Juiced: Eliminator

"Uh, I need some sandbags here..."

After playing through Midnight Club about seven or eight times, I figured I needed to try a different race game. This was displayed at a trip to the rental place, so I figured I'd give it a try. Did it replace my old favorite?

The cover was a bit misleading. I thought it would be a street-racing game, but the action is more track-based--the only cars you'll collide with are driven by other racers.

You begin by racing one character, and if you're anything like me, you'll get badly beaten. You then buy a car, race it, mod it, race and mod some more, buy a new car, and repeat. Pretty standard race game stuff, it is. You'll also meet eight groups of car nuts and race against them, either earning or losing respect and certain rights.

Since the cars are the real stars here, they bear further discussion. For the most part, they look good, except for the old-school ones. The '67 Mustang's roofline is all wrong, the Charger looks hokey without its front bumper, and the Corvette's headlights are all wrong for nighttime driving (the similar Corvette in Midnight Club is much better-done). The Camaro is the only one that looks right. Since there are only those four, as far as I know, the older cars could have just as easily been left out, leaving room for a couple of exotics. The others look good, though.

You can mod them in stages, much like other racing games I've played.That is, you throw parts on them, and when you've thrown on every available part, go race to get the next stage. The intake, exhaust, suspension, tires,brakes, and turbo can be upgraded, and nitrous oxide can also be added. Each car also has a limited amount of body modifications, and the wheels can also be changed. However, none of the custom wheels look appropriate on the old-school cars, making those cars seem all the more unnecessary. Gearing and, presumably, things like timing and the computer settings can also be adjusted. You can also put the car on a dynamometer, which is kind of cool.

After all that, though, you'll want to race! You pick your event (if the host crew has granted you race rights, that is), your driver (if you've recruited another one), your car, and go. There are circuits, which are standard run-a-few-laps deals; point-to-points, which take you from Point A to Point B; Sprints, which are drag races; and Eliminators, which are like circuits except for the last person to complete each lap being eliminated.

And here is where we run into problems. Some of the cars are absolutely nightmarish to control, spinning out no matter how careful you are with the steering (this is particularly so after you've hit the nitrous while drag-racing in a high-powered rear-wheel-drive car). After about the second such loss of control, I was beginning to wish they'd included a Home Depot so I could've bought some sandbags to weigh down the rear end. After the race, your respect is adjusted, depending largely on your driving. Sometimes a crew will "hate the damage you caused" when they caused it! However, the sounds are right--the Mazda RX-7 sounds much different than the '67 Mustang.

On that note, the audio is pretty good, though some of the music could've been left out without any great loss. Graphics aren't too bad, either, though the racing looks somewhat more cartoonish than Midnight Club. Audio and video are well-synchronized, too. And it you go get something to drink while you're waiting for the game to load, chances are it'll be finished by the time you get back.

Though this isn't a replacement for my old standby, it was a fun diversion. Despite its flaws, it was also terribly addicting. Now all that remains is to buy it, practice, and see about those sandbags...

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/29/07

Game Release: Juiced: Eliminator (US, 06/28/06)