The first of the two new vehicle packs drops on April 16th, so players won't be waiting long to cruise the streets of the recently released South Central map expansion in style. South Central Vehicle Pack 1 contains two luxury cars -Audi S5 and the Mercedes CL 65 - along with the 2009 Eclipse GT tuner. The following week sees the release of South Central Vehicle Pack 2, which includes the Cadillac XLR V, Lancer Evolution X , and Aston Martin DB9, with a Ducati 1098 R motorcycle thrown in for good measure.

Both packs will sell for 240 Microsoft points on the Xbox 360, while the PlayStation 3 versions will set you back $2.99 in real money points. The South Central map expansion is required to use the new cars, but seeing as it's free that shouldn't be a problem.

The Midnight Club: Los Angeles South Central Pizza Hut Showdown will give the budding diabetic an opportunity to enjoy an entire year's worth of free pizza.

That actually translates to $599 worth of Pizza Hut gift cards or the equivalent of a free "Pizza Mia" every week for a year, which may be different from your definition of "an entire year's worth."

All you need to do is download the South Central map expansion and race really fast. Post the fastest time on the game's leader boards and you'll be swimming in sauce, melted cheese and the topping of your choice for the rest of the year. The whole thing kicks off on April 14th, but you'll need to register ahead of time. Further details and legal stuff at the official site.

Rockstar Social Club Events [Rockstar Games]

The lil' Saleen S281 Mustang is still mint in package and clearly no expense was spared in bringing us plastic Midnight Club: Los Angeles branded goods. While we appreciate that, we're all stocked up on plastic things at Kotaku Towers West. We've seen Rockstar giving some of these remote controlled cars in previous contests, so we're not remotely the first to get these trinkets. Keep an eye peeled for this thing to be given away in some future contest.

Detail shot after the break for Midnight Club superfans who don't already have one of these.

Originally scheduled to be released last week (after a previous delay) both the free South Central map expansion and the premium paid downloadable content were held back due to an unforeseen bug in the title update. This of course makes perfect sense, because holding it back due to a foreseen bug would have been downright irresponsible.

Anyhow, both packs are now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. Go play.

But only "slightly," official word says. Rockstar Games points to "an unforeseen bug in the title update," one that it's doing its best to remedy as quickly as possible. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news John Q. Xbox 360 Owner, but the crack team at Rockstar usually turns these fixes around pretty hastily, so you'll be spinning through the fenced in West Los Angeles in no time.

While the free South Central expansion for Midnight Club: Los Angeles contains the maps, the South Central Premium Upgrade is where the good stuff is, with new missions, races, battle maps, and 9 new cars, one of which is the 1964 Chevy Impala, seen strutting its stuff in the clip above. I'm of the opinion that it is still one of the finest cars ever made, and countless West Coast rap groups over the past couple of decades agree with me, so it's probably best not to argue.

So yes, the downloadable content will now be available on the 19th instead of the 12th as promised, but the '64 Impala feels our pain.

For $10 on the Playstation Network, or 800 points on Xbox Live, you can download the premium upgrade which includes the map expansion plus new vehicles, parts, music, vinyls, hydraulics and more.

The South Central update for Midnight Club: Los Angeles actually comes in two parts. One is a the free South Central Map Expansion, which adds the streets of the iconic district to the game's already expansive map, allowing players to participate in online races whether or not they've purchased the second part of the update - the South Central Premium Upgrade. The Premium pack adds 9 new vehicles, 26 races, 12 battle maps, 10 delivery missions, and a host of other new features to the game, all for the low, low price of $9.99, or 800 Microsoft points.

Seems completely reasonable for the amount of extra content players are getting, and it's mighty fine of Rockstar to throw in the free upgrade to keep the online experience solid. Both packs will be available come March 12th for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Check out the full list of features below to see what you'll be paying for.

