One of the best racing games available on any console, Project Gotham (PGR) improves upon the wonderful Metropolis Street Racer (Dreamcast) in EVERY way. PGR is extremely challenging, visually striking, and full of replay value and many modes of play.
First, gameplay. PGR features a mix of realism and arcade-speed in its handling that is beyond compare. I gave my brother a shot at a very tight track in NYC with a Porsche Boxster. He was doing fairly well--as far as he knew--after only a lap or two. He is a casual gamer who only plays sports games, baseball and Madden. So if he can handle it so quickly and so well, then anyone can.
BUT, then there are Kudos points, which you must earn by driving aggressively and with style. This my brother would need much time to learn, how to string together a tail-out slide through cone markers while passing two cars and avoiding walls at the same time...plus coming in 1st! Manage all this and you'll earn Kudos to open up new cars and tracks, even extra play modes, helmets, etc. Real skill is needed in this game, on many dimensions.
Now gameplay modes: you may be tasked with passing a certain number of cars in a certain time limit; beating a fast car one-on-one; earning a set number of Kudos on a track in a given number of time and laps (very hard); beating a specified average time; beating a specified single time, and more! In fact, after 5 hours of playing, the game will open up an entire new game mode called Medal Pursuit (in which the focus shifts away from powerslides to absolutely clean driving to beat a best time)! So much game!
Oh, and then graphics. The game is inarguably more graphically accomplished than even GT3 on PS2. For instance, cars in GT3 generally only have "paintd-on" bodylines such as at doors, hoods, trunks. In PGR there are so many more polygons used that you can actually see the sun reflect WITHIN the modeled bodylines! Superb.
PGR is flatly the best racer on the market for those who truly desire challenge, great gameplay, awesome music (including the ability to import your own from the hard drive), incredible 60fps graphics, and longevity. You will not be getting that Ferrari F50 until you've shown some serious mettle. A must-have racer for a must-have system.
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Let me get this out of the way first:
This game is an arcade racer, not a simulation. As such the controls are based on the well-known "power slide" theme that is relatively common. For more realistic control and customization, look elsewhere (like Gran Turismo 3 or Tokyo Xtreme Zero for PS2).
Here is what you want to know:
Graphics: Excellent. At least comparable to Gran Turismo 3. Weather effects are beautiful and lighting is often amazing. Cars look beautiful and reflections are really well done. Some turns are hard to see at night, but then again what did you expect...
Sounds and Music: Many of the game's songs are actually pretty cool, but nothing compares to the ability of ripping your own CDs and listening to them while you play (which you can do here). No MP3 downloads though. Engine sounds are good too.
Control: Mixed bag. Personally, I like it. But if you ONLY like simulation-style control, don't even look this way. Cars will slide like crazy and if another car even touches you while you're "sliding" forget it, you're gonna spin. The difference between AWD, RWD, FWD and 4WD is hardly noticeable (IMO).
My biggest gripe here is the actual XBox controller which is as heavy as a small melon. It is the most uncomfortable controller I've ever held in my hands. You'll see what I mean when after an hour you're switching fingers for the trigger (accelerator).
Gameplay: This is where the game loses the most points with me... Cars must be unlocked, which is fine by me, but what you must do to unlock them is my problem. I mean, the game is already getting hard and I'm only up to 50,000 Kudos and they expect me to get 200,000 Kudos to get the F50!?!? Forget it.
Why do game designers keep making games in which you only get the best cars after you don't need them?
Plus, although I have no problem beating the actual races (Quick Race Mode), some of the cars are only earned by beating some points challenges that I simply don't get (Arcade Race Mode), I mean the concept is simple, but just you try to get gold in them.
One thing I really like is the fact that now Kudos (points) are never taken away (unlike the predecessor Metropolis Street Racing); if you hit a wall or another car, you simply don't get any extra points, but points earned are points kept. Another thing I liked is the fact that this game allows you to progress little by little (unlike GT3 and its 2-hour races) which is nice.
Replay Value: Pretty good until you get stuck. This game gets ridiculously difficult as you progress and chances are most people will not finish it.
Although I love racing games, this one is about more than that... And for you that may or may not be a good thing.
Bottom Line:
At least rent it. If you have it and don't finish it, don't feel bad as I can tell you for sure that most people won't.
Freebie Tips:
Since your competition is always adjusted to match the car you're driving, most of the pure races can be beat with the first car (the Mini).
Try this as your user name: nosliW (caps matter). It will activate all the cars and races.
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Ok, for those of you out there that have been fortunate enough to either own, or play several different systems, or are hard-core enough to know what's hot or what's not, you probably know that the biggest baddest racing game on the market is GT3, for PS2 which is the newest installment of the Grand Turismo series. While I wasn't as addicted to GT3 as some get, I've got to admit that it deserves almost all of the hype it's received. When buying Project Gotham, there could be only one comparison, one game to beat: GT3.
