25-Apr-2005 The Juiced story makes for an unusual entry in the history of video games. As you may recall we've already reviewed it, yet here we are previewing it again, some six months later. Has the world gone mad? Do cats and dogs lie together, has the sky turned red, do rivers flow with blood?
Well yes, but that's not what's happening here. After the untimely demise of Juiced's original publisher (Acclaim) just before the game was due to be released, THQ stepped in, bought the game and granted the development team some extra time to enhance their already excellent racer. Have they used their time wisely then?
Well, it certainly looks that way. The graphics are now nothing short of stunning with beautiful effects smeared all over the screen like sweet, sweet chocolate around a young child's mouth. The car models are stunningly detailed, and with all the extreme modifications in place, are nothing short of technicolour marvels.
The handling has been beautifully upgraded too, with the cars now happier to co-operate with your desire to go round corners, even sliding out in an enjoyable fashion when properly provoked. This injects a massive dose of playability and fun to the already capable physics model.
The Career mode has also been improved upon and had extra life breathed into it - you'll find progression through races and into new areas and tracks to be smoother, with none of the earlier frustrations.
If none of this means anything to you, a little backstory might help. Juiced is, as you may have guessed, a racing game. Car modification is key and the Career mode attempts to mirror the modding scene in the real world as accurately as possible, before setting it on fire. You buy a car, make it drive fast and look mean and then join a gang of dangerous-looking sorts and race that car for cash and respect. Respect is important because getting more respect means that you'll attract the attention of more important gangs, letting you take part in bigger races with more respect, more prize money and new tracks for the taking. It's the law of ever-increasing circles.
'NUFF RESPECT It's a simple enough formula, but a highly effective one too because, as in real life, respect is the chief currency. With enough respect in store you can recruit a few drivers and send them out to race on your behalf - while you sit around eating cake and masturbating. You dictate how they run the race and soak up their winnings. You can even bet on the outcome of races, gaining even more money until you have all the money in the world and live in a house made of money and marry some money and have money for kids.
It's also impressive how much earlier criticism of the game has been taken on-board. There have been improvements to almost every area of the game and the end result is far more enjoyable than its unreleased predecessor in every way. We look forward to getting the finished article into the labs for some in-depth analysis. Juiced could and should be better than ever before.
PSW Staff
// Overview
Verdict
We liked this how it was but this new version is improves on that in every way. It'll be interesting to see whether this or Midnight Club 3 comes out on top. Interesting and kinda sexy too.
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