This game provides a perfect blend of speed, depth, and finesse; it all comes out to a nearly perfect racing game.
MC3 makes several changes from the previous iteration. The most easy to see is the subtitle: DUB Edition. While it may seem like an advertising ploy like seen in some games *coughNFSU2cough*, but it actually comes out fine; the name only comes up on car badges and in the shops. Also, real cars are used instead of made-up models. It gives a realistic dimension to the rides you drive.
Racing is what its all about. I'm happy to say that this series hasn't lost it. The action throughout gives you an adreneline rush and never lets up; every race gives you a blazing ride through open checkpoint courses. The sense of openness during racing is unmatched here. Of course, you need speedy cars to drive in, or its not worth it. MC3 is host to nearly seventy rides, all unique and a blast to drive. Classes include tuners, luxury sedans, trucks/SUVs, muscle, and exotics. There are even choppers and sports bikes. What's more, there are customization options that rival even NFSU. There's the standard issue body, performance, and color options, but there's also options like ride height, vinyls, and even custom decals; it doesn't quite match NFSU in depth, but beats it in detailed personalization. The only gripes with the gameplay are that there is a lack of variety among the races (only sprints, circuits, and tournament), and that the performance tuning options are limited to three useless options. However, these are barely enough to deter anyone from this game.
MC3 is easily one of the better looking racing games to date. The car models are beautiful and shiny, albeit a slight lack of detail among a few. Visual options fit on perfectly and are just as detailed as the stock cars. The cities are all full of life with constantly flowing traffic and pedestrians that will react to your car (they'll stop and admire your ride, and even check out your rims if you don't move). However, what's easily the biggest graphical achievement is the sense of speed. Everything blurs appropriately as you rush by, and this is emphasized more when you kick in nitrous. You really feel like your blazing down a street at 200 miles an hour. The only faults I can find are occasionally bland environments and absolutely ugly damage models (I think my car would get more than a dent from a head-on collision with a bus), but these are nothing compared to the sheer graphical prowess this game displays.
The audio part of this game is just as good as the rest of the package. Sound effects during races are perfect; engines roaring, tires squealing, nitrous hissing, and metal-upon-metal when you collide with traffic. It's all here. You are accompanies by a mix of licensed tracks that span a variety of genres, with some good rock, adequate rap, and not-so-good techno. Honestly, I did feel that the soundtrack was appropriate but it wasn't as interesting as Need for Speeds. If you don't like it, just turn it off and put in a CD.
Overall, this game will keep people satisfied for a long time. You'll want to go back and customize more cars and see which vehicles work better than others. However, you may not want to play the career mode through more than once. The racing stays the same and offers little more than the same races over again. I also wish that that you could customize and own cars without having to earn more career money.
Midnight Club 3 is easily one of the best, if not the best, street racing game on the market. Simulator fans will berate this title, but those looking for an arcade racer will be in heaven. It's an absolute no brainer for street racing fans, and anyone who appreciates cars would do good to pick this one up. Next to Burnout Revenge, this is the best racing game to date.