L.A. Rush

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L.A. Rush
North American cover art featuring a Chevrolet Camaro and a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII.
Developer(s)	Midway Studios - Newcastle
Publisher(s)	Midway Games EU: Zoo Digital Publishing (PC)
Producer(s)	Tony Parkes
Programmer(s)	John Blackburne
Artist(s)	Stewart Neal
Series	Rush
Platform(s)	Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Gizmondo, PSP
Release	PlayStation 2, Xbox NA: 10 October 2005 EU: 21 October 2005 Windows NA: 1 February 2006 EU: 28 April 2006 PlayStation Portable NA: 30 October 2006 EU: 2006
Genre(s)	Driving
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer

L.A. Rush, known as Rush in the PlayStation Portable version, is an open world racing video game developed by Midway Studios – Newcastle and published by Midway Games, released in North America for PlayStation 2 and Xbox (not compatible with Xbox 360) on 10 October 2005, and on 21 October in Europe. It was released for Microsoft Windows on 4 November in Europe, and for PSP on 30 October 2006. It is the fourth and final instalment in the Rush series.

The game was originally planned to be available on Gizmondo, but got cancelled on 6 February 2006,^[1] due to the discontinuation of the console. L.A. Rush features voice talent from Orlando Jones, Bill Bellamy, André 3000 and Twista.

Gameplay[]

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The game features free-roaming with race mechanics similar to those in Need for Speed: Underground 2. The GPS map can have a point assigned to a certain location and then the point shows up on the minimap during gameplay. It also features two mission types and two game modes. Other features include 50 vehicles, 30 different cruise missions (can be played with another player on the PSP version when connected to Wi-Fi), upgrades for cars (available from multiple top-line manufacturers and West Coast Customs) and a hip hop and rock soundtrack from various artists, such as Twista, Lil' Kim, Skinny Puppy, J-Kwon and Rock 'n Roll Soldiers.

There are two modes in the game; Battle mode (which was first introduced in the home version of Rush 2049) lets the players go head-to-head with each other in a power-up-propelled race, while the Stunt Arena mode (which was featured in all other home Rush games) is only available in the PSP version of the game, where the player must launch their car off the ramp and fly through the air performing different tricks. In order to keep up with points, the player must land their car safely on all four wheels.

Aside from two modes, there are two mission types available; the Reacquire missions involve the player recovering the cars that have been repossessed from the storyline and bringing them back to the garage with minimal damage, whilst avoiding enemy vehicles that try to ram the player. The Retribution missions involve property damage where the player is tasked to destroy various things that belong to Lidell in different ways, such as smashing through his billboards, destroying a Ferris wheel by simply crashing into it, or even taking the enemy's car and letting it get smashed by a train.

Up to 50 playable cars are featured in the game, 30 of which are licensed cars, while the rest are Midway concept cars.

Plot[]

The game revolves around Trikz Lane (Luis Da Silva), a renowned street racer in the L.A. underground scene, who has a lavish lifestyle and a well-known sizable reputation, owning a mansion in Beverly Hills and a large collection of cars. One night, he throws a party in his mansion, while being interviewed by the journalist from Rides magazine, accomplished along with his friend, Ty Malix (Orlando Jones), the duo explain the journalist about how they got started in street racing and won their first ten grand of money using Trikz's car, which is referred to as the "go-kart", a Nissan 240SX (S14).^[2] Ty later states that the car will be featured on the next cover for Rides magazine. Soon, the crew from West Coast Customs, Ryan Friedlinghaus, Quinton "Q" Dodson, Michael "Mad Mike" Martin and Dana "Big Dane" Florence approach and greet the duo. The crew then asks Trikz about the modifications for his car before they leave him and Ty to continue the interview. As the crew leaves, Trikz and Ty are later met by a local race promoter, Lidell Rey (Bill Bellamy), who is hosting a major series of street races across L.A., known as the Lidell Rey Street Slam, and is not particularly fond of Trikz. Trikz later tells Lidell that by the end of summer, he would let him pay for his new vacation spot in Maui, Hawaii and has plans to steal Lidell's girlfriend, Lana. Lidell tries to tip the scales against him, telling Trikz that changes are coming before he drops a number of pennies from his hat onto the floor and leaves. As the journalist asked Trikz for the preparation of the upcoming races, Trikz told them that he will be always prepared once he finishes his vacation in Saint Barthélemy for two weeks.^[3]

Two weeks later, Trikz and Ty come back home from their vacation, only to find out that their mansion is now in ruins; the whole place is deserted with nothing left inside, the cars that are stored in the garage are missing. The only thing left is Trikz's 240SX abandoned in the driveway.^[4] While left entirely curious about the empty mansion, Trikz later sees a tow truck repossessing Ty's Hummer H2. The duo tries to catch up, but are unable to do so. Suddenly, a car pulls over in front of the mansion's front doors and the driver hands over a paper to Trikz before they drive away. Trikz realises that his mansion has been robbed by Lidell, Ty reveals that Lidell used his connections in order to rob Trikz's mansion and steal all of the cars whilst Trikz was on vacation. The duo later plots a plan to get payback against Lidell by entering various street races while recovering the lost cars that have been stashed across Los Angeles.^[5]

Reception[]

Many reviewers have been critical of the game. One common criticism is that the ability to customise cars was poorly realised; players cannot modify them themselves, instead, the car is automatically upgraded by the West Coast Customs crew. GamesRadar says: "Roll your vehicle into the garage and they'll kit it out with what they feel like".^[6]

L.A. Rush has also been criticised for not including every area of Los Angeles; for example, the San Fernando Valley was excluded.

Not all reaction was negative. The realistic handling in the game was welcomed by some as being comparable to the handling in Juiced and Need for Speed: Underground 2.

Nominations[]

References[]