Juiced Eliminator PSP review

So here we are one year on from the rather disappointing release of Juiced on the big consoles and it seems odd to be playing the game again. Released a year ago, the PSP version might have seemed more relevant, but with games such as Outrun 2006, TOCA and Burnout available it does seem a case of too little too late.

Juiced Eliminator isn't a straight port though, Juice Games has squeezed in plenty of new content in the form of 8 new crews and crew chiefs, Chinatown area and tracks, Angel Raceway area and tracks, new cars and over 100 new body kit components. So at least there's plenty to see and do and the career mode is pretty deep.

Deep Career

Yet the real problem with Juiced is the same one last year's version had. And that's the nature and setting of the racing. The urban racing game is a popular genre, just look at the success of recent Need for Speed titles and Midnight Club. I'd argue that the thing that made these games so exciting was the illicit nature of the thrills on offer i.e. racing through traffic and public roads. In putting all these races in traditional cordoned off street circuits we're left with a strange hybrid of urban setting with more of a PGR feel, but without the excitement of that franchise's real streets.

So we're not off to a good start already because the very nature of the game doesn't work in my mind. However should it float your boat you'll find a very deep single-player experience on offer. So you'll get yourself some wheels, start taking on rivals, earn funds to buy new cars and customize them. This process isn't as tricky as the original Juiced as racing fees have been abolished, making it easier to make progress. The career is far from perfect though and I found it very annoying to enter a pink slip race (where you can lose your car) only to find the opponent has a much better vehicle.

Showing Off

Other ways of making money in career mode include style based events where you can show off your customized motor and perform various driving tricks for the crown. Oddly the game doesn't reward skill so much as the number of mods on your car. Heavily modified cars rack up big multipliers. It seems the wrong way of weighting success especially as the modding options aren't particularly interesting.

Still, the basic career race mechanic of betting money and winning races isn't too bad. The handling model is okay, nothing special. But then given how poor the PSP's analog nubbin is I doubt even Gran Turismo Mobile (should it ever arrive). The career, with its RPG elements, is quite fun for a while and trying to win respect for your team and money for upgrades is fairly engaging. And there's a wide range of non career events and challenges from team leaders, such as winning 15 eliminator races in a game calendar month.

Dull Tracks

You're probably expecting a but here though aren't you? Well there is a major one. The game features some of the dullest racing circuits I've played in quite a while. There's nothing special or memorable about any of them. Tracks are located in different areas of the game's city but you'll not really notice that very much. The game looks remarkably unspectacular. The car models are okay and the frame rate is solid, but at no point are you going to think "wow that looks pretty".

Multiplayer is fairly well catered for though. It's strictly local wireless though, no infrastructure mode events. But playing with a friend is probably the best Juiced Eliminator has to offer. Game sharing is supported, but only for one game mode.

Meh

There's no huge problems with Juiced Eliminator. Sure the control isn't great, but that's the poor design of the PSP for you. The gameplay, graphics, multiplayer, sound and everything else are all okay.

But the whole experience just makes you wonder why they bothered or at least took so long to get a PSP version out. Juiced Eliminator is okay, but in today's cut throat market being okay really isn't good enough.