GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Games

Playstation Reviews
PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox Reviews
Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo Reviews
Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64


PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums
L.A. Rush xbx Game Reviews
L.A. Rush
Critic Score
Metascore: 59 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
4.4 out of 10
based on 36 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 5 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

An innovative racing videogame based on the sport of competitive street racing and the fanatical, ruthless lifestyles of those involved. Based on entirely new technology that recreates a living, breathing go anywhere Los Angeles with highly destructible environments, players will be able to explore Los Angeles by day or by night from Compton, to LAX, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and the beaches of Santa Monica. Pure racing skills are on the line as the world's best street racers gather in L.A. and the player's self-respect is up for grabs in a variety of non-racing driving missions. Cop chases, gridlock, cross-traffic, high-flying jumps, and the death-defying shortcuts that the Rush franchise is known for take L.A. Rush beyond the standard tuner-car simulation game. Featuring a number of gameplay modes and unique objectives, L.A. Rush will feature more than 50 licensed and concept cars, classic muscle cars, SUVs and import tuners, customizable part manufacturers and designs (including several exclusive West Coast Customs vehicle concepts), celebrity talent, music and much more. [Midway]

PUBLISHER: Midway
DEVELOPER: Midway
GENRE(S): Racing, Driving, Action
PLAYERS: 2
ESRB RATING: T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE: October 10, 2005

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

80
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."
Read Full Review
80
XboxAddict
I loved the graphics of this game, the cars were flashy and the maps were enormous. Landmarks were right on and transitions from one area to the next were seamless.
Read Full Review
80
GamingTrend
To be honest, the traffic at times was so heavy that I wondered who in their right mind would be holding a street race in the middle of it.
Read Full Review
75
Team Xbox
Cinema style is slick, but not enough to save the core gameplay from dragging on after a short period.
Read Full Review
70
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.
Read Full Review
70
Computer and Video Games
But if bling is your thing and you're in need of a dire hit of nitrous oxide, then LA Rush will deliver enough of a fix to tide you over until the next 'big' racing title hits Xbox. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]
Read Full Review
70
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]
70
MS Xbox World
LA Rush isn’t a bad game per se because at times it’s quite fun. The problem is that there are other racers on the market that do the same thing but are much less frustrating.
Read Full Review
70
Gamestyle
It's almost as if the developers WANT you to input the 'free cash' code: at any point during the game, press Up, Down, Left, Right, B, Left, A, Up).
Read Full Review
70
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.
Read Full Review
67
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.
Read Full Review
65
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.
Read Full Review
63
GameSpot
Parts of L.A. Rush come across as competent and enjoyable, but those parts aren't enough to make it stand out amid stiff competition.
Read Full Review
63
Game Informer
The overriding feeling during my entire playtime was, "Oh no. I have to do another race." [Dec 2005, p.156]
62
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.
Read Full Review
62
Xbox Solution
It's just bogged down and tries too much to throw gamers into the story and then into the arcade style races. Players may enjoy this one as I did, but then may get bored and want more of a real racing game.
Read Full Review
60
GameZone
The controls for this game are really well done. What is not so well done is the enemy AI, seeing the crashing scenes a billion times, and not even getting to properly customize the cars yourself.
Read Full Review
60
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.
Read Full Review
60
G4 TV
Split-screen multiplayer is in, but the game completely lacks online multiplayer, which is downright shocking for a racing title in this day and age. L.A. Rush feels like a fourth place finish in a highly competitive field.
Read Full Review
60
GameBiz
If you love to mod cars then L.A. Rush is the game for you, its a modders dream. Unfortunately L.A. Rush is an average title at best and there isn't much to distinguish it from other similar titles.
Read Full Review
60
Worth Playing
It's still the lack of high-velocity thrills — and not necessarily the Axe body spray and iRiver billboards — that make for the biggest disappointment.
Read Full Review
60
Game Chronicles
There were several enjoyable moments during my time in L.A. and I truly appreciate the epic scale and detail that went into this city. I could only wish for thinner traffic, smarter opponents, and craftier police. As it is, everything is just thrown at you, and the entire game seems just a bit…ahem…“rushed”.
Read Full Review
59
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.
Read Full Review
58
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.
Read Full Review
55
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.
Read Full Review
55
Xbox World Australia
But L.A. Rush strays too much from the roots of the series and instead focuses too much on a sub-culture that had lately been flogged in almost every game. It doesn’t help that the main character that comes off as a bit of a tosser.
Read Full Review
53
Gaming Horizon
From the unbelievably dense traffic with the inescapable crash sequences, to the poser-fest plot and the explosion of brand placement, this game is a definite multiple-offender.
Read Full Review
50
Gamenikki
A pretty straightforward arcade street racing game that could have been much more with a bit more attention to customization and the inclusion online multiplayer.
Read Full Review
50
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]
50
Official Xbox Magazine
The driving itself is fun and the controls are pretty tight, but the whiz-bang cutscene crashes get tiresome after awhile. . [Holiday 2005, p.68]
50
GamerFeed
It feels terrific and has the look and sound of a well-oiled machine, but something truly went wrong during the ride.
Read Full Review
50
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.
Read Full Review
40
GameSpy
It's the lack of spectacular leaps, jumps, and tomfoolery made famous by the series that makes this knock-off all the more embarrassing, sure to sicken fans of the original game.
Read Full Review
40
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]
40
Operation Sports
If the lack of control doesn’t frustrate you enough, the simplistic AI will.
Read Full Review
25
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.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 4.4 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Zach W. gave it a2:
What happened to the rush series!? This is terrible, not much fun. Cops are everywhere, traffic is crazy, almost always in your way. Hard to race when the track is full of these obstacles. Graphics will make you sick. Only thing good is the cars, using real licensed cars is fun, too bad they don't handle anywhere close to how they should.

Fred D. gave it a9:
Awesome driving mechanics and big open world to race in....solid graphics and great sense of speed. liked the crashes on the licensed cars...but could have seen less of them.cross between driver and midnight club but much better racing.

Andyman gave it a1:
If I see one more lousy unskippable low-resolution slow-motion crash cutscene, I'm going to barf all over my console. I suck, you say? OK smart guy, YOU try to avoid the unbelievable amount of junk strewn about each "track". Did I mention that the computer-driven opponents never hit any of it? Bravo, Pitbull Syndicate! You haven't learned a thing in the EIGHT YEARS since you made the equally horrid Test Drive 4! Heck, this game even LOOKS like a PS1 game! Thank God I only rented it... but even so, I feel ripped off. Utterly pathetic.

Discuss this game in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: MLB | Spore | iPhone 3G | Paris Hilton | Antivirus Software | GPS | Recipes | Shwayze | NFL

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use