With Midnight Club: Los Angeles fast approaching the home straight, Rockstar Games have at long last unveiled what to expect from the multiplayer side things. After getting my hands on the single player component of the forth-coming street racer earlier this year, Midnight Club: Los Angeles is definitely rating high in my wish list this Christmas.

Online, Midnight Club: Los Angeles promises support for up to 16 players to put their tuners to the test. With 10 different multiplayer games modes, there are more than a few race types to get your engine running, so lets take a look at what’s on offer.

Ordered Race Ordered Races form the basis of the game’s staple checkpoint racing. A race is mapped out across town and players will need to pass through each checkpoint in order, enroute to the chequered flag. Circuit Race A circuit race is essentially a multi-lap ordered race. Rules are the same as an ordered race except you’ll have to hold off that lead for a little bit longer. The benefit in a circuit race is that with each new lap you begin to better learn the track and cut seconds of your lap time. Unordered Race As the name suggests, in an Unordered Race checkpoints litter the map, but there’s no predetermined order to follow. Without the handholding of an ordered race, you’ll need to find the quickest route to pass through the checkpoints combined with superior driving talent if you want to win. Unordered Races are chaotic, intense and until the finish line is crossed, anyone can win. Landmark Race The least restrictive of all the racing modes, a landmark is chosen on the other side of the city and it is up to racers to find the fastest way through the city. Granted complete freedom to make your way across the map, exploration and memorising short cuts is key to victory. Free For All Capture The Flag … Because the first thing you always associate with a racing title is a spot of CTF. Capture the Flag is a returning favourite for the series. A single flag appears on the map and points are scored once the driver makes it to the drop-off point with the flag still in their possession. With only one flag on the map to fight for, players will need to work hard to retain control of the flag, with as many as 15 other rival drivers on your tail. Splitbase Capture The Flag Splitbase is a teambased variation of CTF. A neutral flag appears in between the bases of the two teams and players will need to rush the position to gain control and return it to their base. With one flag between two teams, gameplay is a constant tug of war until one team scores. Basewar Capture The Flag Another team based variation of classic CTF gameplay. In Basewar your team’s flag spawns within the opponent’s base, so you will need to balance your attack and defence equally to rack up the points and leave your opponent high and dry. Stockpile Stockpile is multi-flag based variation of Capture the Flag gameplay. Instead of a single flag, a cluster of neutral flags appears between the two bases. Teams will need to collect the most flags total if they hope to win. Free For All Stockpile In Free for All Stockpile, neutral clusters of flags spawn across the map, but with only enough flags for all but one racer. Like a game of musical chairs, players will need to concentrate and speed across the map if they don’t want to be left out. Keep Away Keep Away is essentially Halo’s Oddball, minus the Spartans. A single flag appears on the map and points are earned by retaining control of the flag. The winner is determined when a player reaches the score limit, or else the player who possessed the flag for the greatest length of time when the round ends. With cars screaming across the city in excess of 300 km/h, it’s sure a lot more intense than running away on foot.

To help with the likes of CTF, power ups can be used for both defensive and offensive purposes. As announced, power ups include the likes of basic nitro boosts and shield, but also likes a few more interesting power ups like the Disruptor, which causes a distorted view, and Reverse Steering, which reverses your opponent’s steering. The full list of available power ups includes: Disruptor, Ice, Nitro, Pulse, Reverse Steering, Shield, Stealth, Stop Mirror, Agro and Random, for a mystery power up.

For any of the online race modes, if the selection of tracks and circuits on offer doesn’t take your fancy, you are able to create your own using the online race editor. The editor allows you to create tracks on the fly, either by plotting points on the in game GPS or placing checkpoints as you drive, allowing you to jump straight into the action.

With the ability to switch between the single player and online play at the click of a button, it looks Rockstar Games really intend to create a seamless transition from offline to online play, similar to that attempted in 2006’s Test Drive Unlimited. With features like the ability to show off your ride online and sell your custom created graphics for in game credit, things are looking promising, but time will tell if it all comes together.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles races on to store shelves on the 24th of October. Stay tuned for a full review, coming soon.