Career mode is the lifeblood of nearly any racing game, and the Midnight Club series is no different. Midnight Club™ 3: DUB® Edition provides not only the meat of the game, but does so in such upgraded fashion that previous enthusiasts will drool at the new possibilities. Luckily, for the uninitiated, it starts out simple enough. If you want to become a Midnight Clublegend, you have to start somewhere, and, naturally enough, your first choice is your first car. You've got $22,000 to start with, and, while it may not seem like much, it's enough to get you everything from a slick new Eclipse to a vintage '64 Impala. Your first choice isn't dire; after all, you earn money soon enough to switch up if the style of vehicle isn't to your liking. However, you'll want to choose something that fits your style right from the get go. If you dig on the more technical aspects of racing, you'll want good handling and great acceleration, but if screaming drag racing is what rotates your tires, you'll obviously want to keep a sharp eye out for a ride with the highest top speed.
Starting out vintage.
Once you've picked out your vehicle of choice, it's literally off to the races. You're thrust immediately into a novice race so you can get a feel for what you're likely to face in the future. After that, though, the career mode unfolds organically before you. You never feel lost, as the proprietor of the 619 auto shop continually pipes up and explain different aspects of the career mode, from how to find different types of races, to different driving techniques, to special invitations to tournaments and club events. While the career mode is intuitive and you shouldn't ever feel lost or confused about what to do next (after all, that's mostly up to you), there are a few things you would do well to keep in mind.
The Master of Unlocking Beyond simply racing and customization, part of the allure of career mode is unlocking all the goodies you possibly can. However, it's important to know the best ways of going about this. First, it's not at all necessary to pour your money into purchasing cars. On the whole, you're better off spending your hard earned green on customizations and upgrades. You can unlock plenty of cars in the beginning by participating in tournaments and the like. For example, early on you get an invite to compete in a Luxury club tourney, and beating it nets you the Chrysler 300c, already pimped out with some DUB Edition upgrades. Also, don't forget that each city holds twelve Rockstar (that's the developer) icons, and if you collect all twelve in one city, you're rewarded with a special prize (e.g. a very rare car that can only be unlocked in this fashion). Completists would be served well to scour the cityscapes between starting races.
The map is your friend.
Bear in mind also that it's not just cars that you eventually unlock by completing races and progressing in the career mode, but new customization options and upgrades also become available as time goes on, so be sure to periodically head back to the garage and check out what's available.
It is an Arcade Racer Excellent driving skills and a wealth of hand-eye coordination will serve you well in your career, but don't forget about the different special abilities as well. In all, there are three different special abilities you can unlock while in career mode. They are:
Agro: This move is learned by joining the luxury car club in the game, and it allows SUVs, trucks, and luxury sedans to blow through traffic and other obstacles without any penalty to your speed. You can charge the meter to engage this move by striking debris and other cars as you drive.
Roar: This little treat is unlocked in career mode after joining the muscle car/motorcycle club, and is only usable by those vehicles. It gives you an engine roar that scatters the traffic in front of you. It's also a good way to get cars to fly into and obstruct your competition. You can charge your Roar meter by successfully drifting (also known as power-sliding) around turns.
Shopping for something contemporary.
Zone: Available only to import and exotic cars and also unlocked in career mode by joining their car club is the ability to enter into slow motion, thus allowing you to maneuver in and around obstacles you could normally never navigate. You can charge this ability by driving clean lines and avoiding any crashes.
From the sheer volume of races available to the unlockable content and special abilities, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition offers a staggeringly in-depth and lengthy offline experience. We haven't even touched upon the hours and hours you can spend upgrading and tricking out your vehicles, but that's a subject due its own article, and you can check it out here.
