Pimp My Ride

 I can't imagine being more excited about a game than I am about Pimp My Ride.  I'm so thrilled that it's on its way from GameFly that I'm going to review it before I play it; that's how sure I am that this game is going to be awesome.  I'll add an edit at the end if I need to correct any part of this review (not that I expect it to happen).

Every so often a game comes along that challenges gaming conventions and puts a whole new spin on the entire game genre in which it resides. Pimp My Ride is one of those games.  I can't even accurately describe what it is; it's a simulation-design-racing-fighting game?  It's such a myriad of concepts and gameplay one might suspect it falls flat on its face, accomplishing none of its lofty endeavors.  Instead, it is a seamless flow of crime-drama, resource management and action that completely envelops the player.

In Pimp My Ride, you play an up-and-coming pimp - no surprise there.  Being the entrepreneurial type, you decide to move away from the traditional prostitution racket and cash in on a growing trend; people having sex with cars.  Unfortunately, you don't have any real money.  So when the game starts, you have nothing but a junker and an Internet connection.  Fortunately for you, that's enough, and within minutes you are driving out to meet your first client.

I don't want to spoil the story (which is surprisingly compelling), so I'll just mention the highlights of the game:

1)  Upgrading your pimp hand was ingenious. When you start out with nothing more than a leather work glove, you can't really do that much damage with a swing.  But later on, when you get the "Pimp Gauntlet," you can really smack the shit out of a fender when your cars don't bring back enough cash.  Of course, the more you smack around your cars, the more you have to pay an under-the-counter mechanic to fix them back up.  Then again, he's usually willing to reduce his fees if you let him oil his drive shaft, if you know what I mean.

2)  The management part of the game was very detailed.  From choosing who's going to be in your stable ("garage")  of hooker-cars (called "rides")  to establishing which need to get body work, it balances details and enjoyment very well.  Picking a new "ride" to be a part of your garage usually involves finding that "ride's" pimp, and then putting up one of your own rides in a race; winner takes all.  If you're lucky, you walk away with a new "ride."  That first racing win unlocks an achievement, "Stinky Pinky Slip."  Likewise, choosing which "ride" would benefit more from getting a new grill or a larger hood ornament is a strategy in and of itself.

3)  Finally, the graphics.  It's nice to see when a game doesn't shy away from an M rating.  If you're looking for hot cars willing to take a fuel injection, this is your game.  They have cars for any taste (even those with both automatic and manual transmissions, called "trannies"). You can set each "rides" prices for whatever action they get (tailpipe fun costs extra, of course).  You can likewise train them to be better at some skills than others.  My Oldsmobile Cutlass didn't look like much, but she really knew how to work her gashole.

This game captured resource management, strategy and racing in a way that no other game ever has.  It's easily earned a  5 out of 5.