Midnight Club: Los Angeles

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 181 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 145 out of 181
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 181
  3. Negative: 12 out of 181
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  1. BillyB.
    Oct 26, 2008
    6
    Quite a few + points...good city, good music by & large (could do with a little more electronic imo, but music gives a cooler vibe than similar games all the same), opening races are pretty good. But then the difficulty spikes in places fairly badly...in truth if you learn the tracks/shortcuts it's Ok, but the game rubber bands the difficulty noticeably and on your 1st race you need Quite a few + points...good city, good music by & large (could do with a little more electronic imo, but music gives a cooler vibe than similar games all the same), opening races are pretty good. But then the difficulty spikes in places fairly badly...in truth if you learn the tracks/shortcuts it's Ok, but the game rubber bands the difficulty noticeably and on your 1st race you need to be in 2nd not 1st or you won't hit the best route....only when you boost you do not catch AI It is good, but personally I'd recommend the PGR games if you've not got them...your wall and pads will be thankful for it.… Expand
  2. joaopontesvaz
    May 29, 2014
    7
    Graphics: 7.0 Sound: 8.0 Gameplay: 7.5 Fun/Story: 7.0

    A fairly game that promises too much before released. Some interesting points and ideas but overall i didn´t enjoyed it. Graphics were a deception.
  3. TelekinesisTelekinesis
    Jan 4, 2009
    5
    I really don't know what people are talking about with this game being good, it's terrible. All it is is the GTA3 engine 1.5 and its got pretty bad graphics seriously all jaggity with low low anti aliasing. Its the same "yo homie" garbage nonsense we've heard a million times before an noone cares about or takes seriously. There are way to many annoying cars on the screen I really don't know what people are talking about with this game being good, it's terrible. All it is is the GTA3 engine 1.5 and its got pretty bad graphics seriously all jaggity with low low anti aliasing. Its the same "yo homie" garbage nonsense we've heard a million times before an noone cares about or takes seriously. There are way to many annoying cars on the screen that just get in the way and the police are a constant annoyment not a gameplay feature. Just trying to start a race is a chore since you have to do this pointless running around the city to get to your races....WHO CARES I want to race not go on a boring drive every 5 minutes. Thats probably the worst thing and the rotton cherry on top is the police in the mix just to solidfy the annoyance. You know driving in GTA4? this is all this is just a bit better. you can smell GTA4 dripping off this thing, its a cheap product and they should have made a proper engine to support a serious driving game not do a patch job on GTA4's engine. So yeah during the whole time you just feel like you playing an upgraded GTA4 racing challenges and you got the same annoying "yo this" yo that" moronic characters that grate on you. Please avoid this game at all costs and for the sake of your intelligence and play GRID, Froza 2 and PGR4 instead, you will get a lot more sophisticated and POLISHED experience.… Expand
  4. PeteF.
    Oct 21, 2008
    6
    way too high a ratio of shitty to awesome cars. this game is too hard and not because the difficulty is set too high but because the AI of the other racers is about as cheap as mortal kombat 3. rockstar REALLY disappointed me with this one. sick car graphics, OK scenery graphics, useless and terrible human graphics, and every car handles the exact same way except with variations in speed. way too high a ratio of shitty to awesome cars. this game is too hard and not because the difficulty is set too high but because the AI of the other racers is about as cheap as mortal kombat 3. rockstar REALLY disappointed me with this one. sick car graphics, OK scenery graphics, useless and terrible human graphics, and every car handles the exact same way except with variations in speed. and WORST of all is that the e-brake DOESN'T DO ANYTHING unless your ALREADY in a turn. wtf, this game is made by people who have no idea how cars work for people who like to get pissed off while listening to crappy music. and the fact that they stole SO much of the scenery and menu system from GTA4 is pathetic. rockstar needs to give up already.… Expand
  5. BusierD.
    Jun 29, 2009
    5
    This game disappointed me in so many ways. It looked good, it played well at forst, and the car customization was great, but sfter a while it all fell apart. Paying to be able to use the paint editor on each car was an error, why should I have to pay to use it? The rubber band AI in the game was nothing but frustrating. In pink slip races having an opponent AI come up and pass you at a This game disappointed me in so many ways. It looked good, it played well at forst, and the car customization was great, but sfter a while it all fell apart. Paying to be able to use the paint editor on each car was an error, why should I have to pay to use it? The rubber band AI in the game was nothing but frustrating. In pink slip races having an opponent AI come up and pass you at a higher speeds than your car can even achieve seconds before the finish line was enough to make me chuck the controller. There are much better arcade racers out there, like Burnout Paradise (much more polished), Project Gotham 4, and Grid. They all offer much more complete experiences without the frustrarion of invincible AI cars that seem to defy physics. Do yourself a favor and avoid this one.… Expand
  6. TheSquirrel
    Jun 27, 2014
    5
    I love racing games, arcade and simulator. I loved the Need for Speed franchise, the Forza series, some of the Grand Turismos, various rally games, and even some of the nintendo party game racers.