While far superior in some aspects (I like to knock out complaints early), my biggest complaint about Gotham, especially compared to GT3, is the lack of cars, especially in the beginning. You only start with three cars, none of which are uber-cool or exciting. There should at least be more cars for multiplayer as it's a drag to pull the game out of the box all hyped to play with friends and have to choose from a mini-cooper and a MR5. With GT3, there was a huge selection of cars right out of the package for arcade or multiplayer games. I was so annoyed by this that I'm almost tempted to knock Gotham down a star, but the good things are so revolutionary that it survives well.
Some people will be annoyed with the lack of a "campaign" style game where you can buy and customize cars. I didn't find this too disheartening, as that's really a GT3 thing, and not something I expect with every racing game I buy. Gotham is much more of an arcade style game than a simulator. It's easy to overlook this one.
Ok, what's good about Project Gotham? Everything Else. If this is an example of things to come, we can expect some incredible racing games for the Xbox in the future. What PGR lacks in cars, it makes up for in some of the most detailed circuits imaginable. The incredible RAM and video RAM capacity of the Xbox means all the tracks consist of 3D models, with 3D statues hurling by at an impressive frame-rate. Buildings boast real signs and posters, and landmarks down to the barest details. GT3's cardboard cut out people and environments sometimes bordered on cheesy. Living in Japan I've been to Asakusa, Shibuya and Shinjuku and they've captured the landmarks and buildings perfectly. All that RAM also allows PGR to do something that always bothered me about GT3: show damage to the cars. That was always irritating. Winner: PGR.
The Dolby Digital sound is incredible. I only recently got the advanced A/V hook-ups, and this game roars on my surround sound system. While it has an impressive song collection already on the disk, PGR is the first Xbox game I've owned that allows you to use your own music copied onto the hard-drive. For another cool twist, you can choose to listen to the radio pre-sets, which include authentic radio stations from the various cities including real DJ's. Super cool. PGR has it all over GT3 in the sound category.
Fun. This game is extremely fun and addictive. The game play is strong for any racer, but the addition of a Kudos system: rewarding players for cool skids, two wheels, overtaking racers etc. adds a new dimension. While I thought it was cheesy at first, the arcade game, which allows you to run through a track solo strictly to collect Kudos, is a lot of fun. Trying to do outrageous turns and combos becomes addictive. I don't think I can honestly say that PGR is more fun than GT3, but I can say it's at least AS fun.
In the end, while I really wanted to be able to declare one the undisputed victor over the other, I really can't. PGR is far more sophisticated which is to be expected. GT3 has a depth and garage that PGR lacks. They're both a LOT of fun. If you can afford it, there's only one true solution: buy them both. If not, I'm a big fan of better, faster, stronger so I'd have to go with Project Gotham. With new features and advancements not seen in other racing games, Project Gotham has set a new standard that will certainly improve all games in the years to come.
Honest reviews on Project Gotham Racing
Great graphics, great gameplay, great music, great cars, great tracks, great objectives. That can ALMOST sum up Project Gotham Racing. To make it a complete review, one cannot forget to mention how difficult this game is.
This could be one of the best racing games of all time if and only if the game developers would have made progressing to new levels and earning new cars a little less frustrating. I'm willing to devote time to my games but the amount of time you must devote to this particular game just to move ahead is a complete joke.
They made this game very difficult for gamers. I've played enough racing games to appreciate PGR but there are some annoyances that I can't ignore. I like a challenge, but I at least want a fair chance of winning. I'm not saying that the AI cheats but a lot of the time you're pitted against cars that just outmatch the cars you have available to you. The game just gets to a point where you MUST race a perfectly clean race to win. It's possible but chances are you'll quit out of frustration before you ever race that perfect race and win.
If you love racing games then PGR is a game to get but I just want you to know that no matter how good you are, this game will end up frustrating you. Not the frustration you feel when you mess up yourselves, but the frustration of feeling that the game just isn't being fair and the game is just asking way too much out of you.
The difficulty of this game prevents me from enjoying all the great stuff that's actually in the game.
BTW, the load times for this game are terrible. I don't mind waiting 5-10 seconds for loading but this game really tests your patience in that area. Just scrolling through available cars, there is load time. It's a petty annoyance but an annoyance just the same.
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I'm sick of seeing this game get 1 or 2 star reviews. I've played both this game and Gran Turismo 3. They are BOTH great games, totally different but superb nevertheless. This game has great graphics and the kudos based racing just adds to the fun. As for the people that complain about having to unlock the cars, get over yourselves, it's called a _challenge_, people. How boring would it be to just have all the cars handed to you. There's several different racing formats, and the game rewards are based on your driving ability. I thought that's what racing games were supposed to be about. Bottom line is this: If you own an Xbox, go ahead and buy this game. You won't regret it.
