Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition is a 2005 racing video game created by Rockstar San Diego and released by Rockstar Games. It is the third version in the Midnight Club series. Like earlier versions, the game is a fast-paced racing game that emphasizes exciting, high-speed races instead of realistic driving physics. The game’s name comes from a partnership between Rockstar and DUB Magazine, which is shown in the game through DUB-sponsored races and vehicles customized by DUB as prizes.
Players race through open-world versions of San Diego, Atlanta, and Detroit. The game includes 98 licensed music tracks (124 in the Remix version) from genres like hip hop and rock. Special visual effects appear when players crash into objects or drive on certain roads. Players can customize their vehicles’ appearance and improve their performance, except for all "A" Class Exotics and Mercedes-AMG cars. Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition is the first game in the series to include licensed vehicles.
In March 2006, an updated version called Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition Remix was released. This version added new vehicles, races, and music. It also included a new mode called "Tokyo Challenge," which features a modified Tokyo map from Midnight Club II.
Gameplay
Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition is an open-world racing video game and the first in the series to allow players to modify cars both visually and in terms of performance. By winning races, players unlock new cars and customization options. These options include improving a car’s performance, adding vinyls and new paint, and changing parts like wheels, bumpers, spoilers, neon lights, hoods, and engine parts. Cars are divided into four classes: D, C, B, and A, based on their performance levels.
The game includes five types of races: Ordered Race, Circuit Race, Unordered Race, Autocross Race, and Track and Frenzy. In Ordered Races, players race through a city course marked by yellow-orange flares to reach the finish line. In Circuit Races, players complete a set number of laps around a city course. In Unordered Races, players must pass scattered checkpoints in any order before reaching the finish line. Autocross Races take place in a closed street circuit with no traffic or police, and the goal is to finish faster than a set time. Track events, found in arcade mode, are similar to Autocross Races but involve competing against other players in a barricaded track, often resulting in more damage. Frenzy events, also in arcade mode, are time trials with vehicular combat elements. For example, players receive a nitrous boost every 15 seconds, the e-brake does not work, and the race ends when time runs out.
Players can create custom races using the Race Editor (not available on the PSP version). They can design circuit, ordered, or unordered races by placing checkpoints across the city and adjust conditions like traffic, weather, and time of day.
There are seven car types: Tuners, Luxury Sedans, SUVs/Trucks, Exotics, Muscle Cars, Sport Bikes, and Choppers. As the game progresses, clubs that specialize in specific car types invite players to race. These clubs include the American Royalty Car Club (Muscle Cars), Big Playas (SUVs/Trucks), By Invitation Only (Exotics), Chopper of America Bike Club (Choppers), Luxury Rollers (Luxury Cars), Original Riders (Sport Bikes), and Unbeatable Street Racers (Tuners). If a player beats a club in three races, they unlock a special ability for that car class. Tuners, Sport Bikes, Exotics, the Lexus SC430, and Mercedes Benz SL 500 (R230) (including its AMG variant, the SL 55) gain "Zone," a bullet-time feature that improves handling at high speeds. Trucks/SUVs and Luxury Cars gain "Agro," which allows them to move through traffic and obstacles without damage or slowdown. Muscle Cars and Choppers gain "Roar," an offensive ability that sends a sonic wave to push away other vehicles.
The game includes an online mode where players can race others worldwide. Players can join existing clubs or create their own. Most offline modes are playable online, and online mode allows in-game chat, including features like cruise mode, capture the flag, circuit racing, ordered racing, unordered racing, tag, paint, and Autocross. Tracks created offline with the Race Editor can be used online. On Xbox Live, the game supported voice chat. Xbox Live closed on April 15, 2010. Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition is now supported online through replacement servers called Insignia for Xbox.
Plot
The player starts in San Diego by meeting Oscar (David Barrera), a mechanic at Six-One-Nine Customs, a car tuning garage in San Diego. Oscar helps the player by giving tips and information about races. The player chooses one of six cars to begin with: a 1964 Chevrolet Impala, a 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, a 2004 Dodge Neon SRT-4, a 2004 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT-S, a Volkswagen Golf R32 Mk4, or a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta. The game Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition Remix added the option to choose a Scion tC. As the player wins races, new customization options and cars become available for purchase.
At the beginning of the game, the player can challenge three street racers: Vanessa (driving a Mitsubishi Eclipse GT-S), Bishop (driving a Lexus GS430), and Carlos (driving a 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo). Defeating each of these racers unlocks an invitation to challenge a racing club they are part of. Beating Vanessa unlocks the Unbeatable Street Racers (Tuners), which rewards the player with a Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34). Beating Bishop unlocks the Luxury Rollers (Luxury Sedans), which rewards the player with a Mercedes-Benz CL 55 AMG (C215). Beating Carlos unlocks the American Royalty Car Club (Muscle Cars), which rewards the player with a Chevrolet Corvette (C3). Defeating two of these racers allows the player to challenge Phil for ownership of his Hotmatch Cuevito and an invitation to challenge the Chopper of America bike club. After defeating Phil and winning one of the three initial tournaments in San Diego, Vanessa challenges the player again, this time driving an upgraded Mitsubishi Eclipse GT-S.