The South Central Map Expansion features:
• Map expansion by one third
• Four new neighborhoods
• Price: FREE for both Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3

South Central Premium Upgrade features:
• Nine new vehicles:
Luxury: 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG "Black"
SUV: 2008 Range Rover Supercharged, 2008 Range Rover Sport Super Charged
Lowrider: 1955 Chevy Bel Air, 1963 Buick Riviera, 1964 Chevy Impala, 1965 Chevy Malibu
Muscle: 1970 Chevy Chevelle, 1966 Pontiac GTO
• 26 new races
• 12 new battle maps
• 10 new delivery missions
• 100+ new red light races
• New rims
• New body kits for each new car
• New vinyl pre-sets
• Hydraulics/Airbags unlocked on all new cars
• New music
• Price: $9.99 for PLAYSTATION 3 and 800 MS points for Xbox 360

Turns out the sudden appearance of the "South Central" content for MCLA wasn't actually meant to go live on Live. That means, according to Microsoft, that you should delete it, should you already have it.

Why? "Achievements won't register and could cause you problems with your Midnight Club: LA game saves" according to the Community Manager for Xbox EMEA. That and it looks like some of things given away for free weren't meant to be. Oops!

Midnight Club 3: LA Marketplace Content - Don't Download It Or Delete it If You Have! [Windows Live]

The "South Central Upgrade Map" opens up L.A.'s southern charms for free early next year, giving Midnight Clubbers access to landmarks such as Exposition Park, the USC campus, Shrine Auditorium, Crenshaw Plaza, and the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. And Randy's Donuts! Wait, make that _____'s Donuts for the legal team.

Rockstar's also releasing the "South Central Content Pack" which doesn't come free. It will add new character competitions, races, cars (including SUVs) and new music to the standard package. Price? Rockstar's not saying. But we'll definitely be hitting the streets of South Central with the windows up when those free goodies roll out.

Rockstar Games Announces South Central Upgrade and Content Pack for Midnight Club: Los Angeles

New York, NY – December 12, 2008 – Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce the massive downloadable upgrade and content pack for Midnight Club: Los Angeles, the latest installment of its critically acclaimed and genre-defining Midnight Club franchise. The content will be available early next year for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

The "South Central Upgrade Map" provides players with a whole new area of the city, about one-third the size of the original map, and will be available for free. This area features L.A. landmarks such as Exposition Park, the USC campus, Shrine Auditorium, Crenshaw Plaza, and the L.A. Memorial Coliseum and stretches south to the 105 Freeway. In addition to the free new city area, players will be able to purchase the "South Central Content Pack" which includes new character competitions, races, cars and music available in a single complete package. The new vehicles include a variety of cars and a motorcycle. Also making an appearance for the first time in Midnight Club: Los Angeles will be SUVs, a longtime favorite of the series' fans.

"This downloadable content hones in on a very iconic area of Los Angeles," said Jay Panek, Midnight Club Producer at Rockstar San Diego. "'This South Central download features staples of the area, from the landmarks to the types of cars, and we think it really helps enhance the overall L.A. feel we set out to recreate."

Game Informer described Midnight Club: Los Angeles as "just what the doctor ordered: a fun, fast racing experience with enough content to keep you playing for months." The addition of South Central will enhance the overall experience and extend the game even further.

Developed by Rockstar San Diego, Midnight Club: Los Angeles provides a seamless, breathtaking environment for everyone who loves to compete. With no load times, no tracks, and no rules, the game allows players to race at breakneck speeds through an unbelievable recreation of Los Angeles in fully customizable, licensed cars.

The racing experience in Midnight Club: Los Angeles is extended online at the Rockstar Games Social Club (www.rockstargames.com/socialclub), where players are able to enter tournaments, share in-game photos, rate other people's rides, track stats with other gamers, and listen to and purchase music from the soundtrack.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles is currently available for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 and is rated T for Teen. The “South Central Upgrade Map” and “South Central Content Pack” both require players to have the full version of Midnight Club: Los Angeles for Xbox 360 or PLAYSTATION 3 and an Xbox LIVE or a PlayStation Network membership to download. For more information, log onto www.rockstargames.com/midnightclubla

Until we actually go update the thing — it's now out for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 — we're going to assume that means a less frustrating computer controlled opponent. And, if so, praise be to all that is good and holy in this universe.

The title update also adds "support for additional leaderboards for tournaments on the Rockstar Games Social Club, broader multiplayer match searching, and upgraded streaming and performance" specifically for the Xbox 360 version.

Anyhow, Midnight Club: Los Angeles racers can take their game up against the Rockstar San Diego team that designed it, from 4 pm to 7 pm EST (2 to 5 pm Crecente time) on Sunday. After that, Rockstar brings L.A.-based rapper MURS to the club, and you can race against him from 7 to 9 pm EST.

