Nowadays racing games on consoles have to offer that little bit extra. Gone are the days when simply completing a couple of circuits of a track and picking up a trophy would keep the average gamer occupied, now you have to add a little twist to the genre if you want your game to stand out from the crowd. Luckily THQ Games have moved the goalposts in the latest game to hit the market, Juiced.
• The premise of the game •
Very much a rags to riches game, the idea is to start with nothing and gradually earn respect, money and mods (modifications) for your cars. Career mode allows you to buy a basic car and work hard to customise it before either selling it on or becoming the best street racer around. Arcade mode is for those less interested on a long term gaming experience, simply select a car, choose a track and race, show off or sprint – this method of gaming is a good way to practice driving skills without loosing valuable respect points, money or even cars. If you prefer a more hands off role there is the option to recruit a crew to perform in races and events for you, usually these crew members are novices when they first join you but race practice gradually increases driving skill and respect points. You can also host events yourself, these typically cost $1000 to stage and can be in the form of a race (a set number of laps around a street or track course), a sprint (a drag fight for acceleration on a straight piece of track) or a show off tournament in which respect points and money are earned depending on the complexity and skill used to perform such tricks as 360s, bootleg turns, donuts and boomerangs – luckily there is a comprehensive tutorial explaining how such tricks are carried out.
• Rewards •
The rewards in Juiced are plenty, but then so are the pratfalls. The biggest loss a player can experience is in a race known as a “Pink slip” event. These events are set up between two drivers and usually consist of a race around a circuit. The winner wins the losers’ car so unless you are sure you are going to win it can prove a very expensive race. As far as rewards go there are plenty to keep a players interest, the most common being money which is awarded for finishing an event first and occasionally second. Also up for collecting are new mods for cars which can vary from a new turbo or Nitrous Oxide system to the latest rear spoiler or graphics. To add a little spice to events there is also the option to have a side bet with other drivers, although it is best to check the other car out first just to make sure you have a chance of winning against it. Finally there are respect points to be gained from all of the other drivers and their teams, if you are willing to make big money bets or win a good amount of the events you enter those points will go up. On the flip side if you consistently finish last or crash into other drivers cars the points will fall fast.
• Vehicles •
A racing game would be fairly poor if it didn’t pay special attention to the vehicles involved; luckily Juiced offers a huge array of cars from all over the world to mod and race with. In Arcade mode the list of vehicles to choose from is larger than that in the career mode, as you have to work your way to the best cars in that mode. The cars are listed in eight categories depending on the Break Horse Power of the car with the lowest category eight cars consisting of Vauxhall Corsas, Fiat Puntos and Volkswagen Beatles to name but three. At the other end of the spectrum the class one cars offer a massive 800 to 1,200 BHP and are made up of vehicles like the Dodge Viper and Corvette. There are over fifty cars to collect and each is fully customisable so that you can make them uniquely yours.
• Graphics •
The graphics in Juiced are good without being spectacular, it is fair to say they are not too the standard of games such as Gran Turismo 4 but then few are. What Juiced offers is good detail on vehicles and smooth stutter free Gameplay when travelling at speed on a road or track. Buildings, trees and spectators look as they should while the various mod parts for cars are well detailed so you know exactly what they are. A few of the backdrops for the more advanced levels do seem a little repetitive at times but for the most part the concentration has to be focused on the car that is being raced.
• Sound •
Gone are the days when a simple engine noise would suffice in a racing game, now you have to have exclusive mixes of songs from established bands, and Juiced is no different in this respect. Bands like Kasabian, Way out West and Guru throw in songs to make the whole experience sound better. The cars engines sound amazingly realistic and add a real tension to races as you rev at the start line. Cornering too erratically produces a deafening screech of tires to scare any safe driving advocate while heading nose first into a crash barrier or tree sounds like it should. In the tune shop or workshop a tire change or engine tinker sounds so realistic that only the scent of rubber and oil prevents you feeling like you are actually there.
• Multiplayer & Online play •
Juiced offers both of these options with multiplayer gaming delivered via split-screen display. Online the game really comes into its own; players can enter “Pink Slip” races and win or lose to other online players’ cars which results in gaining or losing the cars involved. It is also possible to enter show off events so that you can treat others online to your newly perfected trickery. A broadband connection is essential if you wish to take the game online and registration is required.
• Is it child friendly? •
The people at www.pegi.info have deemed the game as suitable for children aged twelve and over which I think is a little high. The reason given is that there is use of strong language but as yet I have not encountered it. As with all games though parents should take responsibility for the games their children play and one twelve year old will have strikingly different views from the next as to what constitutes bad language.
• Final thoughts •
Juiced is a great game, but there is a slight feeling that it could have been even better. Some of the more powerful cars are nearly impossible to control when it comes to cornering and other racers seem to inexplicably improve when it comes to Pink Slip races which often results in the loss of a loved car. A few more top end cars would also have been nice other than the Corvette and Dodge Viper and some easier tricks to learn for the show off stage would have made the experience a nicer one. Despite these niggles Juiced is still a fine contender in the racing / customisation genre and holds up well to the competitions efforts in Midnight Club and Need for Speed 2 with plenty to do within the game to make it playable for a while.
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