Admittedly, this game is aimed more towards pushrod-loving, domestic gearheads who think driving a '69 Camaro SS is better than sex. However, there are a lot of cool aspects to it, warranting countless hours of play, one of which is the fact that you can play against an entire community of opponents.
Once the game is installed and your account set up through EA.com, you're ready to get down and dirty with Motor City Online. Essentially, what you get when you start up is a persona and some cash. You then buy your first car and start hopping it up with all the go-fast goodies you can afford. Additionally, there's a weekly paycheck associated with your level and rank, which depends on how many points you have racked up. Points come from circuit racing and drag racing. Cool enough, but another cool aspect is how much thought actually went into this behemoth of a racing game. First of all, you can upgrade every aspect of your car, from connecting rods, cylinder heads and camshafts to shocks, brakes and wheels. Furthermore, there's a status screen giving you every vital statistic such as weight, unsprung weight and horsepower. All in all, it's very comprehensive.
The game also takes into account the amount of mileage on your car and the parts you've installed and lets you know how much life is left in each part before it breaks. Furthermore, some parts even have torque limits, which affect how much power you can put into the engine before driveline parts start breaking. Once parts accumulate a certain amount of mileage, you have to start replacing them.
The game's controls are as adaptable as any driving game and easy to get accustomed to. There's no need to use your keyboard exclusively, as certain online games are prone to using the entire keyboard. Sound quality is good, but could use some further customization; as with many racing games, the engines all tend to sound similar.
Next off, you can join car clubs, chat and even post messages on the bulletin boards. It's truly like living in a virtual community. Hell, there are even eBay-style auctions you can participate in to get parts for your ride. The racing itself is also tailored to all tastes. The player is able to race in any setting that suits his/her style and level of risk. For instance, there's sponsored time trials, in which you don't race your own car and can qualify for a weekly points prize. And the riskiest, of course, is street racing, where the ante is your car and winner takes all.
I've heard rumors there's going to be an import version of MCO possibly either integrated or totally separate from MCO. My hope would be that EA adds as many cars, courses and parts as imaginable to the game. This game is an excellent concept and with more time and development going into it over the next year or so, it could become a trend for online racing games. LAN games are nice, but complete online games are gems when executed well. The biggest drawback I see is just that it needs more cars. Modern cars, exotic cars and full racecars would be great to see. Wouldn't it be nice to see rallying make its way into MCO too?