Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition Remix

The Midnight Club series is one of Rockstar’s beloved franchises they hold close to their hearts. With every installment Rockstar takes on step forward with the graphics, gameplay, and even the audio department. With Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, they delivered a stellar title that pleased all the underground racing fans looking for their quick fix after Need for Speed: Underground. Now, Rockstar is releasing Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix with new songs, cars and even a level dating back to Midnight Club 2.

My expectations when I popped in MC3: Remix was that it was just a brand new shining coat on an older title. Initially I thought that Rockstar would just throw in a few cars, a couple songs, and maybe a stage or two. What they provided for all the hardcore car tuners was 24 new cars, over 20 new songs, and a classic stage from the past reinvented. While I expected more levels to be introduced in the Remix, what is currently on the plate isn’t bad at all.

There is very good news for all those who originally played MC3. If you already own the original Midnight Club 3, you can pop that in and upload the save you want to start where you left off. If you had finished MC3, well then, you’ll be somewhere around 75% complete with the game. This still allows you to begin with all the new content rather than going back to the beginning. The career mode is in-depth with selling and buying new cars, upgrading current vehicles, and exploring vast cities. The cities are packed with interesting things to do with finding new races, finding chop shops, and other various objects to accomplish. Any cars you have bought in the original will work in the Remix. As for the new cars – here’s a quick rundown of the top cars licenses they have acquired.

Cadillac has included the infamous 1966 Coupe DeVille which is quite popular for several different musicians to reference in their songs. The 1970 El Dorado has been added and the series is one of the longest running personal luxury cars. One of Cadillac’s biggest additions has to be the Cadillac XLR, which appeared at the 2003 Detroit Motor Show that I attended. It’s one my favorites due to that I had the ability to sit in myself.

Four cars have been provided by Chevrolet. The 1963 Corvette, 1970 Chevelle, Chevy SSR, and the Chevy Cobalt SS are the newest additions. The Corvette was a gimme since it is “America’s Car,” while Chevy added in one of the later models of the Chevelle. The Chevy SSR is a unique addition since it is a convertible pick-up truck (its predecessor was actually the El Camino). The last car they supplied was the Chevy Cobalt SS. It is Chevy’s answer to the Honda Civic and Ford Focus. All of Chevy’s additions are to a certain extent influential on Americans today, so, I have no doubts that racing fans will be fond of them.

Outside of those additions, everything practically remains the same. Throwing away the fictional cars in Midnight Club 2, Rockstar decided to go the route of licensed cars with Midnight Club 3. There’s the Career mode like I mentioned, an Arcade mode, Multiplayer/Networking, and a Race Editor mode. The cities you’ll be able to race through are San Diego, Atlanta, and Detroit. Multiplayer is based around eight-player matches over Xbox Live or System Link. Online, Tag matches, Capture the Flag, Paint Mode and Track matches are available to compete in. The online is comprehensive and is a sweet spot for all those fanatics of pink-slip races.

In the technical department, the visuals of MC3: Remix can be compared to Forza Motorsport. They push the Xbox to the limit and are polished as I have ever seen on the Xbox. The computer A.I. in the game will interact with the environment as will other players. You won’t be the only one destroying the town! Unfortunately, there are several slowdowns in the framerates when the action tips to the top of the scale. The other downside of the graphics department is that the environments aren’t as beautiful as the cars themselves. The audio is still superb with the soundtrack rivaling Rockstar’s other baby, Grand Theft Auto. If the soundtrack isn’t to your own liking, you can customize your own soundtrack with the Xbox.

My overall impression of Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix is highly positive. It comes in at only $20 and is worth the Greatest Hits price point. The cars are licensed and give you a reason to show them off to your friends. Customization is on the simple side of things, but, delivers several layers of options within the garages placed in the cities. The online options are adequate enough for any player still playing Halo 2 that needs a break.

Gameplay: 9.0
There’s nothing out of the ordinary with changes in the gameplay. The real reason to purchase the Remix is for the new cars, songs and the Tokyo level.

Graphics: 8.6
It is still impressive to this day even when compared to first generation Xbox 360 games. If they had put more time on detailing the cities, this would have received an even higher score.

Sound: 9.0
The soundtrack is one of the best around. You’ll, of course, be in your car or on your bike for the most part – music is important for driving around! Rockstar has provided a well-rounded soundtrack just like they have done in the past with their other titles.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
If you are new to the Midnight Club series, it may take a little time to pick up. The game will take about 20 of your hours away to finish this up with the Tokyo mode added in.

Concept: 7.9
I am not a big fan of repackaging a game and releasing a new version. What Rockstar did that I do appreciate is that MC3: Remix is actually a Greatest Hits title – only $20 for the new material.

Multiplayer: 8.5
This outperforms other underground racers like Need for Speed and Street Racing Syndicate with online options. It comes close to being mentioned in the same breath as Forza and Project Gotham Racing with online superiority.

Overall: 8.6
There are not too many options currently on the Xbox right now. The pipeline has slowed down with new releases – Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix is the safest purchase you’ll have this year on the Xbox.