With the Auto Salon modified car expo rolling into town recently, we thought it was only fitting that I, the resident revhead, head over to Rockstar Games' Sydney Headquarters and get my hands on their next big release, Midnight Club: Los Angeles.

One of Rockstar Games' biggest properties (second only to the almighty Grand Theft Auto series, naturally), the Midnight Club series first began as a launch title for PlayStation 2. The game was one of the very first videogames to focus on the modern tuner culture, hitting shelves well before The Fast and the Furious came along to bring the import scene into the mainstream. More than a few games have since attempted to capitalise on the scene, but none so much as Need For Speed, which through fierce marketing from EA and a long running racing pedigree has been the best selling tuner game to date. With the Need For Speed series on a downward spiral in recent years, the time looks right for a new king of the street-racing genre to take the throne.

For the uninitiated, the basis of Midnight Club is an underworld street racer set in a fully open world. Races can take ordered and unordered varieties as you race through checkpoints across the city. There is no one route that must be followed and the world is littered with shortcuts waiting to be found. Winning the race is as much about speed and control as it is about knowing the quickest route from A to B.

For myself personally, I have been a huge fan of the series since its inception. Taking a less than glamorised look at the street racing scene, it has consistently delivered intense heart pounding racing between traffic, an abundance of shortcuts to learn and more speed than the Roadrunner strapped to a pair of ACME patented rocket skates. Before getting my hands on the game, there was one burning question at the back of my mind: I simply wanted to know how much of the game would remain true to its predecessors. I was more concerned that the game would retain the twitchy handling and over the top action that had made the series such a dream to play more than I was eager to see what new features the game had to offer. I am pleased that I can be the one to say that the series has only been changed for the better.

Before I start to gush, I must confess, I did have one issue with the game in my first impressions. On the first few races I tried I was put to test with the new Action camera. As a returning player, used to using the typically twitchy handling to carefully slip between traffic at split seconds, I found myself oversteering, understeering and finding myself rolling over the finish line in last place on more than one occasion. The camera is similar to the one used in Grand Theft Auto IV, which introduces a bit of roll and swinging motion as you take a corner. Unsure whether it was the handling that had taken a hit for the sake of realism, it was a fear quickly amended in exploring the other views on offer. The Action camera is certainly usable, having seen many a perfect lap completed using it, but it probably won't become my view of choice being so familiar with the series. If one thing's for sure, it certainly does look impressive though. Hitting the nitrous causes the camera to jump in close, heightening the sense of speed. If you're looking for other options though, there's plenty on offer. Not only is there a Static third-person camera, delivering a fixed behind car view, but also available is the Classic third-person camera from Midnight Club 3, which offered a slight amount of movement to the camera. If first-person is your thing, the typical Bumper cam and Cockpit view, complete with a fully rendered three-dimensional interior, are naturally included in the mix. Whatever your driving preference, Rockstar has you covered that's for sure.

Rockstar certainly haven't forgotten their fans and have retained all the key aspects of the game. The sensation of speed in MCLA is as solid as ever, with all manner of nitrous and slipstream turbos at your disposal. Chaining together slipstream turbos still plays a vital role in your path to victory. In a new addition, you are now able to replenish your nitrous by driving through a petrol station, including mid-race. Keeping in mind one scrape with a petrol bowser will ruin all chance of winning the race, it creates a tempting risk & reward payoff. Track design takes the series' usual dose of artistic liberty, with a mass of short cuts just waiting to be found. The over the top features of the game, like weight transfer and power ups, all make a return. A new power up called EMP, which allows you to disrupt the electronics of any nearby vehicle, has also been included and you are now able to assign the power up of your choice to any vehicle, no longer limited by vehicle class. Everything about the game is classic Midnight Club through and through.

Midnight Club Los Angeles takes a slight detour from its predecessors and is the first in the series to focus solely on one city: the titular Los Angeles. As a city, the virtual rendition of LA is massive, linked together by all manner of highways and road networks. The entire city is open from the get go, to explore as you desire. Focusing only on one city arouses fears of repetition but the city of LA is bigger than all three cities from MC3 combined, so you certainly won't be passing the same landmarks each race. I certainly like the idea of focusing on one large city that has been polished to perfection. The benefit in concentrating on just one city this time around is that you'll begin to learn every nook and cranny of the city; how sharp to take turns, the best shortcut to take. The game is all about working your way to the top, so you're never forced back to the bottom to learn a new city. The city runs on a simulated 24-hour day cycle as you play, so Rockstar really want you to get to know the city, to become attached. As a digital interpretation, the city is not a true representation of Los Angeles but a collective 'best of', carefully pieced together to create not only a familiar and recognisable surrounding, but also one that delivers the best network of circuits for racing. With its mass of twisting highways and open streets, the city of LA is the perfect location for the style of Midnight Club.

