“Thank you for the Mitsubishi Lancer, mister.” The boy with the red hair and face filled with freckles that seem to be sprinkled haphazardly across his cheeks says to me.

I’m struck silent by the boy’s triumphant win during the lengthy race I had thought I would win for sure. Yet, clipping me at an incredible speed, I spin out of control and found myself facing the wrong way while my rival headed towards the finish line with a hearty laugh. Therefore, I had to give up the pink slip and my cherry red Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII was now in the hands of a short redheaded kid. Welcome to Juiced: Eliminator for the PSP, I say to myself as I hang my head down in defeat at the laundry mat.

Juiced was released for the console a while back after having been held back for so long but while it didn’t stand out like, say, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, it was still a somewhat fun racing game with something to offer fans of the genre. Juiced: Eliminator is basically a port of the console game with the usual omissions that made up the console version and that’s fine considering the fact that there is enough here to experience. So if you’re a fan of the tuner scene, you’ll only find a limited amount of mod kits available and if you loved the online component you will be very disappointed. Yet Eliminator manages to bring the best elements from the console game in its fun game modes. There’s even a long list of licensed vehicles from the Dodge Viper GTS to the Mazda RX-8 and even the Nissan Skyline GT-R.

Career Mode does not tell a unique tale but rather it puts you in the role of a racer who is after illegal racing glory and as many pink slips along the way. You start your career going up against Nina, a cute Angel City racer who ends up being a rival as well as an unofficial mentor and friend. Your first race against Nina introduces the betting system and later how to collect pink slips for new vehicles you can store in your garage. The betting system isn’t complex: you either accept a bet challenge from a rival racer or place your own bet and choose from a set amount. Your winnings can then be used to buy mod upgrades or new vehicles. Your career will take you through a series of events that mean you have to seriously consider spending a little on things such as nitrous or better suspensions for your ride.

It is also in Career Mode where either you’ll lose a car you spent a long time painting and upgrading or winning your rival’s already carefully modified vehicle. This is the beauty of Juiced and what makes each race feel like a lot is at stake each time you go behind the wheel. As I mentioned before, the mod scene is toned down for this PSP version but you will find enough to make your vehicle good enough to go up against the more formidable racers introduced later in the game. I hate to sound like a broken record, though, but why couldn’t THQ bring all the mod elements from the console game to the PSP much like how Midnight Club 3 managed to cram all its mod elements to the PSP version of the game?

While you’re not earning cash, respect and pink slips you can also race in the game’s Arcade mode complete with a series of races, challenges and a show-off mode that has you earning Respect points for pulling off combos without crashing. Custom Race mode allows you to create your own race type using cars and tracks you unlocked in Arcade mode so you can set up a cool series with different types of cars. Multiplayer mode brings Career, Arcade and Custom race modes to an up to six-player Ad Hoc mode. While it’s sad that online multiplayer is not available, you can still race for pink slips and literally take a car right out of a friend’s memory stick.

With all these game modes and interesting features, you would think Eliminator is an instant classic but sadly, it’s the game’s controls that hold the game back. On the PSP, the cars control sluggishly, making turns seem so sluggish you’ll think you’re controlling a turtle with wheels. The game makes it almost impossible to use the D-pad so you’ll be stuck with the analog stick that fares just a bit better. The racing venues have a neat collection of venues to race but with so many sharp turns you’ll be crashing a lot in the game and crashing means damaging your vehicle’s nitro as well as other features. It’s hard to earn Respect points for pulling off cool drifts when the controls are this unresponsive.

On the visual side, Eliminator sports some very attractive car models. All the licensed cars look the way they’re supposed to look and they’re even wonderfully detailed to boot. While the damage indicators tell you what’s broken during a collision, you won’t see any damage on your ride. It’s unrealistic for sure but it’s no big deal. What is a big deal, though, is the fact that the environments look rather dull in this game. The different venues in Angel City should look good since there is a nice variety but they don’t. Even the cutscenes make the character models look a bit goofy.

As for the game’ soundtrack, the tunes are not bad at all. The game’s music is a mishmash of rock and mellow techno and it actually works. You’ll find tunes from artists like Fall Out Boy, Hoobastank, Queens of the Stone Age and the unfortunate inclusion of the song “Rollin’” by Limp Bizkit. As for the voice acting in the game’s Career Mode, it’s not bad at all. Just about the only major disappointment in the sound department are the sound effects. The game isn’t able to really give you the impression that you’re behind the wheel of a new muscle car or a sleek racer.

Considering the fact that there are better racing games on the PSP, Juiced: Eliminator makes a worthy effort but is ultimately bogged down by its atrocious controls. There are a neat assortment of modes to keep mod aficionados and street racing fans busy and this game will make you feel the loss of giving up a car you spent a long time tricking out but when it comes to the actual racing the controls make things more frustrating and less fun. If you already wore out your copy of Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition or any of the Need for Speed games for your PSP, give this one a try if you absolutely need a new racing game fix.

Gameplay: 6.0
Holy mother of Andretti, there’s enough licensed cars here to make racing fans weep with joy and choosing from the long lineup alone is a dream come true. Racing for pink slips feels like what illegal street races are all about and winning bets means more money to (dare I say it?) pimp your ride. Unfortunately, the controls are so unresponsive that you will more likely spend said cash on repairs.

Graphics: 6.5
Each car looks so good you’ll want to show off your carefully modified car to friends and while there’s no realistic damage done to them during crashes or scrapes it will stay like that. The racing venues don’t look as nicely detailed as the vehicles, though.

Sound: 7.0
The game’s tunes aren’t bad at all and the voice acting isn’t top notch but it’s not bad either. As for the engine sounds, the game doesn’t know how to distinguish between the sounds of a Ford Focus or a Dodge Viper but at least the engines revving can be heard clearly.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Whether you’re racing Nina or Juan, the racers in the game’s Career mode will do their best to see you in last place. Yet the real difficulty comes in putting up with the game’s flawed controls that make something as simple as making a sharp turn feel like a pain.

Concept: 7.0
Eliminator brings racing fans a lengthy Career mode with plenty of drama and enough collectible vehicles to fill your garage. There are fun challenges to be had in the other game modes and the game’s multiplayer mode will allow you to race for pink slips (AKA winning a friend’s sweet ride straight out of their memory stick).

Multiplayer: 7.0
The upsetting thing about the great multiplayer mode is that Eliminator is seriously lacking the online component of the console game. Still, you can race against six friends using Ad Hoc and win their cars or lose your ride during a multiplayer Career mode race.

Overall: 6.5
Juiced: Eliminator is not a bad racing game and it certainly makes racing for pinks all the more nail-bitingly intense but the sluggish controls make for a frustrating racing game that just doesn’t have what it takes to beat the amazing titles already available for the PSP. If you absolutely need a new racing game for your portable, pick this up but do so knowing that the controls cripple the fun parts.