It’s been awhile since fans of the illegal street racing genre took a late night drive in a Midnight Club game so it’s good to see Rockstar’s racer back again on consoles as Midnight Club: Los Angeles and on the PSP as Midnight Club L.A. Remix. Unlike the last Midnight Club outing on the PSP, L.A. Remix is not a port of the console version but rather a “remixed” condensed version with the game that takes key elements from the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 version. The result is a portable game that will have fans happily renewing their membership to the club. 

As the title suggests, L.A. Remix takes us back to the streets of Los Angeles where street racers wait until the cover of night to race against anyone willing the flash their car’s headlights. Career mode doesn’t have a deep or interesting story but it does an Ok job of introducing the illegal street race lifestyle. As a nameless and faceless street racer, you look to join the secretive club whose members cruise the streets of Los Angeles looking for a challenger. Introduced into the lifestyle by a talented racer, you attempt to beat every LA racer and head to Tokyo where you’ll really make a name for yourself.

Unlike the console version, however, the city of Los Angeles in L.A. Remix isn’t as big as the console version. You’ll zip right through Sunset Boulevard and suddenly find yourself facing the Santa Monica pier (if you’re from LA you know how strange that sounds) but there’s enough to see in the game while racing our just cruising the streets in your customized vehicle. Even Tokyo has been downsized but - again - there’s enough street for a variety of races.

Speaking of vehicles, the PSP version brings all of the vehicles from the console version. You’ll be able to get behind the wheel of everything from a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 to a new Dodge Charger SRT-8. You’ll even get a chance to ride a 2006 Ducati 999R or a 2007 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 if you like to ride bikes instead. The good news is that each vehicle handles the way they should but thanks to the PSP controls there are certain things that don’t run as smoothly as the console version. Drifting, for example, isn’t performed well but it does the trick if use it enough times. The addition of Slip Stream Turbo is good, though, and gives you a temporary boost of speed by trailing behind an opposing racer.

Due to the smaller maps, races are a tad quicker and thus more compact. This actually works for a portable format when you want to get a quick race in between breaks. These bite-sized races are still challenging and loads of fun even if it’s a one-on-one race. Flashing your high beams still flags down potential racers and race icons are scattered throughout the map. Every race, however, contains some erratic checkpoints that can be missed thanks to the iffy GPS that isn’t quite quick enough to tell you where to turn.

Career mode is actually quite lengthy and it’s great to find the numerous customization options that can turn your weak ride into a good-looking and tricked out vehicle. Police presence can also be felt and there are some interesting chases in this one that amps up the challenge. The game also includes Arcade mode that include a variety of races from Career mode such as Time Trail but also arcade-styled modes such as Paint and Capture the Flag that Midnight Club fans will instantly recognize. There’s also multiplayer via Ad Hoc mode only so those looking for online action will be disappointed.

On the graphics front, L.A. Remix is not bad on the eyes despite a few visual glitches. Los Angeles and Tokyo look rather good and there are many points of interest that should be recognizable to residents of both cities. While your surroundings look good, the vehicles just don’t look as good as they should on the PSP. This is not to say that the vehicles are ugly but we’ve seen better on Sony’s handheld. There are some glitches, such as cars popping in and out of the street and top speeds you can easily miss an intersection.

The game also contains a good soundtrack that contains some rock tunes, some good hip-hop and loads of electronica. With a great soundtrack, the sounds of wheels peeling out and the rumbling of each individual car or motorcycle are not bad. The bad urban stereotype voices are back so expect the Latino racers to say “essay” a lot. It’s suppose to give the impression that you’re going up against every urban, hip-hop Angelino but it just comes off as annoying here.

Midnight Club: L.A. Remix for the PSP might be a bite-sized version of the recent console release but this portable racing game is still one surprisingly solid and enjoyable entry worth buying. It’s far from perfect but there are more positives here than negatives and the customization features also make a comeback. In other words, there’s enough here to please fans of racing games and the Midnight Club series so a membership to this club is a Must. 

Gameplay: 8.0
The game’s controls are simply Ok on PSP and each vehicle offers something different like a real racing title should despite this being a remixed version of Midnight Club: Los Angeles. Career mode has enough going for it to keep racing fans busy and there are also other modes to sink your teeth into when you’re finished.

Graphics: 8.0
Los Angeles looks good at night and the game does a great job of displaying this fact. The cars don’t look as good as the console version but car enthusiasts will recognize them right away. Even the cut scenes are smooth but I sadly traffic seems to suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Sound: 8.5
The collection of tunes is great and much of what you’ll hear from the soundtrack goes beyond the cool electronica. The voice acting is good but the stereotypes are getting old very fast.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
The difficulty ramps up later in the game and you’ll find some smart opponents out in the street so you will be pleasantly challenged.

Concept: 8.0
The Remix version of the Los Angeles-based racer has a lot to offer racing fans and it’s portable too. The game does a great job of setting up the races in bite-sized chunks that make this utterly playable and less frustrating than its harder console version. There’s no online multiplayer but at least all the cars and the customization features are available.

Multiplayer: 8.5
While there’s no online multiplayer mode via Infrastructure, the Ad Hoc action is hot, stylish and loads of fun to play with up to four friends. The arcade-styled races are still a blast to play and will certainly be the reason Midnight Club fans will be playing the game for a long time to come.

Overall: 8.0
Deliciously satisfying and utterly stylish, Midnight Club: L.A. Remix is a solid racing PSP racing game and another great entry in the Midnight Club series. Yes, the hardware limitations hold it back a little but there are enough features present to make this one hell of a hot ride.