It's not fair really. If Juiced 2 had come out at a different time than now, I would probably already have clocked up quite a few hours in this game. Because even though it is completely derivative of most other games in the street racing genre, the circuits are quite well laid out and the driving engine is easy enough to enjoy cruising through a few levels here and there. They have even implemented an original system of progressing through the levels, not by winning competitions, but by unlocking a set of challenges for every new level you achieve.
But compared to the majestic Project Gotham Racing 4, Juiced Hot Import Nights is nothing more than wasting time until I can start clocking up more kudos in PGR 4. What doesn't help matters is the supreme ugliness of the menus in this game. Even though street racing games revel in using as much neon colors as possible, I don't think I have ever seen menu screens this awful. They look like the designer only had his eyes on the scantily clad women gracing these screens, and couldn't concentrate well enough on actually constructing the rest of the screens in a manner that wouldn't make gamers eyeballs scream in anxiety.
The PSP version of this game has been getting a little bit more playtime than the Xbox 360 version. I've given it a few rounds on the way to work, and I can say it's fun, though not the best the PSP has seen in racing so far. I'm guessing the score will make this game land somewhere in the middle of the racers Sony's handheld has to offer, as it's a fun way to while away your time, but with nowhere near the addictive qualities of a Ridge Racer or Burnout Dominator.
Comments