Midtown Madness 3 – XB – Review

‘Watch out!"

The pedestrian dives out of the way as your Honda jumps the curb, ploughs
through a mailbox and careens back out on the roadway. Ah, just another day at
the office, working undercover and driving a car on surreptitious assignments
throughout Paris and Washington, D.C.

Dice and Microsoft Game Studios are teaming up for the release of Midtown
Madness 3, a fast-paced thrill ride through famous locales in either a
head-to-head race, or in a mission-based campaign.

Two movie-directing brothers are arriving in Washington to make their latest
big-budget action thriller, "The Quick and the Slippery." However a rival movie
producer is coming to town, and his motives are conveniently suspicious. Your
job is to see what he is up to and to do that you must go undercover. The first
disguise is as a pizza deliverer in an old classic but downtrodden automobile
that resembles a land boat in these days of compact fast vehicles.

Your boss, a Humphrey Bogart sound-alike, tells you to "keep the boxes closed
and your ears open. Let’s see what kind of script we can write."

First job you embark on is basically a race between you and Angelina to
deliver pizzas. You have a map and targets that must be arrived at quickly to
deliver the pizzas. But make no mistake, Angelina is a good driver and you will
be hard pressed to beat her. From there the game escalates with more than 50
missions in 14 different careers. But regardless of the career, the game
essentially challenges you to race against a clock around a city with a host of
obstacles, including other cars, trying to stop you from completing your task.

Other game features include more than 30 vehicles, including city buses and
taxis, as well as online play and downloadable content (while the version
received was a reviewable copy, it was not the final release of the game).

Graphically this game is a bit of a mixed bag. The car dynamics are quite
good. Some vehicles are rather cumbersome while others perform well. But the
game has some clipping problems in that you can drive through some obstacles
while others will deliver a jarring blow. However the game does do a very
good job in rendering weather conditions, and car damage. Scrapping a wall, or
sliding through rain-slick streets is very well done.

The control elements are set up so that anyone can play easily. You can
engage in the missions or participate in a single race. In the latter, there is
a free drive option where you can just cruise the streets like you are out for a
simple Sunday cruise.

The sound elements are very good as well. The music can be a little
repetitive, and the pedestrian complaints are tiring after a bit. But the sound
effects of collisions and crashes is well done.

Midtown Madness 3 is quite enjoyable. From cruising the streets of Paris, or
racing through the monument areas of Washington, this is a game that puts fun
into the car sim genre. The game may not offer a lot of tracks, or maps, but it
does off a variety of game options, and vehicles.

Gameplay: 8.2
The game has some load times and once you are into a scenario, the game
moves seamlessly through the mapboards. The game is well designed and the
mapboards are large and sufficiently complicated to challenge any players.

Graphics: 8.2
There are some clipping problems and some slightly unrealistic crashes, but
otherwise the game does look good and the damage models are fun and
entertaining. You can thoroughly trash your vehicle and the environments in a
relatively short time frame.

Sound: 8.4
The musical score is upbeat and the voice acting is solid. This element is a
strong supporting element in this game.

Difficulty: Medium
The controls can be a little stiff, depending on the car. There is also a
tendency for overreaction. The car does not seem to turn as well, then suddenly
turns too well.

Concept: 7.8
The game is not overly rich with options, and has three driving options
which are solid. The storyline is appropriately over the top.

Multiplayer: 8
This game features split-screen, head-to-head racing, as well as Xbox Live!
gameplay. These all add to the game’s enjoyment factor.

Overall: 8.2
The game has a few graphic problems, some not intended and some intended.
The clipping problems – like running over a fire hydrant and the water streaming
up through the car like it wasn’t there – are one aspect while being able to run
through store fronts is another. The storyline give a reason to race maniacally
around the city, and the streets at monuments peculiar to these major cities
adds a nice flavor to the game. This is a solid car-racing program, featuring a
variety of vehicles.