Two years ago when Microsoft launched its next-gen console Bizarre Creations was right there with the Xbox flagship racing series Project Gotham Racing. Now they are ready to up the ante and give gamers a chance to try new things with the old formula. Yes, at first glance PGR4 does feel/look a lot like the previous version, but the developers have added just enough spice to bump it up into the “must buy” category. For a franchise that coined the term “kudos” it is hard to imagine what could be next, the answer is a two-wheel vehicle and a rainstorm; that’s right, this time around the Gotham racing series is heading to the motorcycle category with weather. Luckily they decided not to isolate the motorcycles in races of their own (although this is available) but you can race them in whatever mode you want. There are some races that are “car only” but if that’s not the case PGR4 lets gamers prove which vehicle is the best. There were a good amount of complaints with PGR3 (most caused by launch deadlines) when it was released side by side with the 360 some two years ago, most of those have been cleared up this time around.
The entire game also just feels much more polished and it is easy to tell that the developers now feel very comfortable with the Xbox 360 hardware and what it is capable of. This is easily the best game in the franchise thus far and it saddens me that the series is being moved away from Bizarre Creations because they have done good things with it. Having another choice of racing games in the Xbox 360 section of the local game store is not necessarily something that gamers needed, especially when there are a lot of good racing games out there on store shelves right now. Personally I am not going to complain though because PGR was always one of my favorite racing titles on the original Xbox and I am glad to see it progressing on the Xbox 360.
The two main single player modes of Project Gotham Racing 4 are Gotham Career and Arcade; arcade being a stripped down version of career. The same five circuits for the single-player campaign, from the PGR series, are back this time around but they are done better than ever. Not much is different in terms of the gameplay but the look of them is just downright amazing. Gamers who have played one PGR game have played them all in terms of the single-player aspects, there is plenty of stuff to beat and more than enough competition to make this game worth the money.
Players can earn medals by beating arcade races, time attacks, kudos scores, etc. The final goal of the single player career is to become the top racer in the world, and you can only do it a few races at a time (not all are unlocked from the get go). Everything in Project Gotham 4 is centered on a calendar system, which is both unique and annoying at the same time. Each one of the different races includes a number of challenges that need to be completed, finish enough challenges and you gain enough points giving you access to the next round of races. It is simple enough at its core but as I said before it can easily take 20+ hours to complete the career mode in its entirety. If racing games are not your niche don’t worry because Bizarre included a number of different difficulty levels to test out, mine was just average so don’t feel bad if the hardcore mode kicks your ass more than once. The one thing that has always been different in PGR games is the “kudos factor”; this is a point system (calculated by drifting, etc.) that holds your overall position in any specific challenge. Just as with other racing games the vehicle selection at the start of the career is pretty lackluster, unless you dream of driving a sweet Honda Civic. Using the Kudos points earned in races you can hit up the PGR Store and unlock/buy more vehicles and other nick-knacks for your racing pleasure. Obviously as things progress more vehicles are unlocked and the fun really begins. The selection of vehicles (both four and two wheel) is very nice in PGR4, probably the most robust list thus far in the series. It’s no Gran Turismo, but it comes pretty damn close.