After defeating all racers (except for one of Bishop or Carlos) and winning one of the tournaments in San Diego, the player meets Vince (Kiff VandenHeuvel), a mechanic from Detroit. Oscar mentions that the player has become known as a skilled racer and that there are big races in Atlanta. He tells the player to visit a shipping company to travel there.
The player arrives in Atlanta at a garage called "Apone Team Racing." The owner, Apone (Dexter Tillis), introduces himself but is distracted by his prized possession: a 1964 gold-painted Chevrolet Impala that he customized and continues to work on. In Atlanta, the player is challenged by three racers. There is also a tournament with a prize of a "DUB'd-Out" 2004 Cadillac Escalade EXT. After defeating all racers (except for either Dre and Cheng or Vito and Naomi) in Atlanta, Apone mentions that there are more races in Detroit and suggests the player visit there.
Street racers in Atlanta include: Roy (driving a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, later a 1999 Dodge Charger R/T Concept), Dre (driving a 2005 Cadillac Escalade), Cheng (driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII), Vito (driving a Ducati Monster S4R), Lamont (driving a Chevrolet Silverado SS, later a Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Strassenversion during the US Championship), and Naomi (driving a Hotmatch Skully). Defeating Vito unlocks the Original Riders (Sport Bikes). Defeating Dre or Lamont unlocks the Big Playas (SUV/Trucks).
The player arrives in Detroit and meets Vince again. Vince welcomes the player and points to a Lamborghini Murciélago, which is the prize for the car club that produces the best street racer. A familiar racer from Atlanta, Roy, arrives in Detroit but is not seen or mentioned again. The player races Roy and other car clubs multiple times. Early in the player’s time in Detroit, a tournament is held with a prize of a 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline (as Oscar describes it, "Just the car to win in Detroit!"). After defeating Caesar in their first encounter, the player earns a challenge from the By Invitation Only Exotic Car Club. Defeating this club rewards the player with a rare 2004 Chrysler ME Four-Twelve, and the "Zone" for Exotics is unlocked after the third race.
Street racers in Detroit include: Roy (later driving a Dodge Viper GTS-R Concept and eventually a McLaren F1 LM), Spider (driving a Hotmatch D'Elegance), Leo (driving a 1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z28), Caesar (driving a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, later a Lamborghini Gallardo, and eventually a Chrysler ME Four-Twelve), Kioshi (driving an Aprilla RSV 1000 R Mille Factory, later a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R), and Angel (driving a Saleen S7, later a Cadillac Cien).
After defeating all racers in Detroit, the player competes against certain drivers twice in a series called the U.S. Championship Series, which takes place in all three cities. After defeating them, the player is crowned the winner of the U.S. Championship Series. The player returns to Vince’s shop and is rewarded with the Lamborghini Murciélago. Vince says, "It should be driven with respect, and not by some San Diego swinger who thinks he's hot stuff or something."
After completing the rest of the Career Mode, including Club Races and Tournaments, the player is awarded the Cadillac Sixteen.
Development
Rockstar San Diego, the game's developer, selected three cities for the original 2005 version of the game because of their connection to car-related and racing themes. Atlanta was chosen because it started trends in customizing cars, Detroit was selected because it is where the U.S. automobile industry began, and San Diego was included because it helped shape the popularity of street racing.
Rockstar Games later released a Remix version of the game in March 2006.
Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition Remix
Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition Remix is an updated version of Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition. It was released as a Greatest Hits version for PlayStation 2 and a Platinum Hits version for Xbox. The remix version is not available for PlayStation Portable. The original game was released on March 13, 2006. The remix version was released on December 19, 2012, for PlayStation Network on PS3 but was later removed due to legal issues.
The game includes all the cities, vehicles, music, and other features from Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition. This version allows players to transfer saved game data from the original game on their memory card to the remix version, so players do not need to restart the game from the beginning.
The following features were added in Remix:
Soundtrack
The music from Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition includes a soundtrack and a Remix version with additional tracks. The game features songs by many artists, such as members of Army of the Pharaohs, The Game, Paul Wall, T.I., 50 Cent, Big Tymers, Mannie Fresh, Fabolous, Bump J, Calyx, Deep Blue, Ash, Aztec Mystic, Jimmy Eat World, Kasabian, Marilyn Manson, The Explosion, Nine Inch Nails, Sean Paul, Pitbull, and Lil Wayne. The main soundtrack had 99 tracks, and the Remix version added 25 more tracks. This made the total number of tracks 124. Many Detroit techno artists are also included in the soundtrack, which matches the game's setting.
Reception
The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition received "favorable" reviews, while the PSP version received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.
The game has sold at least 1.1 million copies worldwide on the PS2 version, and 3.64 million copies worldwide on the PSP version. The PlayStation Portable release received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), showing that at least 300,000 copies were sold in the United Kingdom.
The Dub Edition Remix received "favorable" reviews, better than the original, according to Metacritic.