Juiced

It is definitely evident that the underground racing scene has hit the mainstream. Everywhere you look now there are references to it in movies, music, and even videogames. Over the course of the past few years, popular racing games have even “conformed” to this and converted their games to match this highly popular trend. There is a new game that has hit the streets entitled Juiced, and it wants a piece of the action. How does it hold up against the other games that are already available on the market? Read on to find out.

Before we get started on the review, let me share some of the things that this game has had to go through to get released. Originally this game was developed by Acclaim, but they went bankrupt last year, then THQ stepped up to the plate to release this game. Since the time of its original release there have been many racing games that have literally raised the bar, and unfortunately this game doesn’t keep up with them in many aspects. If this game was released when it was originally scheduled, this game would have been a sure-fire hit. Instead Juiced pales in comparison now in many of its different aspects. Now that I have stated that let's proceed with the review.

The thing I really liked about the game is when you first booted it up. Not only do you select your name as well as a name for your “crew,” but you can also select which cell phone that you will be using throughout the game. While it isn’t that big of a deal, it was a little indication about all of the customization work that can be done. After you are finished with that you will be into your first race with TK, the leader of the Urban Maulerz crew. After you win (or lose) you will be taken to the auto dealership to choose between a few cars. The car choice isn’t the greatest, but from here you will work your way up to some of the really good cars in this game.

The main game has you purchasing cars, tuning them up, and then racing them to get some more money to start the cycle all over again. To help prevent the game from getting repetitive there are several different racing modes to participate in: circuit, show off, point to point, and various others. Circuit is the normal racing game where you try to complete laps to win the race. Show off mode (which is my least favorite) has you doing tricks, such as donuts, on narrow streets. Point to point is a pure sprint race, to see if you can get to the finish line first.

The game lets you choose which race you want to do by selecting certain calendar events. If you don’t want to do a “show off” race then you can just skip it and go to the next day, which might have a better race type. To make the races more interesting, you will be able to make bets with some of the other racers to get an even bigger purse. It is possible to lose the race, yet still walk away with a nice chunk of change with this gameplay mechanic. Another thing you will have to look out for is the amount of respect you will get throughout the game. Your actions will either increase or decrease the amount you have. The higher you have the more willing they will be to race for pink slips and more money.

Tweaking your car to perfection is one of the things that you will enjoy about this game. There are numerous enhancements available to put on your car that you will be pretty proud of. If you think that your car is the best around you can race any of the other players for their car, which is really fun and adds more pressure to the match. If you are losing the game, and you quit the race or as the game puts it “have an accidental power outage” you will lose the race and your car, which helps prevent cheating out there.

One of biggest complaints that many people might have with this game is the problem with the cash flow. Sometimes you are on top of the world with so much money you will not know what to do with it till you can unlock the next set of cars. Other times you might be so down that you might not have a penny to your name. Since the majority of races have an entry fee you might not be able to participate in any races for sometime, which is kind of bad as well. There needed to be some kind of balance to help the down and out so you can continue to race. Even though this is modeled after real life it is sort of harsh as well.

The graphics for this game are decent, but if you compare the game with any of the other games that have been recently released - Need for Speed 2, Forza Motorsport, Burnout 3, Midnight Club 3 - you will see that this game cannot compare to them in any way. With that being said, the car models are nice and show car damage as well. The sense of speed is easily noticed with the “speed lines” and motion blur. The environments definitely need some work because they all look the same. The buildings, people, and everything have the exact same look and feel to them. One of the good things about this game is that the framerate remains constant, which is always crucial in games of this nature.

The music in Juiced isn’t too shabby, but if you are not a fan of any of the music in here and want to race to country or even classical music, this game supports custom soundtracks so you will get your wish. The sound effects for this game aren’t that bad either, but it is nothing that you haven’t heard before. One of the biggest annoyances in the game is the voiceovers. While the voice themselves aren’t horrid, the same phrases they say over and over again throughout the course of the race will become annoying. If you bet someone and pass them, they will recycle the same couple phrases over and over again; you will want to just crash the car right into them to get them to shut up.

The multiplayer aspect of this game is pretty fun. You can race up to two players on split screen, get a couple of buddies and play with a system link, or even go online to race against other people the world. One thing I really like about this is that you can race for pink slips online and win someone else’s car or lose yours.

Juiced is rated T for Teen. It supports in game Dolby Digital, Custom Soundtracks, Xbox Live, and system link for multiplayer.

Gameplay: 7.6
The game it really fun to play and easy to control the cars. Racing for pink slips and additional cash is always fun as well. The bad thing is that the constant hunt for cash, especially when you are broke is not fun. Once you get in a downward slump of losing, and your bank account gets depleted, it can be hard to get your head above the water once more.

Graphics: 7.2
Juiced is a decent-looking game in itself, but it just can’t complete with some of the games that have already been released. Plus the developers really need to add some more track selection as they all look exactly the same.

Sound: 7.5
The music is ok, but that is why they let you used custom soundtracks. The characters need to learn some new phrases as they do get old really quickly.

Difficulty: Medium
The game is pretty easy in the beginning, but as you progress through the game you will find yourself against some tough competition from time to time.

Concept: 7.5
Juiced had a few really good ideas. I liked all of the customization options that you can choose from, especially in the beginning of the game, so that the game is suited especially for you.

Multiplayer: 7.5
Playing online is pretty fun, nothing can be more satisfying than racing for pink slips and winning your opponent's car. Although nothing can be more devastating than losing your finely tuned car either.

Overall: 7.4
If only Juiced was released when it was originally supposed to it would have been a sure-fire hit. Instead the game is competing against some heavy hitters right now, so it will get lost in the shuffle. Even though this may be the case, the level of customization is really great and the gameplay is good as well. If nothing else, Juiced is a really good weekend rental.