L.A. Rush

Times Online

Where LA Rush beats the others to the winning post is in the way that it allows you to spend the money you earn — welcome to the video game equivalent of MTV’s hit TV show "Pimp My Ride."

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

LA Rush offers much in the way of slick arcading but, due to the lack of control over modding options, it falls short of being something really special. [PSM2]

Play Magazine

If you absolutely positively cannot get enough urban racing Rush does it well, but beware, it's pimped to the max. [Nov p.94]

Next Level Gaming

Midway and Pitbull Syndicate missed a golden opportunity to really give "Burnout Revenge" a run for it's money, knowing what I know about the series. But instead, this game goes after "Midnight Club." And it does it without online gameplay, which I can't figure out at all.

GamePro

Despite the signature twitch controls, fans of previous Rush racers will be disappointed if they expect more of the same, so it's hard to understand why the name is used at all beyond mercenary marketing.

Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK

Not an exceptional racer but enjoyable all the same, and certainly the least juvenile of the current crop of G-riders. [Nov 2006, p.137]

TotalGames.net

LA Rush is the grubby Downtown district of LA to "Burnout's" Hollywood, if you will - the two games aren't exactly that similar but with so many better options out there, Midway's offering will be lucky not to simply be left on the shelves alongside a few rotting copies of "Turok Evolution."

Gaming Age

The only real down side is that none of it is really original, which gives veteran racers a been-there done-that kind of feeling.

Stuff

Remember how sparks and hubcaps pingponged everywhere in "Burnout Revenge" and "Midnight Club 3?" Remember how your eyes hurt because you were afraid to blink during races? Sadly, the only thing Rush made us feel was hungry for more beer nuts.

PSM Magazine

Midway has stripped away just about everything that made the Rush series unique, then attempted to graft on one part Burnout and one part each Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and NFS: Underground. It's Frankenstein with a carburetor. [Holiday 2005, p.86]

Game Informer

The overriding feeling during my entire playtime was, "Oh no. I have to do another race." [Dec 2005, p.156]

Electronic Gaming Monthly

But between the high frustration factor and the frequent need to crisscross the large city (some kind of warp option would be nice), I feel Rush tries a little too hard to turn me off.

DarkStation

The celebrated racer's modern incarnation gets bogged down by poor controls, repetitive races and the lack of online capabilities.

AceGamez

It's not all bad with L.A. Rush, as the storyline's pretty engrossing, well written and well acted, so that part will keep you amused.

1UP

It's by no means a bad game, and is certainly a very admirable effort in the context of the Rush franchise, but its contemporaries ultimately outclass it.

Yahoo! Games

The hyper-aggressive cops, touchy crashes, and thick traffic all work against the player. They don't heighten the rush. These elements just stop the game dead and make it a chore.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

Comes agonizingly close to being exceptional but falls too short in too many areas to be more than average. [Dec 2005, p.121]

eToychest

Players looking for the Rush series they grew up on in the arcades will come away disappointed at this game's inability to offer consistent high flying races, while fans of games like "Midnight Club 3" who are looking for the next big underground racing game will no doubt find Rush's take on the subgenre amateurish at best.

IGN

If you've played any previous Rush games, you'll be sorely disappointed. It's nothing like any Rush game -- in look, feel, design, physics, or anything else.

PALGN

A disappointing title and a poor addition to the Rush franchise, the Rush series is better left in our memories now.

Game Over Online

The concept of taking on the LA streets to get your property back or restore your good name could’ve really gone a long way, but the spotty race mechanics, the absurd amount of traffic and a number of useless or nonsensical features makes L.A. Rush really run out of gas.

GamingTrend

Because the gameplay was so uninspired, I found myself speeding through streets and ramming myself into the sides of buildings or opposing traffic so that I could watch the physics engine in action, and even that grew tiresome after a short while.

Gaming Target

I love Midway and I love the wild, crazy antics of the Rush series. But the way to stand out in the popular new genre of street racing is not to make a poor man's version of The Fast and the Furious.

Worth Playing

It's not change that I'm against. It's change for the worse that disappoints me so much about this game.

Detroit Free Press

This plot is hollow, and the missions you have to carry out in reclaiming your cars are lame. The graphics during the cinematic portion of the story mode look like something out of "Claymation."

games(TM)

L.A. Rush isn’t so much bad as uninspiring. Driving round the city is fun for a bit but after that nothing but the mediocre races, ill-conceived stunt sections and the meandering extra missions remain. [Nov 2005, p.110]

Eurogamer

LA Rush looks fine, sounds generic and plays irremediably. If you've ever played any of the other Rush games, this game will be a disappointment.

Cheat Code Central

The dull plot and repetitive game play can get boring after you play it for a couple of hours. The only true replay value this game has is with multiplayer because it has no online support.

GameSpy

Everything developer Pitbull Syndicate has achieved in LA Rush has been done before, and usually with more flourish.

Computer Games Magazine

It's too bad Midway is so caught up in the me-too game when it's just children like the Rush series who get hurt. [Dec p.93]

Game Revolution

L.A. Rush tries to keep up with the street racing scene, but it’s all show and no go. Repeating races over and over isn’t exactly a draw and the lack of customization is unforgivable.