If you're interested, the gamertags for everyone are on the jump. And you can also read more about MURS and the racing developers if you like.

Rockstar San Diego Gamertags:
RockstarNYTest1
RockstarNYTest2
RkstrNYQALEAD1
RkstrNYQALEAD2
RkstrSDDesign1
RkstrSDDesign2
RkstrSDDesign3
RkstrSDDesign4
RkstrSDTest1
RkstrSDCode1
RkstrSDArt01
RkstrSDAudio1
rockstarnyc01
rockstarnyc02
rockstarnyc03

Murs' Gamertag: Rob Feature

If you're interested, the gamertags for everyone are on the jump. And you can also read more about MURS and the racing developers if you like.

Rockstar San Diego Gamertags:
RockstarNYTest1
RockstarNYTest2
RkstrNYQALEAD1
RkstrNYQALEAD2
RkstrSDDesign1
RkstrSDDesign2
RkstrSDDesign3
RkstrSDDesign4
RkstrSDTest1
RkstrSDCode1
RkstrSDArt01
RkstrSDAudio1
rockstarnyc01
rockstarnyc02
rockstarnyc03

Murs' Gamertag: Rob Feature

We pay our dues to see how Midnight Club Los Angeles finishes the race in our review.

Loved
Perfectly Mutated LA: From the dirty, sun-bleached streets of downtown Los Angeles to the sandy beaches of Santa Monica, Rockstar San Diego has almost perfectly captured the visual essence of the city, slightly mutating it into a workable race track. The roads are wider, the traffic more manageable, and everything is self-contained, comfortably rounded off. In-game marketing, like the T-Mobile Sidekick you'll use to chat with other racers and billboards for iPods and Bulgari, is well implemented and largely inoffensive.
Easy Upgrades: Look, I don't know from cars. Swaybar? Wuzzat? Fortunately, Midnight Club Los Angeles makes upgrading your ride easy — there's even an auto upgrade option if you can't be bothered to peruse your clutch, gearbox or electronics improvements. Cosmetic tweaks won't affect the speed or performance of your cars or bikes, so go nuts with the extensive decal and paint system.
Cars Feel Great: Tuners, muscle cars, bikes and exotics each have a distinct feel, letting you choose which type of ride best suits your driving style. Vehicle upgrades are surprisingly noticeable, too.
Excellent Online Multiplayer: Hashing it out online with 16 other Midnight Clubbers can get a bit hairy, but capture the flag modes like "Stockpile" and "Keepaway" make for hectic, trash-talking fun. Straight up multiplayer races will keep you coming back after the single-player storyline has run its course.
Thrilling, White Knuckle Racing: There are few races or tournaments easily won in Midnight Club LA, making for heart-pounding, fist-pumping finishes. The "cinematic" camera angle — which we eventually turned off for the "classic" — provides an awesomely kinetic perspective on the action. There are no license tests here, there's just pure speed. However...

Hated
Maddening Difficulty, Ruthless AI: ...the game is arguably just too damn hard. Midnight Club titles aren't known for their simplicity — and who wants to win all the time? — but your competition in Los Angeles is ridiculously good. Always. Tournament races can be especially frustrating, as two wins, followed by a series of crushing defeats at the hands of insanely good CPU drivers, may make you throw the controller. Fortunately, race restarts, which don't penalize, are quick to load.
Awkward Map Interface: Zooming from bird's eye to street level view is a fantastic visual trick. While it's aesthetically pleasing and simple to use for waypoint setting, bringing up a workable map of the city either obscures your view of the road or must be fiddled with to suss out the proper path.
Where Am I Going? What's That Thing I'm About To Crash Into? It's often difficult to determine what's in your car's direct path. Is that a ramp? A train car? Nevermind, I just crashed into it at 90 miles per hour. Sometimes there's just too much visual noise on-screen, resulting in horrible, placement-killing crashes, something that never, ever affects your AI competition. Further adding to the frustration is the often obscured visual marker that tells you where you're going next. With no time to look at the mini-map, a single blown turn can take you from first to worst.

Rockstar's kinder, gentler, street-level criminal series may be short on plot and light on the number of cars included, but it's nothing if not a solid, arcade-style driving game. Its production values ooze style while managing to provide a solid iteration on an aging series. Midnight Club Los Angeles is not for the easily frustrated, though, as the game's intense difficulty can't be overlooked. Should you have some open space on your pre-holiday gaming calendar, it's worth looking into, but only if you don't mind a Ninja Gaiden caliber challenge.

