There's no guarantee that you'll be able to compete in all of these events, however, since the person setting up the race will be able to set whatever criteria he wants for competitors. Whether it be maximum horsepower events or specific car origin races, you'll need to fit the criteria if you want a chance to take the prize. Even if you can't enter the actual race, you can put your money down on the car of your choice, and you'll add to your pot if the car you pick comes in first.

There is also a cruise mode that you can enter by using your Nokia phone to call crew leaders that are friendly with you (i.e. respect your skills). They'll let you know about any challenges they might have for you, such as finishing a course in a certain amount of time. You can also find out about Show-off mode, in which you must perform certain tricks to gain points, which will also lead to more respect. Most of the tricks are akin to something you'd see in the Tony Hawk games, involving top speed and button combinations.


Once you finally get enough respect from the underground community, some of the other drivers will approach you about joining your crew. Once you get a few on board, you can enter races as a team. Since they're on your team, only one of your cars has to cross the finish line first, which is where the crew-based driving comes in. Using the D-pad, you can tell each one of your drivers how to drive (aggressively or conservatively), depending on their position in the race. You have to be careful though, as pushing your drivers too hard can increase their stress levels, thus making them more likely to crash and burn.

Of course, Juiced isn't only about playing well, it's about looking good. Since your car is your representation, you can chose whatever color scheme you'd like, using a picker that you might see in Adobe Photoshop. Add to that the fact that you can also pick metallic or pearlescent overlay colors, and you'll end up with a pretty sweet looking ride. It's nice, because the lighting effects in the game look great, with reflections off nearly every sruface on the car. All of the car models look and behave just like the real thing, and any damage to the car can result in problems with performance.


Racing fans have a lot to look forward to with Juiced. The racing is great, with extremely realistic physics, intelligent opponent AI, and controllable teammates. All of the cars are well represented, as well, and the game looks as good as any other racer in the foreseeable future. You've just gotta respect that.