I've been spoiled with my Momo racing wheel for quite a while now so I'm not the biggest fan of using the analog stick to steer my vehicles but considering that one can not hook up a wheel to the PSP I'm really impressed with the special ability (aka time slower) feature of this game.

As you drive (flawlessly if I may add) you build up your special ability (in this case the time-slower). Reacting quickly enough at 165 mph my not be as easy as it sounds especially on a hand-held system, but if you have your special build up you can slow time to a crawl thus allowing you to dodge that bus in front of you without much trouble at all. As for the rest of the game, it is pretty much what you would expect from a racing title.

There are two goals to your racing: earning reputation and cash. Reputation unlocks things (ranging from new vehicles to new upgrades) while cash allows you to purchase those new rides and upgrades. Completing some races unlocks other more difficult races but you probably already know the drill: the harder the race the more reward-full it is at the same time, and sooner or later you will have to race and win the tough races if you want to see what Tokyo looks like.

As for the upgrades, Midnight Club - L.A. Remix has got it going on. This PSP game has more customization build in it than many of the racing game released on "real systems". From a performance upgrade standard, Midnight Club - L.A. Remix is about the same as most other games that offer upgrades. You can upgrade your engine, chassis, tires, transmission and brakes; some of the categories have multiple sub-categories but in general performance upgrades are about the same as in other games. What sets this game aside from its competitors is the visual upgrades. One of the options that really caught my eye was the ability to customize your license plate. Not only can you make it say what you want but you can also select the state that the car is registered to. Just about everything visually can be altered. Front bumpers, rear bumpers, side panels, neon lights, windows tint, car color, paint designs and even a hydraulics system are available for you to use. I've played just about every racing game out there (many if not most racing games on the PSP as well) and I have to say that Midnight Club - L.A. Remix is that racing game that has raised the standards when it comes to PSP racing titles. This game really has it going on. The only problem that I can think of is the small size of the maps; if L.A. was this small in real life it would not be labeled as a city; it would not even be a full size neighborhood. On the bright side, all the shortcuts and alleys that you can take will keep this game fresh for a while.