Midnight Club Los Angeles was developed by Rockstar San Deigo and published by Rockstar Games, released on Oct. 21 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Retails for $59.99 USD. Played single player mode to completion and tested all online multiplayer modes on Xbox 360.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

What about you? Got some heavy gaming plans for the weekend? Let us know in the comments.

It's really too bad our illegal street racing skills weren't up to the challenge. Sprinting through Sunset Boulevard in a Mazda RX8, then through the Hollywood hills in a late '60s Ford Mustang Boss 302 showed that, while we were thrown a couple of "REP" points here and there, we have a long way to go before actually having a respectable racing reputation.

Fortunately, we looked pretty good, even when finishing fourth.

That's largely due to the game's deep car customization system, not our (or our in-game driver's) physical beauty. In Midnight Club: Los Angeles' garages, you can spend your hard-earned dollars on new performance enhancements for your ride. Using real world name brand aftermarket parts, you can upgrade your acceleration, handling and speed via the purchase of new electronics, air intakes, nitrous tanks and more.

You'll also be able to tap into your vanity's performance, decking out your car with new paintjobs, new headlights, new doors, even new interior components. Tired of that dull stock steering wheel? Throw a MOMO on it! Those interior changes can be gawked at via the cockpit view camera choice.

I turned a rather attractive stock Aston-Martin V8 Vantage Roadster into a hideous purple and orange glowing beast, complete with vertical doors and every garish accoutrement I had access to. (I had access to everything, via unlimited God-mode funds.)

There's also a rather substantial "vinyl editor", one that let's players create a look unlike any other. It looks to be on par with custom exterior editors found in titles like Forza Motorsport 2, with default stickers and customizable primitives at your editorial disposal.

In the Midnight Club: Los Angeles' garage, you'll also be able to choose your driver's "special moves." These special moves, as described by Rockstar themselves, are as follows.

* Zone allows you to slow down time in order to take sharp turns or weave in-and-out of traffic like a champ!
* Agro will give your car added strength and the ability to damage opponents faster, or sometimes knock them completely out of the race.
* Roar sends a shockwave that clears your path by pushing cars off to the side of the road.
* EMP is an electromagnetic pulse that shuts down the engines of the cars around you, bringing them to a complete stop.

We tried out the EMP, the latest addition to the line-up of super moves. Fortunately, the electronics shorting blast radius doesn't affect your ride, so, after creeping up on a cluster of opponents, we fired it off. After seeing the tail end of opponent's rides for a good portion of our races, we took great satisfaction in watching them spin out — perhaps a bit too much, as we went hood first into a building right after.

It might've been the sightseeing that distracted us, actually. Midnight Club: LA's edited down versions of Hollywood, Santa Monica and downtown LA look almost exactly like the real thing, minus the rage-inducing traffic the city is known for.

There are dozens of recognizable landmarks, with stylized versions of the Sunset Strip, Beverly Hills and the Santa Monica Pier chockablock with detail, including billboards of licensed products like iPods and T-Mobile Sidekicks, as well as landmarks like The Comedy Store and even the hotel we were in during our demo.

The city looks so startlingly realistic that I tried to find my way to my neighborhood — not quite the stuff of street racing — but was unsuccessful. While the feel of LA is certainly intact, the roads have been carefully redesigned for a more fantastic driving experience.

Oh yeah. The driving. We took part in a quartet of races, some initiated by simply finding competition on the streets and flashing our headlights. We then sprinted off to a the starting line, having the option to actually race to the starting line. This pre-race race will net you more REP points, used to gain access to higher level races, but is totally optional. The sprint to the starting line can be skipped if you so desire, but we found the spontaneous thrill of beating our competition to the meeting point was worth it not just for the extra points. At the very least, it's a nice warm up.

We tooled all around town through our four races. Our first formal race, Sand and Surf, took us from the beaches to the freeway. Mulholland and Beverly saw us driving through the winding hills of Hollywood before heading down to the Valley. Macarthur Cut took us from downtown to the LA River, a misnomer of a racing venue that might be familiar to fans of Terminator 2's more epic chase scenes.

