Motor City Online Updated Preview

This is the first menu you'll see after creating your character and buying your first car.

Ever since the concept of a persistent world proved to be a key ingredient in the success of many games, developers have been scrambling to incorporate it into genres that are otherwise stagnant or lacking innovation. Electronic Arts has opted to reinvigorate the driving genre with Motor City Online, a game that lets you race against other players. Of course, you won't be able to jump right in and adequately compete against the best drivers right away. In fact, you'll spend hours driving in an old rusted bucket, raising your level and earning more money, before you really feel comfortable racing against any sort of competition.

Your first car definitely won't look as good as this one.

To call Motor City Online an online driving RPG wouldn't be a false description, as Motor City shares much in common with the role-playing genre. At the beginning of the game, you can create an online avatar from a selection of more than ten different characters, ranging from punk rockers and beatniks to greasers and brawlers. None of the characters actually have an effect on your driving skills or the initial group of cars you can select from, but they certainly make your online persona more vivid. After you select a character, you can change the color of its hair, skin, and clothes--then you're off to buy your very first car.

As you might expect, the first set of cars is nothing to get excited about, as most of them are around 50 years old and badly rusted, though you can choose from a few inexpensive paint jobs right away to mask the car's decaying exterior. This first group of cars includes a 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air, a 1957 Ford Fairlane, and a 1957 Ford Ranchero. All have plenty of horsepower, but their heavy weight prevents you from taking on opponents with lighter and faster vehicles. When you add a customized license plate, it's time to roll into Motor City.

The development team at EA wanted to make the interface for Motor City as simple as possible, so at the very least, those who are familiar with Web browsers can navigate through various menus and options with ease. Your avatar appears on the left side of the screen along with the amount of money in your account, your insurance liability, and your level, which determines the amount of money you earn in your weekly paycheck. The three bars underneath that information give a quick glimpse at your car's structural integrity and whether or not it needs to be brought into the shop for repairs. In the center of the screen, there's more general information on your current status as well as listings of links to different sections of the game, such as car auctions and parts as well as the actual racing area.