Juiced originally started in the defunct Acclaim development houses. The company went under just about the time the game was meant to be released. Eight months later, THQ had picked up the title and the game was released to a luke-warm critical reaction. It seemed that the game was just another take on the street-racing genre. However, we assume that because of the gaming fads at the time, the game sold reasonably well. Maybe it was because of this that the game has made it to the PSP and it’s made it with a few extras along the way. There are two new locations, several new crews, new cars and potential modifications.
A bit of self-promotion never hurts.
Juiced: Eliminator keeps the core of the console versions at bay. The meat-and-potatoes of the single player portion is the career mode. You start off with a small sum of money and are required to purchase a solitary car. At first the car is quite ordinary but you’ll need to win races and challenges in order to win money and unlock modifications. You start off with a G-class car and will need to work your way up in terms of both cash supplies and respect. Cash isn’t just for improving your car; it’s there for improving the contents of your garage as well. As you race and as you win, you’ll have access to purchasing more and better cars. As you purchase better cars, you get access to more races and challenges. Respect is necessary and it is earned during races. There are eight other “crews” who you’ll competing against and respect will earn you invites.
Some of the frustration from the Career mode has been vetoed by the exclusion of entry fees. However, there are still issues that get in the way. For example, if you enter a Pink Slip race, you have no way of knowing whether the opponent's car is much better than yours, until the race has started. Other modes in the game include a Career Challenge mode that requires you to win a series of challenges against certain groups. You have an arcade mode that allows you to jump in and race, while Custom race will let you set up the races as you want them. That is, a choice between different kinds of races that include standard and drag-style sprints. The PSP version has the addition of Eliminator races, just like in Burnout. Essentially, the slowest driver is eliminated after each lap and the remaining driver is the winner. These modes are a decent diversion but most time is likely to be spent in the career mode.
Excitement plus.
Juiced: Eliminator has a substantial amount of multiplayer modes attached as well. Racing across ad-hoc opens up a fairly standard selection of modes but they are varied and numerous in quantity. Added to the mix is the option to race against people and put Pink Slips from the cars in your career mode on the line. This is sure to be either very satisfying or quite infuriating, depending on what position you cross the line in. The game also has game sharing features but this is will only support only support a one-on-one race. The game has extensive modification options but they make a bit of a compromise. They aren’t likely to get any rev-heads going but they are in the least, user friendly.
The highlight of Juiced: Eliminator is the amount of modes and options that you have at your disposal. Unfortunately, the actual racing is not up to scratch. The main problems that hamper it are the inconsistent driving mechanics and utterly boring tracks. Driving is simple enough and you’ve got some nitrous to back you up but it is very difficult to get around a track in a consistent fashion. You are constantly slipping or sliding into the barriers because you’re aren’t consistently able to get around. It doesn’t help the game that two new locations have been added when the tracks are just as boring. There is little to no creativity in the tracks present, with most being a series of turns and straights. So they are very easy to memorise and consequently, suck a lot of the potential fun. Add to the mix some extensively long load times and you have a PSP game that isn’t very portable friendly.
You'll be spending a while in here, not just because you're fixing the car.
In terms of presentation, the game’s menus have been overhauled. They’re clean but there is a bit of time taken between them. Graphically, the game is fairly average. There have been quite a few other PSP games that have looked a lot better. The frame rate is reasonably smooth but the details on cars and environments just aren’t as good as they could be. There is no damage model, crowds and most locations are utterly lifeless. It's quite funny that there are blur effects, even when you're driving slowly. Sound-wise, the game does a reasonable job. The car sounds feel low key and the sounds don’t help with the lifeless feeling that the game has but the overhauled soundtrack does a good job. The voicing in the game is limited but functional.
Despite the additions, Juiced: Eliminator is not a better game than its console predecessor. The game has a good selection of modes, a sufficiently deep career mode and some very satisfying multiplayer options. However, there are a host of small issues riddled with in each of these and it’s topped off with racing that is just plain ordinary. This is especially apparent, given the amount of quality racing titles that have been on the PSP for quite a while now. In the end, Juiced: Eliminator doesn’t really offer anything that isn’t available and doesn’t do much to improve on its console predecessor.
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