ProjectGotham Racing 4 RevX360

Project Gotham Racing is back and better than ever after a nearly two year break since PGR3 launched alongside the Xbox 360 in November 2005. PGR4 takes everything that was great about that game and improves it. It looks better, has a far better car list, has a better career mode, and just plain has more stuff to do. The gameplay is as sharp as ever as well. Project Gotham Racing 4 is a solid racing game that Xbox 360 owners will be proud to have in their collection.Quick Hits Title: Project Gotham Racing 4 Platform:Xbox 360 Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Developer: Bizarre Creations ESRB Rating: “E” for Everyone Genre: Racing Pros: Great graphics; good car list; improved career mode over PGR3; solid gameplay; in-car camera still rocks Cons: First-person camera + motorcycle = nausea; the weather effects look good, but don’t really make the races more fun

Features

PGR 4 is all about changes and improvements over PGR3. One of the first things you’ll notice is that the car list is greatly improved. Instead of just focusing on exotics and supercars, there is a much more varied list of cars to choose from this time around. Another major addition is that you can now ride motorcycles, which add a nice added layer of depth and fun because, obviously, motorcycles and cars handle rather differently. Another significant new feature is that there are now dynamic weather effects such as rain and snow that can actually change in intensity over the course of a race. When you add all of these improvements onto an already great foundation, you end up with a very solid game in Project Gotham Racing 4.

Project Gotham Racing 4 has the modes we have come to expect from the series such as arcade and career and online. Career mode has been given a makeover and now seems more realistic as you have to choose race events or accept invitations for special events throughout a calendar year, and anything you don’t do now will have to be completed next year. Online play is just as deep as ever and a definite high point once you finish with career.

The gameplay is where PGR4 really shines. The objective is not just to win races, but to win stylishly by drifting around corners and doing other tricks. If the controls weren’t up to snuff, this ambitious idea would have never gotten off the ground, but PGR combines arcade-style accessibility and fun with simulation-style physics and handling to offer up something surprisingly deep and satisfying. Don’t misunderstand the “simulation” part – you aren’t ever going to spin out or lock up your brakes or anything – but it isn’t like you are gliding around on ice like in many “arcade” games either. It is a perfect balance that works amazingly well here.

The motorcycles add a fun twist to the experience because they use that same type of hybrid handling as the cars, so they are very easy to drive and fun to use. The difference with the motorcycles is that they accelerate much faster than the cars and generally don’t have to slow down quite as much as the cars through corners (assuming you take the right line through a corner), which makes them pretty tough to beat despite the fact that they aren’t usually faster in the straights.

And, finally, we have the weather effects. Rain will collect into puddles which make that particular part of track especially tricky, and snow will coat the track and make it absolutely treacherous. The weather is a nice addition and you basically have to re-learn how to drive in it, but I’m not sure if it makes the game any more fun. The whole point of PGR is to slide around anyway, so what does the weather really add other than frustration?

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