Midnight Club: Los Angeles

Midnight Club: Los Angeles is the fourth video game in the Midnight Club racing series, not including Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix. It was officially announced for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on May 16, 2007 by Rockstar Games. The game was developed by Rockstar San Diego, the same studio behind Rockstar's first iteration into the seventh generation of video games, Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis. The game features 43 cars and 3 bikes, signifigantly less than its predecessor. The map of Los Angeles is confirmed to be the size of all three cities from the previous installment combined. It has also been confirmed in several sources that each car has a polygon count of roughly 100,000. After several delays Midnight Club: Los Angeles was released on October 21, 2008.

Released Media

Beginning in late August 2007, Rockstar began releasing screen shots and trailers that showcased the new 24-hour cycle, new makes including Ford and Mazda, and the city of Los Angeles itself. In all a total of seven trailers were released along with a large number of quick clips that showcased individual cars that appear in the game.

Along with various videos and screenshots, Rockstar began opening individual sections the video game's official website that featured new videos, screenshots, and characters. At the annual Leipzig Games Convention gamers in attendance were given a chance to experience Midnight Club: Los Angeles’ head-to-head multiplayer aspect for the first time. As the release date drew nearer Rockstar revealed several contests which included prizes from Pizza Hut and Footaction USA. Also, Rockstar has teamed up with Jordan Brand to make a pair of limited edition shoes to celebrate Midnight Club: Los Angeles. The pair of Air Jordan Classic '87 are said to cost $380, along with the game. Only 40 pairs were given away.

Soon after a sample of the Midnight Club: Los Angeles soundtrack was released which has a total of 97 songs. The music was selected to give energy and vibe to the game and includes genres from hip-hop, to rock, to electronic including Maino, Nas, The Cool Kids, Digitalism, DJ Felli Fel, Bishop Lamont, MURS, and No Age. The Live Launch Event introduced the remix of the Eagles of Death Metal soundtrack-featured song, "Wannabe in L.A." from their album Heart On, at the Virgin Megastore in Los Angeles.

Finally on October 20, 2008, Midnight Club: Los Angeles was released in the United States and the music section of the website was released and revealed all the tracks that were in the game. The full vehicle list was also revealed, showing surprising vehicles, such as the Ford Mustang GT Convertible.

Gameplay

The game will be set in the city of Los Angeles, again providing the option to completely free-roam (on roadways quite larger than all the cities combined from Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition). New additions are a day-to-night cycle and weather effects, adding a realistic aspect to the game. After races, if any damage is inflicted upon the vehicle, the player doesn't necessarily have to drive back to the garage for a full repair, but instead can choose the Quick Fix option through which old, junkyard-esque parts will be added to the car. To get the nice look back, the player must actually drive back to repair their vehicle at a garage so actually totaling the vehicle completely is not possible anymore. The Los Angeles map is considered one of the most detailed and accurate versions of L.A. yet. With the RAGE system being used for this game, as with Grand Theft Auto IV, traffic level will fluctuate throughout the day, with heavy traffic in the morning and afternoon, and little to no traffic at night. Motorcycles are once again a big part of the game, though only two models have been featured on the website and in video footage, the Kawasaki ZX-14 and the Ducati 999R. Convertibles, customizable interiors and customizable exotics are new additions.

Police return but are no longer scripted to a specific race, they will chase you no matter where you are and the longer you run from them, the higher your fine if you are pulled over. Developers placed great emphasis on the elimination of load screens, stating that the player can literally jump from career mode to an arcade race in under ten seconds. The new dynamic weather system has been reported to alter the gameplay experience, making the vehicle more prone to sliding in the rain.

Online Features

Online play will support 16 players at once and a number of new modes will be introduced including, Keep Away where the player must hold the flag as long as he can and Stockpile in which there are numerous flags to be captured. New online power-ups mentioned include Mirror (will reflect any power-up fired at the player back to the person who fired it), Agro (will act the same as the offline special ability, increasing the players vehicle weight and enabling them to crash through other vehicles without taking damage or slowing down), and Random (gives the player a random power-up). A new aspect entitled "Rate My Ride" is also to be introduced, where the players can go online to view vehicles that other players have created.
Playstation Network trophies have also be confirmed with a total of 46 trophies to be won.