Midnight Club
Encyclopedia
Midnight Club is a series of racing
video games developed by Rockstar San Diego
(formerly Angel Studios) and published by Rockstar Games
. The games are similar to the Midtown Madness
series previously developed by Angel Studios, focusing on competitive street racing in open world
urban environments. Midnight Club however, has a greater emphasis than Midtown Madness. Throughout the series, players race through New York City
, London
, Los Angeles
, Paris
, Tokyo
, San Diego, Atlanta, and Detroit.
, developed by Rockstar San Diego
and published by Rockstar Games
, is the third game in the Midnight Club series. It is also the first game in the series to feature licensed vehicles and allow players to customize their cars and bikes with performance and visual upgrades. It was released for the PlayStation 2
and Xbox
on April 11, 2005, and later ported to the PlayStation Portable
in June of that same year. The three cities featured are San Diego
, Atlanta
, and Detroit
. The name derived from a partnership between Rockstar and DUB Magazine
, which features heavily in the game in the form of DUB-sponsored races and DUB-customized vehicles as prizes. The PSP version of Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is the best selling racing game of all time on the PSP
.
and a Platinum Hits
release on Xbox
. The game features all of the cities, vehicles, and music from Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, along with 24 new vehicles, a fourth city (Tokyo
from Midnight Club II), new licensed music, new races, battle maps and online gameplay.
is the 2008 addition to the Midnight Club lineup. It was released for PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
on October 20, 2008 in North America and October 24, 2008 in Europe. As the name suggests, the game is based in Los Angeles
, featuring Santa Monica
, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills
, San Fernando Valley
, Downtown L.A., and most recently South Central
. The designers used real street maps in developing the game. The game features online play and downloadable content. Licensed cars and bikes return, including new models and brands such as Ford and Mazda
, which were absent in Midnight Club 3.
. The port is developed by Rockstar London
with Rockstar San Diego
. The game features the map of Los Angeles used in Midnight Club II rather than the map used in the console versions of Los Angeles. The game also features the city of Tokyo, using the map from Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix.
letters that act as a subtitle, , are translated as wangan, meaning "bayshore". This was taken from the name of the Tokyo
to Yokohama
route of the Shuto Expressway
. The game was said to be named after the real life hashiriya gang, known as the Mid Night Club
, who used the same route on a regular basis.
The name could also be confused with Wangan Midnight
, a Japanese manga
series which has been adapted into several arcade games (see Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune). Wangan Midnight is often written as " Midnight".
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
video games developed by Rockstar San Diego
Rockstar San Diego
Rockstar San Diego is one of the development studios under the Rockstar Games umbrella. The studio pioneered open world racing games with the Midtown Madness and the award-winning Midnight Club series. It is also responsible for the "Red Dead" series of western games...
(formerly Angel Studios) and published by Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games is a major video game developer and publisher based in New York City, owned by Take-Two Interactive following its purchase of UK video game publisher BMG Interactive. The brand is mostly known for Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, L.A...
. The games are similar to the Midtown Madness
Midtown Madness (series)
Midtown Madness is a series of racing games set in famous cities around the world, published by Microsoft Game Studios. Unlike many other racing games created during the series' initial release, Midtown Madness games pioneered the use of open world city environments instead of predefined circuit...
series previously developed by Angel Studios, focusing on competitive street racing in open world
Open world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
urban environments. Midnight Club however, has a greater emphasis than Midtown Madness. Throughout the series, players race through New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, San Diego, Atlanta, and Detroit.
Installments
| Title | Availability | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony Sony , commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues.... |
Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions... |
Nintendo Nintendo is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel.... |
||
| Midnight Club: Street Racing Midnight Club: Street Racing Midnight Club: Street Racing is a racing arcade game, developed by Angel Studios and published by Rockstar Games. The game focuses on competitive street racing and the import scene, later popularised by The Fast and the Furious movies... |
PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan... |
None | Game Boy Advance Game Boy Advance The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China... |
2000 |
| Midnight Club II Midnight Club II Midnight Club II is the first sequel to Midnight Club: Street Racing, published for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows. Players race through cities inspired by Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo... |
PlayStation 2 | Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... Xbox Xbox The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console... |
None | 2003 |
| Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is a racing game, developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games, and is the third game in the Midnight Club series. Like previous installments in the series, the game is an arcade-style racer and focuses on wild, high-speed racing, rather than... |
PlayStation 2 Playstation Portable PlayStation Portable The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004... |
Xbox | None | 2005 |
| Midnight Club: Los Angeles Midnight Club: Los Angeles Midnight Club: Los Angeles is the fourth video game in the Midnight Club series of racing video games, not including Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix. It was officially announced for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on January 11, 2008 by Rockstar Games. The game was developed by Rockstar San Diego... |
PlayStation 3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... Playstation Portable |
Xbox 360 Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... |
None | 2008 |
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
Midnight Club 3: DUB EditionMidnight Club 3: DUB Edition
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is a racing game, developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games, and is the third game in the Midnight Club series. Like previous installments in the series, the game is an arcade-style racer and focuses on wild, high-speed racing, rather than...
, developed by Rockstar San Diego
Rockstar San Diego
Rockstar San Diego is one of the development studios under the Rockstar Games umbrella. The studio pioneered open world racing games with the Midtown Madness and the award-winning Midnight Club series. It is also responsible for the "Red Dead" series of western games...
and published by Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games is a major video game developer and publisher based in New York City, owned by Take-Two Interactive following its purchase of UK video game publisher BMG Interactive. The brand is mostly known for Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, L.A...
