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Project
Gotham Racing
Score: 9.0 / 10
XBox drivers start your engines! From the
pole position of the XBox's launch, Microsoft has provided a worthy
adversary to rival Sony and its PlayStation's Gran Turismo series with
Project Gotham Racing (PGR). The only question left to answer is if PGR
has enough gameplay fuel to take the checkered flag from GT3: A-Spec.
PGR initially may sound like a Batman racing game, but really is a
sequel to the solid, if somewhat unappreciated Dreamcast game Metro
Street Racer. As in its predecessor, PGR's gameplay is established by
the kudos scoring system. Kudos are given and accumulated throughout the
game based on the driving skills you display on each raced course. You
basically get points for being a speed racer by sliding,
360ing, two-wheel driving, deftly
maneuvering through cone-filled routes and overtaking any cars in front
of you en route to the finish line. The control scheme of PGR is
well-devised in regards to the XBox controller's layout, which is
important because learning to drive through the game's multitude of
roadways while at the same time collecting enough kudos to move
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on to the next challenge takes quite a bit
of getting used to. While tighter than its predecessor, PGR's control is
the hardest game element to master. Each car handles differently,
especially the Ferraris and Porsches that make up the upper echelon of
the game's available automobiles. Try and find a good car with a decent
balance of handling, speed and acceleration and stick with it until you
unlock the game's best vehicle, the Ferrari F50. Once you have access to
it, use it and learn its nuances, because the best way to cruise up the
medals and kudos charts is with the F50 under your guidance.
Over 200 courses ranging through the four worldwide cities of San
Francisco, Tokyo, London and New York are in the game, but that
impressive total is slightly misleading. While its true that there is an
abundant supply of courses, most are a variation in one shape or another
of previous ones throughout the four metropolitan areas. Still, although
there's a déjà vu sense to your surroundings as you travel deeper into
the game, it's impressive that there are that many variations of courses
to race. There's a huge amount of replay value in the PGR package. All
the different challenges combine to fill up a cornucopia full of racing
goodness. You won't get bored racing around particularly on the later,
harder stages of the game, which are downright serious challenges, even
with the supernaturally quick Ferrari F50.
Different tasks and races await your motoring skills but the heart of
the game is the Kudos Challenge mode, which is where you can earn new
cars, tracks, and driver models with each successful challenge
completion. This is accomplished by earning kudos points which are of
vital necessity to completing each challenge, as you need a specific
kudos total in addition to completing a specific task in order to place
on the medal board and continue your quest to become a major speed
demon. Speaking of speed, the element of velocity is present in PGR at a
fast and furious clip. Feel the rush of adrenaline pumped through your
veins that can only be accomplished swooshing 140 miles per hour through
large city streets.
What makes PGR a well-oiled title is the attention given to its visual
and sound features to go along with the improved game control (over
Metro Street Racer) and the better-defined kudos scoring system. The
visuals of the game are a somewhat mixed bag. When it comes to the
rendered car graphics, PGR is simply amazing. The cars are so
realistically detailed, it's scary. Everything down to the placement of
the car company's emblems and logos is exactly as it appears on the
actual cars themselves. What's also cool is watching the animations of
the drivers. You can actually see the individual drivers shifting the
gears and turning the steering wheel. Another high-quality detail is the
damage inflicted on your car through reckless and rough driving. If you
hit another car or one hits you, your car will show the damage. Some
high volume crashing will inflict major ugliness on your car in the
shape of crumpled hoods, doors, fenders, side mirrors, license plates
and large amounts of scraped-off paintjobs, although you'll never be
able to completely destroy either your or your opponent's cars through
multiple collisions. After the unbelievable quality and gorgeousness of
PGR's cars, the look of its courses is a little bit of a letdown. Don't
get me wrong, they are handsome in their own right, but come nowhere
near appearing as polished as the car models. Imagine how you would feel
getting dumped by Janet Jackson and having to settle for one of her
backup female dancers as your prom date. It's that kind of feeling.
You're okay with it because you still have something good-looking to
show off, but somehow it's just not the same. From a distance, the
courses are very nicely rendered. But as you get closer, it doesn't hit
the same level of artistry that the cars have. There are no interactive
environments, and they come off as made-up fake facades of the true
buildings and structures they represent, almost something you would
expect to see if you were touring the created versions of each city on
the backlots of Hollywood. Clipping and pop-up on the horizon is
non-existent, which is really impressive considering the amount of
detail contained on each level.
One area that PGR is unquestionably ahead of the pack is in the 29
exquisitely detailed cars that you can motor around the game in. While
this number pales in comparison to GT3: A-Spec, I would rather have a
smaller number of exotic machines to choose from instead of a large
amount of rather pedestrian everyday vehicles that need to be upgraded
to be worth racing. In fact, PGR has the licensing rights for both the
Ferrari and Porsche line, something that GT3: A-Spec isn't able to
claim. There are also BMWs and even the Volkswagen Beetle found among
the cars in the game. But those players who like customizable cars as
contained in GT3: A-Spec, from the paint job to the brakes and tires
your vehicle sports, will be disappointed in PGR. There are additional
colors for each car, but you have no direct control over that facet.
Neither do you have a choice in your performance parts. You drive with
the cars in their present form throughout the whole game without being
able to tweak them to your liking. The only customizable piece of your
vehicle is the license plate. The style is one of four, representing the
four cities raced in the game. You can also create a vanity plate with
any wording you want, provided it fits the space of the plate. One
little neat feature is the car's odometer. It actually keeps track of
the miles you have raced in your saved game.
For all their dazzling beauty, you have to see to truly appreciate the
lighting effects and the reflective properties of the passing buildings
on the high-performance cars. Reminiscent of Zack's limo riding through
Las Vegas during his ending movie in Dead or Alive 3, you can actually
see the course's buildings and environment reflected real-time on PGR's
cars as you zip past them and it is exceptionally astounding. Nighttime
racing shows off the lighting effects of the car's headlights. Racing
through rain and fog is another visual treat for the eyes. It's the kind
of great-looking details that are becoming second nature for inclusion
in games by developers of Xbox software.
Sound throughout the game is generally average, from the revving of
high-octane engines roaring around curvaceous urban thoroughfares to the
crashing of fiberglass and steel to sound effects fit the gameplay but
don't overwhelm your auditory senses. Music provided on the soundtrack
that plays over your car's CD player includes famous artists like the
Chemical Brothers and contains plenty of groovin' tunes for all types of
musical tastes as you hit the road. You also can select the radio
feature that plays music from real radio stations from each respective
city with each station represented by a real station DJ. But even if you
don't care for any of the music provided, it doesn't matter. PGR takes
advantage of the Xbox's soundtrack feature by way of the game's music
manager, letting you rip your own favorite songs to the game. This is a
great goodie that all-to-few Xbox titles have taken advantage of so far.
My ultimate recommendation for the all-time perfect fast-driving song to
rip on the soundtrack if you have it or can find it is the classic Sammy
Hagar rock rift "I Can't Drive 55".
Yes, PGR is another solid XBox launch title that car-racing fans will
enjoy immensely. But although close it isn't the Gran Turismo killer
that Microsoft hoped it would be as GT3: A-Spec gets to hold onto the
top racing game mantle at least just a bit longer. Nevertheless, despite
lacking some of the customizable features, sheer amount of cars and
complexity of GT3: A-Spec, PGR is a well-balanced racer. With a few
tweaks, the inevitable sequel could give the Gran Turismo series an
earnest contest for the best racing title crown. That is if the
excellent recently-released Rallisport Challenge for the XBox doesn't
reach that finish line first.
