayer games, but the Career mode too often feels like graft. There are tournaments, one-off street races and 'special' events, but each individual race feels much the same as the last."

For the PSP version, Boomtown, giving it a 9/10, says: "MC3 works surprisingly well on a PSP, despite the grand setting and detail put into the original." 1UP.com, grading it a B, says: "Despite the load time issue, an occasional problem with being able to see certain cars and roadside objects that blend into the dark backgrounds, and a slightly reduced sense of speed overall, there's very little to criticize here."

In contrast, IGN, rating it a 7.1/10, said: "Is it overly harsh to pound on a game for having dreadful loadtimes?... On the other hand, it's a good game deep, deep, deep down inside." Game Power Australia, rating it a 6.5/10, says how "The poor control compounds the dull and lifeless handling of the cars." While Eurogamer rated it a 5/10, saying: "Torturing yourself with frankly ridiculous load times isn't acceptable, nor is the choppy frame rate or the sound stutters."

To date, the game has sold 1.1 million copies worldwide on the PS2, and 1.3 million copies worldwide on the PSP.

References

1. ^ "PS2 release dates". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/data/920630.html. Retrieved 2008-03-02. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Xbox release dates". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox/data/920631.html. Retrieved 2008-03-02. 

External links

• Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition official website
• Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix official website
• Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition at the Open Directory Project
• Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix at the Open Directory Project