Juiced: Eliminator

Format PlayStation Portable

Developer Juice Games

Publisher THQ

Genre Racing / Driving

Ask us what we remember about Juiced on PS2 and we'll go blank for a few seconds, remembering after a bit that it was actually a pretty decent racer with loads of real-life cars and a trillion modding options. And then we'll recall the mess that was the Career system, and shudder at the thought of having to wade through the whole thing all over again.

The good news for the PSP version, Eliminator, is that the racing itself, despite being buried deep beneath all that customisation, only needs some minor tweaking to work on the handheld format, while the car-gambling Pink Slip and Crew racing elements will feel right at home with PSP's Wi-Fi capabilities.

Developer Juice Games is looking upon Eliminator as an opportunity to enhance and expand upon the original game. There's a new mode called Eliminator, surprisingly, that's been plonked into the action to crank the tension right up. Although it's an option
in single player mode, it's in the wireless side of things where it'll really shine, as the last placed competitor at the end of every lap is unceremoniously dumped out of the race. Make it a Pink Slip race and you can really make things nasty as the car is lost and the dummy is royally spat.

The entire roster of 60 cars looks very swish, with the original game's spangly paint effects neatly reproduced on PSP, and the sensation of speed which Juiced nailed so well also looks as if it's been incorporated. There are 16 new tracks in addition to the originals, nine new motors and even more car parts, taking the total number of possible modification combinations up to a number we probably don't have a word for.

If the Career mode's navigation issues can be tidied up by having its tedious, frequent loading times slashed and its menus simplified, Juiced: Eliminator could definitely be something tastier than the average when it's released later this month.

PSW Staff