Juiced (video game)

Juiced
Juiced cover (Windows version)
Developer(s) Juice Games
Publisher(s) THQ
Distributor(s) Sega (Japanese version)
Series Juiced
Platform(s) Windows
PlayStation 2
Xbox
Mobile phone
Release date(s)
  • NA May 7, 2005 (Mobile)
  • NA June 13, 2005
  • EU June 17, 2005
  • KO July 21, 2005 (PS2)
  • JP May 18, 2006 (PS2)
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer, online multiplayer

Juiced is a racing video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and mobile phone. The game was delayed for release in 2004 because its original publisher, Acclaim, went bankrupt. Juice Games and Fund 4 Games retained ownership of the property and sold the game to THQ, who funded the project for a further six months of improvements. In early 2006, British software publisher Focus Multimedia re-released the PC version of Juiced at a new budget price as part of its "Essential" games series. The game offers different modes including career and arcade that present the player with challenges of increasing difficulty. The player can customize the car to suit their style and unlock new ones in arcade mode. The game features nitrous boosts, similar to that of other racing games. Juiced went to number one in the United Kingdom MCV sales charts and its first version sold 2.5 million units.

Gameplay

There are four different racing types: circuit (standard racing with laps), point-to-point (single lap), sprint (drag race), and showoff (timed race). The player's reputation fluctuates with their wins and losses, and receives awards for raising their reputation.

Development

Juiced was originally intended to be published by Acclaim Entertainment, and released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC in late 2004. However, the game was caught up in Acclaim’s bankruptcy issues and never released by them. Game magazines around the world wrote reviews on nearly finished copies of the game. It was then picked up by THQ and published in 2005. During the development of Juiced, Acclaim filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy before Juiced was set for release in late 2004. It was picked up by THQ and further delayed as Juice Games was given more development time to refine the game. When Acclaim went bankrupt, they held an auction. Most of the promotional posters were destroyed, but a number of them made it out and were sold along with a few other items. The promotional posters are highly coveted around the world today; a set of them was seen on eBay America in early February 2007.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
mobilePCPS2Xbox
EdgeN/A6/10[1]
5/10 (Beta)[2]		6/10[1]
5/10 (Beta)[2]		6/10[1]
5/10 (Beta)[2]
EGMN/AN/A6.83/10[3]6.83/10[3]
EurogamerN/AN/AN/A6/10[4]
FamitsuN/AN/A29/40[5]N/A
Game InformerN/AN/A7.5/10[6]
5.75/10 (Beta)[7]		7.5/10[6]
5.75/10 (Beta)[7]
GameProN/AN/A[8][8]
GameSpotN/A6.1/10[9]6.3/10[10]6.3/10[10]
GameSpyN/A[11][12][12]
GameZoneN/AN/A6.5/10[13]7.4/10[14]
IGNN/A6/10[15]6.5/10[16]6.8/10[17]
OPM (US)N/AN/A[18]N/A
OXMN/AN/AN/A8.1/10[19]
PC Gamer (US)N/A68%[20]N/AN/A
Detroit Free PressN/AN/A[21]N/A
The TimesN/A[22][22][22]
Aggregate scores
GameRankings77%[23]67%[24]68%[25]71%[26]
MetacriticN/A63/100[27]68/100[28]68/100[29]

Juiced received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[29][28][27]

Right before the bankruptcy issues by Acclaim, Lisa Mason of Game Informer gave the beta version of the game a score of 5.75 out of 10 in its October 2004 issue, stating that it "falls to the lower end of the goodness scale. [...] Depending on what I am doing, I yearn for any of the more-polished (and more playable) racing titles that it tries to emulate. Juiced's particular mix of sim and arcade racing is best summed up as a failed experiment."[7] After the THQ acquirement and redevelopment of the game, however, Mason raised the rating to 7 out of 10 in her Second Opinion in the magazine's July 2005 issue, calling it "an exponentially better game than it was when I reviewed it many months ago. Does that mean that it's a super awesome, edge of your seat thrill ride? Not so much, but it does have its charms and is a nicely varied street racer."[6] Matthew Kato of the same publisher agreed, giving the game a better score of 7.5 out of 10 and saying that it "certainly has the makings of an average street racer, with lots of customizables and affected street appeal."[6]