Each felt unique and frenzied. Midnight Club: LA's dynamic camera, which switches to an over-the-shoulder style view when hopped up on nitrous or coming off a slipstream drafting high, combined with tire-spinning peel outs makes for a white-knuckled rush. It's somewhat difficult to see what you're actually racing toward, it's so fast. Our decked out cars may have had something to do with the feeling of untamed car control, and we'll blame our many crashes and last place finishes on that.

What we didn't get to tackle were Midnight Club: LA's motorcycles or the LAPD, both back in the newest iteration. We'll just have to wait until the game is released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 later this year to do that. The game hits October 7th in North America and October 10th in Europe.

The press release doesn't explain the reason for the delay, or for that matter even call it a delay. In happy PR land this is just a new release date, possibly even better than the last! I'm assuming it's the usual last-minute bug-stomping, extra polish sort of thing. That or they just really like October more.

Rockstar Games announces new release date for Midnight Club: Los Angeles on the Xbox 360® and PLAYSTATION®3 and Midnight Club: LA Remix for the PSP® system

Open-world street racing series debuts on October 7th and 10th in North America and Europe, respectively

NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) today announced a new release date for the fourth installment of its critically-acclaimed and genre-defining Midnight Club franchise, Midnight Club: Los Angeles. Set for release on October 7th in North America and October 10th in Europe and developed by series creator Rockstar San Diego, Midnight Club: Los Angeles will give gamers the unprecedented freedom to race through a hyper-realistic LA.

Rockstar San Diego has created a beautiful rendition of Los Angeles to race through at break neck speeds and explore at your own pace. With no tracks and no load times, Midnight Club: Los Angeles offers the ultimate freedom to play however you choose.

Also scheduled for release simultaneously, Midnight Club: LA Remix for the PSP® system will provide another incredible portable racing experience. Developed by Rockstar London, the game will take full advantage of the hardware to deliver the unrivaled sense of speed and style that the best-selling Midnight Club series is known for.

"People are going to be blown away when they see how true-to-life Los Angeles looks in this game," said Jay Panek, Midnight Club Producer Rockstar San Diego. "We've added some great twists and turns that let players experience the authentic vibe and feel of the city at blistering speeds that you simply couldn't get away with in real life."

Rockstar Games Announces Release Date for Midnight Club: Los Angeles on the Xbox 360® Video Game and Entertainment System from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 Computer Entertainment System and Midnight Club: LA Remix for the PSP®

Open-world street racing series debuts on next generation consoles September 9th and 12th for North America and Europe respectively

NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Rockstar Games is proud to announce the fourth installment of its critically-acclaimed and genre-defining Midnight Club franchise, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, is set for release on September 9th in North America and September 12th in Europe. Developed by series creator Rockstar San Diego, Midnight Club: Los Angeles will give gamers the unprecedented freedom to race through a hyper-realistic LA.

"From the beginning, Midnight Club has been about street racing in a open-world," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "With our team at Rockstar San Diego we have developed a game that we feel once again pushes the boundaries and expectations of what a racing game can be."

Whether driving by the beach or beating the competition by cutting through a parking garage at 200 mph, Midnight Club: Los Angeles provides a seamless, breathtaking environment for everyone who loves to compete. With no load times, no tracks, and no rules, the game allows players to race who they want, when they want, and where they want in an unbelievable recreation of Los Angeles.

"People are going to be blown away when they see how true-to-life Los Angeles looks in this game," said Jay Panek, Midnight Club Producer Rockstar San Diego. "We've added some great twists and turns that let players experience the authentic vibe and feel of the city at blistering speeds that you simply couldn't get away with in real life."

A racing game is nothing without the great cars and Midnight Club: Los Angeles allows extensive customization of vehicles for both performance and appearance. Players can now fully personalize their officially licensed imports, tuners, classic muscle cars and motorcycles both inside and out with a dizzying array of licensed rims, spoilers, interior gauges, tires and more.

Also scheduled for release on September 9th, Midnight Club: LA Remix for the PSP® system will provide another incredible portable racing experience. Developed by Rockstar London, the game will take full advantage of the hardware to deliver the unrivaled sense of speed and style that the best-selling Midnight Club series is known for.

For more information about Midnight Club, please visit our website at http://www.rockstargames.com/midnightclubla.

Rockstar Games is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).