Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix Review

It's been almost a year since Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition hit the shelves, and seeing as the game topped the charts back then it's hardly surprising that it's getting a re-release on both PS2 and Xbox at a lower price point.

But what is a little surprising is that Rockstar hasn't opted simply to repackage it in a Platinum-branded box and slap a different price sticker on top. Yes, MC3: Remix is cheaper than the original game at just £19.99 - but you actually get more for less money.

Let's focus on those extras rather than the main game itself, since nothing has changed there; once again, you get to cruise through the night-time cityscapes of San Diego, Atlanta and Detroit, choosing your own route through races, earning cash, unlocking new car classes, and generally pimping all manner of rides.

The things we liked about MC3 - decent visuals, stupidly fast speeds, a solid online mode, that sort of thing - are all present and correct; as, of course, are the things we didn't. For a more thorough overview, you're best off taking a look at Kristan's original review.

The main attraction of MC3: Remix is without a doubt the new Tokyo Challenge mode. Basically, you get a whole extra city to explore in the same way as those in the original game - you view available races on the city map, select the one you want, make sure you've got the right car for the job, then zoom on over to the appropriate check point to get racing.

New for old

It's not just new cars you get to play with in MC3: Remix.

But while it's a whole extra city, it's not quite a whole new city, at least not if you've played Midnight Club 2 - in which case you'll recognise the neon-lit streets instantly. However, since MC2 was almost impossibly hard, you might not have got as far as unlocking Tokyo; in which case you'll be grateful for the fact that MC3: Remix lets you select Tokyo Challenge the very first time you see the main menu screen.

But don't expect to jump right in and start winning race after race if you're a newcomer to the Midnight Club series, or if you've only got the default set of vehicles to choose from. You're much better off getting a bit of practice in with the main game's Career mode, unlocking a load of faster vehicles as you go - indeed, some of the Tokyo events are only open to those who already own cars of the required spankiness level.

Happily, all Memory Card data from the original MC3 game is transferable to Remix - which means you can choose from any of your old favourites when taking on your new Tokyo opponents. But have no fear if you'd rather get behind the wheel of something newer and shinier, since there are 24 new vehicles to drive in MC3: Remix.

They include all manner of sports cars, bikes, SUVs and the like - such as the Pagani Zonda, the Chevelle SS, the Lamborghini Diablo and the Ducati Paul Smart 1000. There are also new cars from Cadillac, Dodge and Infiniti, and naturally, they can all be customised and tuned to your heart's content. Plus, you can drive any cars you obtain in Tokyo Challenge in the US cities of the main game.

Rub-a-DUB

In third place with the finish line in sight - it's going to be a close one...

MC3's online mode has also been given an overhaul. The basic event types are the same - Capture the Flag, Tag, Paint and Ordered Race - but you get a decent batch of new maps to choose from. Course, you can't play on them, or drive any of the new vehicles, if you're racing against opponents who only have the original MC3 - but if everyone's got Remix, all of the new content is accessible.

The final extra in MC3: Remix is the addition of 25 more songs to the soundtrack. You can expect new tracks from the likes of Sean Paul, Lady Sovereign, Bloc Party, The Game and even the Stereophonics (er, yes, because Welshmen singing rubbishy old soft rock is exactly what we want to hear whilst zooming round futuristic cityscapes at 145mph).

All right, so new songs aren't all that exciting, and certainly not enough to make a game worth buying, but, you know, it's nice they made the effort. We're a bit disappointed they left in the two songs by crazy old homophobe Beenie Man, but there you go.

Pimp my price point

Sleek sports cars are all very well, but sometimes you need a bit of a change.

So there you have it - for your 20 quid, you get the full version of Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, plus the Tokyo Challenge, extra vehicles and online maps, all of which add up to just over 20% more content than the original game.

Even though MC3 failed to wow us spectacularly the first time around, that still amounts to a bit of a bargain. Especially when you consider that one of the main problems of the original game - the fact that it didn't really offer much of a challenge - is remedied to some extent by the fact that the Tokyo races are harder to win.

True, the visuals do look slightly dated, especially if you've been enjoying the shiny, shiny glories of Project Gotham Racing 3 of late. And unless you're a seriously hardcore Midnight Club fan, the Remix isn't really worth buying if you've already got MC3.