Release Date:
Monday, October 20, 2008
Game Platform:
PS3, Xbox 360, PSP
Price: $39.99–$59.99
The Skinny: Amidst the bright lights and open roads of Los Angeles, ride your way to the top with your customized import, tuner, and muscle cars or embarrass your opponents in some freewheeling motorcycle races.
The Good: From the beginning, which presents you with an interactive Google Map of L.A., to revving your engine at the start of a race, there's no denying that Rockstar has vehicular gameplay down cold. There are exactly zero load times; instead you'll see a pop-up window at the end of a race with your stats and then be greeted by a short cutscene pointing you to your next race. If there's one thing that you'll appreciate about MC:LA it's that there is no messing around: you're in a race, then out and onto the next one. Or, if you just want to drive around the city and run things over, you can do that too.
The Bad: Rubberbanding AI. If you don't know what that means, it's what happens when you run a clean race, then get smoked near the finish line anyway. No matter what happens during a race, you will have to drive a near flawless few laps for a chance at placing first, even with a souped-up car. And, while Rockstar makes a valiant attempt to tack on a storyline, the characters get boring, while the plot takes a back seat to the actual fun—racing.
From the IGN Tipsters: Before starting a highway battle, build up lots of speed from behind the opponent. As you pass, flash your lights to start the race—you’ll blast by the opponent before he even thinks about accelerating, giving you an awesome advantage and an almost surefire win in the short race.
Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? Buy it. It smokes Need for Speed: Undercover off the line.
available on
The Skinny: Amidst the bright lights and open roads of Los Angeles, ride your way to the top with your customized import, tuner, and muscle cars or embarrass your opponents in some freewheeling motorcycle races.
The Good: From the beginning, which presents you with an interactive Google Map of L.A., to revving your engine at the start of a race, there's no denying that Rockstar has vehicular gameplay down cold. There are exactly zero load times; instead you'll see a pop-up window at the end of a race with your stats and then be greeted by a short cutscene pointing you to your next race. If there's one thing that you'll appreciate about MC:LA it's that there is no messing around: you're in a race, then out and onto the next one. Or, if you just want to drive around the city and run things over, you can do that too.
The Bad: Rubberbanding AI. If you don't know what that means, it's what happens when you run a clean race, then get smoked near the finish line anyway. No matter what happens during a race, you will have to drive a near flawless few laps for a chance at placing first, even with a souped-up car. And, while Rockstar makes a valiant attempt to tack on a storyline, the characters get boring, while the plot takes a back seat to the actual fun—racing.
From the IGN Tipsters: Before starting a highway battle, build up lots of speed from behind the opponent. As you pass, flash your lights to start the race—you’ll blast by the opponent before he even thinks about accelerating, giving you an awesome advantage and an almost surefire win in the short race.
Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? Buy it. It smokes Need for Speed: Undercover off the line.
available on