User Score
7.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 26 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 26
  2. Negative: 4 out of 26

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  1. Nov 22, 2011
    8
    Yesss. To all who are here to hate about the controls, driving physics, lack of customisation etc. This isn't meant to be deep. Where it shines is in the exceptionally well-designed cities of LA, Paris and Tokyo which have a great variety of routes, fun, fast and exciting. The characters you come across are pretty varied. The game does get harder as you play thorugh. I never managed to complete the last race. Lots of races, fitting soundtrack and superb progression throughout. Only Rockstar could've made such a creative and variety-rich game. Collapse
  2. ZzzZX
    Jul 2, 2005
    10
    The best racer I own, and I own quite a few. Better than NFS underground by far. Excellent graphics and gameplay. Latter levels are a bit tough though - which can be frustrating.
  3. RichardR.
    Jul 6, 2003
    10
    This game is just amazing, i've had it for a few days & i havent stopped playing it...if u finish the carear then theres still online play which brings this game above the rest. If your looking for a racing game that requires some skill this is the game for you.
  4. HaroldH.
    Jul 9, 2003
    9
    This game is highly addictive and very fun to play. this is the most fun ive had playing a race game in a long long time!! ROCKSTAR SCORES AGAIN!!
  5. ShaneB.
    Aug 1, 2003
    10
    This game is awesome the graphics are great i have beaten the game already very very hard to beat but that's what makes the game better cause it's not so easy also the speed in the game makes it seem like your really going that fast the controls i would say are fine only certain cars suck other then that very good job from rockstar also i like the music good choice of music plus you can add your own mp3's to listen to cant forget about online play too.. great game hopefully they make Midnight Club III. Expand
  6. Tijgermug
    Aug 17, 2003
    8
    Great game, Reset controls and you can start playing in any resulution!!!!
  7. Neil
    Aug 18, 2003
    9
    Great game. Using keyboard i wasnt too keen on at first, as you jolt from left to right, but now I've had practice, i can move left and right without jolting so far.
  8. CoachC.
    Aug 2, 2003
    9
    I'll give this game a good review. Understand that the system requirements are steep, as it should be for one of the first games out that fully supports DX9. If you don't have a good racing wheel...why are you even playing racing games. Don't complain to me that the keyboard doesn't give good driving results...wouldn't have Toyota or Honda placed a keyboard on the dash if that was all it took to drive a car?! The physics and graphics are top-notch. The soundtrack is perfect (put your own *.mp3 or *.m3u files in the provided folder), you chose the music you want to hear. The storyline is acceptable, and adds a little to the gaming performance. The AI, although somewhat predictable, is very tough. This is, without a doubt, the best arcade-style racing game that I have ever played. Don't take my review with a grain-of-salt...I'm an experienced, real-life, dirt-track, CART, BMX, and moto-cross racer. Expand
  9. JasonM
    Sep 1, 2008
    10
    The greatest racing game ever. IE, the most FUN. The cars have varying handling physics, the opponents talk trash to keep things interesting, the courses are all wildly different, and the drift physics are the best in any driving game I've played. This is not a simulator, which is fine with me, it is a fun fun racing game.
  10. PedroS.
    Jul 25, 2003
    8
    é pena os graficos podia ser melhor,mas a jogabilidade é excelente e a longevidade é longa,continuem com o bom trabalho e espero que lancem o 3 com melhores graficos.....
  11. IzZo
    Sep 30, 2003
    8
    Aint da best car game but isnt da worst either! gotta say rockstar sure know how 2 make games, interestin characters to race with, interestin vehicles too, thot it would b a simple styled racer but its much more than that, neat stunts u can pull off as u progrees thru da game! Nitros = da bomb Overall its one of street racing's finest :D
  12. Anthony
    Sep 14, 2003
    10
    This game is only for people that like souped up cars in real life like me, Got it??
  13. AndréS.
    Sep 22, 2003
    10
    Rockstar Inovate again. The best racecar game I ever played.
  14. Jok`RdeMo
    Jul 22, 2003
    3
    This game sux! First of all the controls - if ya dont have steering wheel, then forget about playing. with keyboard its not possible to hav fun - the car just jumps from left to right it does not steers normaly. Game crashes when you try to get bigger resolution. Everything else is OK for arcade - that means that physics is really bad, cars are uncrashable etc. And also everything in game smells like console. They just took console game and ported to PC. So If ya like arcades, have steering wheel (I dont, so meybe it sux also with that) and like PSX then get this game. Expand
  15. Takumi
    Sep 6, 2003
    5
    This is game is all right. Without the steering wheel, the game is jsut to boring. I'v played many racing games and this is not the best of them. If u want a good racing game and Initial D is the game for you.
  16. LaurentA.
    Jul 12, 2003
    5
    Another game released too soon. Installed it on two machines - all I get is random freezes. Readme file and support on the website are less than helpful. Waiting for a patch.
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. The depth comes in the form of controlling the vehicles, navigating the city streets and discovering shortcuts.
  2. A well-designed and entertaining street racer - "Midtown Madness" on steroids. [Oct 2003, p.102]
  3. The right choice for anyone who's out for an action-packed arcade racer with smooth gameplay and miscellaneous tasks and challenges to complete on the road. The accent in this game is on addictive, high-paced arcade-style driving.