    Midnight Club LA will never be in that list, but we'll start with what does work in the game. The cars are beautifully rendered and the modifications available are fantastic. The feeling of    I love racing games, arcade and simulator. I loved the Need for Speed franchise, the Forza series, some of the Grand Turismos, various rally games, and even some of the nintendo party game racers.

    Midnight Club LA will never be in that list, but we'll start with what does work in the game.
    The cars are beautifully rendered and the modifications available are fantastic. The feeling of speed and edge of your seat insanity in the races is terrific, as well as the idea of weapons which was pulled off very well. The city size is terrific and the police chase system is both different and a welcome change in the genre. The music variety is also quite good and the customizable playlist saved my ears from committing suicide.

    Now for the bad. The physics and driving feel are horrible, probably the worst I can remember on the 360. Your low power golf steers and slides much the same as your Corvette, and they both get the same level of camera speed shake. The race selection will sometimes show that your competitior is in a mediocre car and than the race is on and you see Aston's and Lambo's lined up along side your Focus and your enemies Eclipse. The vinyls system is cumbersome and far inferior to the ones used in forza or early NFS. The story line is complete crap and I started hoping my character would get busted or shot. Does Rockstar think we all want to be arrogant self centered wise cracking trash living only for money and fame? Oops, that's every Rockstar game.

    Much like the lead character, this game looks good, but nothing feels right and there's no personality or depth to dig for.    … Expand
  7. gamingisgreat
    Aug 19, 2016
    6
    Midnight Club LA is a missed opportunity by Rockstar.

    The handling of the cars is decent,but nothing to write home about.The car list is good,and the customisation rivals NFS.But the game is extremely frustrating.One mistake and you have no way back into the race,which is infuriating. The graphics are nice,and the framerate never drops. The sound effects are great,with a decent    Midnight Club LA is a missed opportunity by Rockstar.

    The handling of the cars is decent,but nothing to write home about.The car list is good,and the customisation rivals NFS.But the game is extremely frustrating.One mistake and you have no way back into the race,which is infuriating.

    The graphics are nice,and the framerate never drops.

    The sound effects are great,with a decent soundtrack to back it up.

    Overall,Midnight Club LA is a decent game,but is extremely overrated just because it's Rockstar.Pick it up on the cheap but don't expect anything special.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

39
#39 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2008
37
#37 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2008
11
#11 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 66 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 66
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 66
  3. Negative: 0 out of 66
  1. 1UP
    75
    While MC:LA won't necessarily wow you beyond its technical achievements -- it sticks too close to the feel and formula of preview MC games -- it still offers plenty of thrilling (and sometimes frustrating) driving.
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  2. Official Xbox Magazine
    80
    An extremely solid racer with moments of greatness; but just enough flaws to keep it from the ranks of the classics. [Dec 2008, p.82]
    Read full review
  3. GamesRadar+
    90
    By sticking to its roots, Midnight Club Los Angeles may not be a master of innovation, but as one of the most polished, finely honed and adrenaline-filled racing games, you won’t find any that do it better.
    Read full review
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