The Times gave the game four stars out of five and stated, "The gameplay is varied enough to maintain interest, and its clutch of quirky distractions adds to the experience. After all its development setbacks, it's definitely worth a spin."[22] The Sydney Morning Herald gave the PS2 version four-and-a-half stars out of five and said that it was "instantly approachable".[30] However, Playboy gave the same version 70%;[31] likewise, Detroit Free Press gave the similar version two stars out of four, criticizing the costly upgrades, but praising the musical selection that "features a nice mix of techno, rock and hip-hop."[21] In Japan, Famitsu gave the same console version a score of one eight and three sevens for a total of 29 out of 40.[5]

Sequels

In 2006, Juiced: Eliminator was released for the PlayStation Portable and mobile phones. Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights was released in 2007.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Edge staff (June 2005). "Juiced". Edge (150): 95.
  2. 1 2 3 Edge staff (November 2004). "Juiced [Beta]". Edge (142).
  3. 1 2 EGM staff (July 2005). "Juiced (PS2, Xbox)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (193): 110.
  4. ↑ Reed, Kristan (June 17, 2005). "Juiced (Xbox)". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  5. 1 2 "Famitsu #910 review scores". NeoGAF. May 10, 2006. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Kato, Matthew (July 2005). "Juiced (PS2, Xbox)". Game Informer (147): 116. Archived from the original on November 12, 2005. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  7. 1 2 3 Mason, Lisa (October 2004). "Juiced [Beta] (PS2, Xbox)". Game Informer (138): 129. Archived from the original on November 21, 2007. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  8. 1 2 Funky Zealot (June 23, 2005). "Juiced (PS2, Xbox)". GamePro. Archived from the original on October 25, 2005. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  9. ↑ Navarro, Alex (June 13, 2005). "Juiced Review (PC)". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  10. 1 2 Navarro, Alex (June 13, 2005). "Juiced Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  11. ↑ Osborne, Scott (June 27, 2005). "GameSpy: Juiced (PC)". GameSpy. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  12. 1 2 Leeper, Justin (June 16, 2005). "GameSpy: Juiced". GameSpy. Archived from the original on January 8, 2006. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  13. ↑ Wrentmore, John (August 7, 2005). "Juiced - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  14. ↑ Knutson, Michael (July 4, 2005). "Juiced - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  15. ↑ Lewis, Ed (June 10, 2005). "Juiced (PC)". IGN. Archived from the original on June 13, 2005. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  16. ↑ Lewis, Ed (June 10, 2005). "Juiced (PS2)". IGN. Archived from the original on June 13, 2005. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  17. ↑ Lewis, Ed (June 10, 2005). "Juiced (Xbox)". IGN. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  18. ↑ "Juiced". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 76. July 2005.
  19. ↑ "Juiced". Official Xbox Magazine: 83. June 2005.
  20. ↑ "Juiced". PC Gamer: 62. September 2005.
  21. 1 2 Toby, Al (August 14, 2005). "'Juiced' (PS2)". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on September 17, 2005. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  22. 1 2 3 4 Wapshott, Tim (June 18, 2005). "Juiced". The Times. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved 2014-11-30.(subscription required)
  23. ↑ "Juiced for Mobile". GameRankings. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  24. ↑ "Juiced for PC". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  25. ↑ "Juiced for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  26. ↑ "Juiced for Xbox". GameRankings. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  27. 1 2 "Juiced for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  28. 1 2 "Juiced for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  29. 1 2 "Juiced for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  30. ↑ Hill, Jason (June 9, 2005). "Conspiracy-laden plot". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  31. ↑ "Juiced (PS2)". Playboy. July 2005.

External links

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