Your progression through the game revolves around both reputation points and money. As your rep increases, it unlocks new racing options, as well as new parts and cars. Obviously, you can then use your bank balance to purchase these new items and vehicles. If you find yourself struggling on a race, interestingly enough you will still earn money and rep even if you place last. Curiously this means that you can technically complete the entire game without ever winning a race, even if you always place last. It would just take a ridiculously long time to do so. With the precise nature of some of its later races, the Midnight Club series is known for becoming notoriously difficult at times, so it's a feature newcomers will certainly appreciate.

The focus in MCLA is to keep things moving. Rockstar never want you to become stuck on a race unable to progress, nor do they want you to become bored, trawling through menus and searching for a new race. There are not even any load times within the game to slow you down. On the streets of LA, the racing scene is alive and thriving. Whereas previously you'd have to search for a racer, follow them to the start point and then finally jump to the load screen as you wait for the race to begin, racers in MCLA are ready and waiting on the streets for their next challenge. Highways are patrolled by racers after a high speed traffic weaving thrill, ready for a race down the motorway on the word go. You can pull up to a racer at the red light and with a flash of your high beams the race is on as soon as the light turns green to a random location on the map. If you're after more of a challenge, you can even opt to race back if you're game. There's a great sense of life brought to the game that had previously left you with a largely pointless, hub world.

Police have been given a far greater presence within the world of MCLA. Where previously they had been scripted to certain moments in races within MC3, their interaction is now entirely random. If you happen to cross their path mid-race, they'll give chase and pursue you in the typical aggressive American way. Its not just you they are after though and will try to take down not only you, but your opponents as well. Winning a race doesn't get you off scot-free though and cops will continue to chase you as much as ever once a race ends. It is up to you to try to lay low and out run them. If you manage, your daring escape will earn you extra rep. Cops patrol the streets at all times so you'll have to watch your speed, easily handled by holding the right trigger halfway down, and make sure to not run any red lights when you can see a cop car nearby, symbolised by a dark blue triangle on your mini map. Cops prove far more than a nuisance though. If anything they serve as a reminder of the illegality of street racing and fortunately you are not tasked with any silly tasks, like ramming them until they explode like in Need For Speed: Most Wanted.

The game has received a huge overhaul since Midnight Club 3, now running on Rockstar's proprietary RAGE game engine. The very same engine previously used in Rockstar's Table Tennis and, of course, GTA IV. Not only is the game now very visually impressive, a beautiful thriving city, but the RAGE engine brings about a newfound level of depth to the game. Due to the capabilities of the RAGE, the placement of traffic on the road is now completely random. You can learn the track itself but the traffic is unpredictable, so no two races are the same, keeping you on your toes at all times. As unpredictable as the traffic placement is, there was never a time where I felt cheated. I never turned a corner to rear end someone nor find myself in a position where a little skill couldn't have saved me. Whatever the case may, your opponents are going to be faced with the very same obstacles and they will respond in a very human manner. Your opponents aren't perfect, they too will crash when the going gets tough and are subject to all the very same faults you are. It keeps the game fair and interesting, making your opponents feel much less like AI and ultimately more real and unpredictable. The physics engine has been tweaked too, giving the cars a real sense of weight in their handling. Handling is still beautifully arcadey, but you certainly cannot drive a whole race on two wheels using weight transfer. Rockstar have struck a great middle ground between realism and arcadey thrills.

You can't have a game about the import scene without the requisite tuner options and for the modder within, MCLA is a treasure trove of possibility. The sheer number of options you can alter is staggering. From paint to proportion, you are given greater control over how you want your car to look; dissecting right down to the nitty gritty allowing to chose your brand of brake pads and type of steering wheel. The decal shop now allows for a mass of different layers that can all be freely moved and altered as you wish, whilst the paint has been injected with near limitless colour opportunities. There are three colours to select for your wheels and another five to pick for your car's interior alone. That's before you even start considering whether you want brushed rims, painted rims or chromed rims. Where some of the customisation in MC3 felt a bit cheap and tacky (I for one could not stand the coloured rims), the extra graphical boost coupled with a plethora of more intricate options makes it feel much more real and satisfying. It's not so much that customisation has been taken to ridiculous Pimp My Ride levels of installing hot tubs and fish tanks, it has rather just been refined, truly allowing you to create something unique. A car to truly call your own. You are going to be hard pressed to find a car exactly the same as yours

Everything that I loved about the Midnight Club series has been improved with MCLA. It is as addictive and heart pounding as ever, screaming 'just one more go' again and again and again... Its hard to put down and easy to become immersed in the streets of LA. With everything now fully integrated and streamlined, the action never stops. Returning fans should be prepared for what is looking to be the best instalment in the series.

It might just be because I am biased, but Midnight Club: Los Angeles is one of those rare games that, even at this beta stage, I can't fault. There is not one thing I have experience in the game that annoyed me, not one thing that I'd change. I can't wait to see how things shape up with Online Multiplayer, but Midnight Club: Los Angeles is certainly well on its way to becoming the greatest street racer yet. You'll just need to sit tight and warm your engine until the light turns green in October