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VROOOOM! THE BOYHOOD THRILL of driving fancy cars very fast lives on in the Xbox exclusive "Project Gotham Racing" from Bizzarre Creations. The gist of the game is simple - 1 to 4 players battle it out in the cars of their choice, in real-world levels from around the world. It's a car racing game. You know how it works!
The immediate question that most gamers will want to have answered is simply "is this Gran Turismo for the Xbox?" - the answer is "No". Whether that is a good or a bad thing is entirely down to you - just don't go into this expecting a game that plays like the famous Playstation racer. Now that is out of the way, let's talk about the game itself...
PGR is a direct follow on (like a sequel, but not) to "Metropolis Street Racer" on the ill-fated Sega Dreamcast system. MSR appeared late in the life of the DC and, as such, is likely unknown to most racing fans - a shame, considering its innovative and fun style of gameplay. All is not lost however, as PGR brings that style of gameplay (with a few enhancements) to the brand spanking new (in NZ...) Xbox system.
There are three gameplay modes to choose from, specifically "Kudos", "Quick" and "Arcade". The "Kudos" mode hints at how this game works, and at how it is different to any other racers out there. Instead of facing a linear progression through the game, where you need to win race x before advancing to race y, in PGR it's all about earning Kudos points. As you earn these (for driving well, beating person x or pulling off a crazy move for example), you unlock more cars and more tracks etc. You can also tackle any race in any order - having issues getting past one of the arcade courses? Play something in the Kudos set and unlock a faster car or one with better handling and try that course again. This really opens the game up, making it much more approachable to the casual racer.
In addition, by requiring that you earn a certain number of Kudos points to complete certain levels, the game forces you to adopt good driving techniques - it's not about barging through corners or just slamming around the track, its about style and finesse. PGR forces the development of technique and skill, making for a very rewarding experience and one that is very watchable for the non-participants in your lounge!
The differences in the handling between cars is incredible - you'll quickly figure out which cars you like for which courses and it really does make a huge difference as to which you choose. You might like the power of the high end Mercedes, for example, but on a tight San Francisco course, you'll likely opt for the handling of the Mini - if you want to get through it without banging into every single corner (and therefore losing accrued Kudos), that is...
It is difficult to get across how the Kudos system works in words, yet it is remarkably simple to get to grips with it in practice; Kudos adds to the racing genre in ways that are difficult to describe, yet easy to grasp with first hand experience - it's like a breath of fresh air and really adds to the game's appeal. It's not for everyone, though, and seasoned GT fans might not like it - but don't dismiss it until you try it. |
