Project Gotham Racing 4 (Xbox 360) Review
Posted by Rod Oracheski on 10.15.2007
One more time around the track with Bizarre Creations.
You know a franchise has officially 'made it' when you can ask for it at Wal-Mart by the title's acronym and get a game, not a blank look. Project Gotham Racing 4, also known by the far more writer-friendly PGR 4, is just that kind of franchise, with the collected awareness of two solid releases and...well, also a third one.
That's right, PGR 4 is also the type of franchise that's fallen a bit out of favour with some fans. The third iteration, launched alongside the Xbox 360 (just as the first game was launched alongside the original Xbox), was a bit of a stumble for development team Bizarre Creations. Fans didn't take to the tweaks made for that release, and the developers took that to heart - PGR 4 is a return to form.
Gameplay
The biggest change this time around is the addition of bikes (motor, not pedal) to the previously cars-only action. While many fans were shocked by the addition, with many vocally decrying it as the 'end' of the series without ever actually playing the game, most have given it a chance - and found the bikes to be a worthwhile addition. They're not as terribly overpowered as you'd imagine them to be (especially in online races), are a lot of fun to drive, and offer quite a different take on the standard gameplay.
Once again the game revolves around Kudos - those magical points gained by powersliding, driving clean sections, catching air off jumps, driving on two wheels, etc... The bikes also add in Kudos for wheelies and endos, and drifting through corners is a good way to rack up points on a bike - though not as effective (or smart) when riding in the snow.
Snow? Oh yeah, there's one of the other new additions - realistic weather conditions. You can race in a snowstorm, fog, rain, a lightning storm - you name the weather and it's probably in here. The weather conditions really change how you approach the tracks, requiring more forethought to your braking or changing the lines you can take into and out of corners. Puddles will form during rain storms, and a deep puddle will actually slow you down, so do you swerve to avoid it knowing that the track is slick with rain?
You can race in a variety of ways: single races in Custom, race series in Arcade, and even an option that replicates a Season mode from a more conventional sports title.
In Custom matches you set up the conditions, the cars, the tracks and just go have some fun. Arcade is simply the same 'earn medals and earn Kudos' mode from previous games, but offers very challenging gameplay at the higher medal settings.
The season mode, however, is an all-new beast. You get a calendar of events and race your way through it, earning points and advancing in ranks. While this mode allows you to unlock new garages and challenges, you'll have to be patient. There's no 'retry' option at the end of a failed race, time marches on and you move to the next event, so you'll find yourself pausing the game and restarting instead of finishing up. Still, it's not hard to advance if you're patient enough to just keep racing.
It wouldn't be PGR if you couldn't race online, and Bizarre Creations delivers here as well. I had very little lag in the games I've played, and the community seems to be fairly solid and relatively jerk-free. Your mileage may vary, as is always the case when it comes to online gaming. It's a cinch to form parties during races and stick together for a few races, something that other games could learn from.
This time around PGR TV is gone, replaced by PGR On Demand. It's not quite Halo 3's saved films sharefest, but you can search through, watch and vote on selected clips fairly easily. You can also use the Photo mode to get shots of your cars and bikes, and the images are uploaded to PGR NATIONS for you to download and share. As with the Halo 3 review, the screenshots in this review are all created ingame using the Photo mode.
Graphics
PGR looks fantastic when in motion. There are some jaggies here or there on the cars, but the overall package is extremely well done - especially when considering the smooth framerate. Then pop into Photo mode during a race and see the detail on the cars: tread on the tires, full interiors, reflections, and even working wiper blades. You can also spin that camera towards the environment and see the wonderful work done on the backgrounds.
The in-car and on-bike cameras are well done once again, with great detail work on the interior of the cars. The bike viewpoint is tough to get used to, and not really as helpful as the in-car camera, but still a nice addition. As in the last game you can look around with the right stick while inside the car, just don't expect to win many races while checking out the gauges or staring out the passenger-side window.
The highlight of the graphics package is the weather. The snow and rain are very well done, and even look good in still photos. Not only do the puddles and sheets of ice have an impact on the gameplay, they also look good.
Sound
You get a pretty wide variety of music in the soundtrack, but it's probably not for everyone. Fortunately, if the soundtrack fails you, the car sounds won't. Muscle cars roar, high-powered bikes whine, and it's all in glorious surround sound. You can even hear cars overtaking you and get out of the way, or not if you prefer to play blocker car.
Lasting Appeal
If you're an offline-only gamer, PGR 4 offers quite a bit of racing fun thanks to the ability to set up custom matches. For those with broadband, PGR 4 offers up some very compelling race types and a community that's showed a willingness to create their own game variants in the past. You'll get more out of this one than you pay for it.
Fun Factor
Whether or not you like PGR 4 will depend on whether or not you liked PGR 2 and, to a lesser extent, PGR 3. If the Kudos system is a real turnoff, then don't waste your time. If you like the point system, then you'll have a blast working on lines to generate maximum Kudos in a race. With a multitude of game modes, there's a lot of fun to be had here.
Graphics
8.5
Great weather effects and wonderful car models, but even the fantastic backgrounds don't overcome the jaggies.
Gameplay
8.0
If you like the Kudos-gathering style that PGR goes for, you'll love it. Some strange ideas though, like not allowing you to retry season mode losses.
Sound
8.0
Amazing sound effects once again. The soundtrack isn't for everyone, however.
Lasting Appeal
8.5
Decent for offline gamers, and solid for Live-enabled ones. A great community to get involved in.
Fun Factor
8.5
What's not to like about screaming around corners at top speed?