, is the third game in the Midnight Club series. It is also the first game in the series to feature licensed vehicles and allow players to customize their cars and bikes with performance and visual upgrades. It was released for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
on April 11, 2005, and later ported to the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
in June of that same year. The three cities featured are San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, and Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. The name derived from a partnership between Rockstar and DUB Magazine
DUB Magazine
DUB, founded in January 2000, is a North American magazine covering urban custom car culture and also features celebrities and their vehicles. The magazine also launched the DUB Magazine Custom Auto Show & Concert, a nationwide car show and concert tour that spans 16 United States cities...
, which features heavily in the game in the form of DUB-sponsored races and DUB-customized vehicles as prizes. The PSP version of Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is the best selling racing game of all time on the PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
.
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix is a re-released version of Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, released in 2006. It is available as a Greatest Hits release on PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and a Platinum Hits
Platinum Hits
Platinum Hits is a term used to refer to a line of select Xbox games that were considered by Microsoft to have sold considerable units on the platform in the nine months after release, and have dropped in price from their original MSRP to a newer, lower price, generally that of US$19.99, although...
release on Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
. The game features all of the cities, vehicles, and music from Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, along with 24 new vehicles, a fourth city (Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
from Midnight Club II), new licensed music, new races, battle maps and online gameplay.
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Midnight Club: Los AngelesMidnight Club: Los Angeles
Midnight Club: Los Angeles is the fourth video game in the Midnight Club series of racing video games, not including Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix. It was officially announced for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on January 11, 2008 by Rockstar Games. The game was developed by Rockstar San Diego...
is the 2008 addition to the Midnight Club lineup. It was released for PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
on October 20, 2008 in North America and October 24, 2008 in Europe. As the name suggests, the game is based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, featuring Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
, San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
, Downtown L.A., and most recently South Central
South Los Angeles
South Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...
. The designers used real street maps in developing the game. The game features online play and downloadable content. Licensed cars and bikes return, including new models and brands such as Ford and Mazda
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
, which were absent in Midnight Club 3.
Midnight Club: L.A. Remix
Midnight Club: L.A. Remix is the portable adaption of Midnight Club: Los Angeles for the PlayStation PortablePlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
. The port is developed by Rockstar London
Rockstar London
Rockstar London is an English video game developer, and in 2005 was the second newest studio to join the Rockstar Games family. Notable productions include Manhunt 2 for the PlayStation 2....
with Rockstar San Diego
Rockstar San Diego
Rockstar San Diego is one of the development studios under the Rockstar Games umbrella. The studio pioneered open world racing games with the Midtown Madness and the award-winning Midnight Club series. It is also responsible for the "Red Dead" series of western games...
. The game features the map of Los Angeles used in Midnight Club II rather than the map used in the console versions of Los Angeles. The game also features the city of Tokyo, using the map from Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix.
Midnight Club: L.A. Complete Edition
Midnight Club: Los Angeles - Complete Edition is a revised version of the original MCLA. This edition has an extra racing area called "South Central" which adds 33% to the map. Along with that come several new cars, 26 new races, 12 new battle maps, 10 new delivery missions, around 100 new "Red Light Races", rims, vinyls, hydraulics, body kits, and music.Reception
| Game | Review Scores | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IGN IGN IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment... |
Gamespot GameSpot GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which... |
Metacritic Metacritic Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,... |
||
| Midnight Club: Street Racing Midnight Club: Street Racing Midnight Club: Street Racing is a racing arcade game, developed by Angel Studios and published by Rockstar Games. The game focuses on competitive street racing and the import scene, later popularised by The Fast and the Furious movies... |
86% | 84% | 78% | |
| Midnight Club II Midnight Club II Midnight Club II is the first sequel to Midnight Club: Street Racing, published for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows. Players race through cities inspired by Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo... |
91% | 73% | 85% | |
| Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is a racing game, developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games, and is the third game in the Midnight Club series. Like previous installments in the series, the game is an arcade-style racer and focuses on wild, high-speed racing, rather than... |
92% | 83% | 84% | |
| Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix | 88% | 82% | 85% | |
| Midnight Club: Los Angeles Midnight Club: Los Angeles Midnight Club: Los Angeles is the fourth video game in the Midnight Club series of racing video games, not including Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix. It was officially announced for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on January 11, 2008 by Rockstar Games. The game was developed by Rockstar San Diego... |
85% | 75% | 82% | |
| Midnight Club: L.A. Remix | 76% | 75% | 79% | |
Name origin
The two kanjiKanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
letters that act as a subtitle, , are translated as wangan, meaning "bayshore". This was taken from the name of the Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
to Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
route of the Shuto Expressway
Shuto Expressway
is a network of toll expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the .Most routes consist of elevated roadway above other roads or over water, and have many sharp curves which require caution to drive safely...
. The game was said to be named after the real life hashiriya gang, known as the Mid Night Club
Mid Night Club
The was a Japanese street racing gang that hosted illegal top speed themed races on the Bayshore Route of the Shuto Expressway between Tokyo to Yokohama...
, who used the same route on a regular basis.
The name could also be confused with Wangan Midnight
Wangan Midnight
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Michiharu Kusunoki and serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits since 1990, later in Kodansha's Young Magazine. In 1999, it won the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga....
, a Japanese manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series which has been adapted into several arcade games (see Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune). Wangan Midnight is often written as " Midnight".