Pimp My Ride review

There's a ton of potential with Pimp My Ride. Activision could really go full throttle and deliver something that is absurdly enjoyable as the television series. Instead we get a lousy, limited GTA-wannabe that almost has nothing related to the actual show.

Think of Grand Theft Auto's Liberty City for a moment. Now, envision just a few blocks of it. Demote the visuals, scratch off the guns and hookers, and make every building a cardboard box. This is Pimp City - and trust us, it's not that kind of city. After the beginning set-ups, like selecting the car that will be your pimping project, you travel around town, heading toward the two to four minigames that are scattered in town. Hopefully, you really love searching for highlighted green areas to start minigames.

Above: At least your van looks kinda shiny, right? Nope, these are Xbox 360 screens

We also hope you love lame minigames that are more dopey than dope. They all rely on pressing the corresponding buttons at the time of the rhythm, like Parappa the Rapper. It's ridiculously easy, though, as it goes too slowly. There are just a few of these lasting the entire game, and since this is an integral force to snagging some dough, it becomes most of what you'll be playing. But hey, if you get tired of this, you can always snab some green by smashing into cars and grabbing the coins that pop out. That's... not really better at all, is it?