The TV show “Pimp My Ride,” was a hit on MTV and ran six seasons from 2004-2007. Looking back on the show now, it was an absurd piece of entertainment; the mods were wild to the point of being pointless and dumb and apparently it sucked behind the scenes for anyone that was actually on the show. The video game still managed to be a worse experience.
“Pimp My Ride” the game debuted in late 2006 on PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii and in mid-2007 for the PlayStation Portable. UK based developer Eutechnyx and publisher Activision somehow made a game that was simultaneously “Pimp My Ride” in name but was also far removed from what the TV show was about.
On its surface, it seemed simple enough. In the game, you’re an automotive shop owner, I guess? It’s never actually clear. You’re challenged by rapper and “Pimp My Ride” host Xzibit (who also provided his voice and likeness for the game) to customize, aka “pimp” customer vehicles and take them from the rust buckets they bring in to something cool that has street cred in the in-game city of Pimp City. Sounds simple right? It’s not.
The first strange thing you’ll notice is that you have to raise money. This is in spite of the fact that you may or may not own a customization shop (again, it’s not clear) and the people that come to you are called customers. Once Xzibit goes to meet the customers you’re treated to a one to two minute long cut scenes featuring graphics that remind you of just how far modern gaming consoles have come. You also meet customers who want their vehicles “pimped,” and you’re given a budget.
There’s a few ways you can earn cash for these lazy customers who don’t want to pay for their own ride pimping. One of the ways is to just drive around and cause destruction “Grand Theft Auto”-style. Hitting other cars in traffic or destroying things like light poles, gates and traffic meters around the city will add to your cash total. Seems a little counterintuitive but OK. Another way is to play some of the mini games, one of which is called “Ghost Ride The Whip.”
If you’re unfamiliar or just not urban enough, Ghost Riding The Whip, or Ghost Riding was popular in the 2000s, especially California’s Bay Area. Basically, a driver hops out of a slow moving vehicle and dances beside it while it’s still rolling. You can do this in the game to raise funds and it looks cringe as hell.
Once you’ve raised enough cash, you can customize the customer’s ride. You have to act quickly though as you’re competing against another custom shop. Whoever has the most points after the car is fully done wins. You essentially do this same thing through 14 other customers. The final ride you get to pimp is Xzibit’s but you get the idea. The game sucked. Critics felt the same way.
“Pimp My Ride” was panned by reviewers on every platform it was offered on; its lowest score on Metacritic is on the Wii version which sits at 26 though some have said the PSP version is the worst of all the platforms. Most reviewers said the game was repetitive; no matter the customer, you’re going to find yourself doing the same thing over and over. Some reviews were hilariously harsh. “No amount of Xzibit influence or ride pimpage can save Pimp My Ride from its god-awful minigames and lousy driving mechanics,” said Gamespot in their PS2 review of the game. “It’s a grind that’s just not much fun to play, no matter how much ghost riding the whip takes place. Pimp My Ride falls a few rims short of a set,” said another PS2 review from GameTrailers.