What a difference a few months make. Not so long ago we were clamouring for some decent Xbox 360 racers and now we have the fourth big name to hit the console in as many months. Talk about buses turning up all at once.
The car isn’t the only star this time round. Finally Bizarre Creations has seen fit to include two wheels as well as four. Yes, you can now also burn round the various tracks on a motorbike of your choice.
Toss in the inclusion of some gorgeous weather effects, tonnes more tracks and vehicles and it looks like Microsoft are on to another winner.
They say:
Eurogamer: “Freed from the pressures of developing to match a hardware launch and perhaps steered by the Forza team's strength in simulation, PGR4 wrings the best yet out of an already scintillating arcade racing game.”
IGN: “PGR 4 is one of the better arcade racers on 360.”
**We say:((
Let’s cut to the chase shall we? How does Project Gotham Racing 4 fare against the king of Xbox 360 racers, Forza Motorsport 2?
Well, despite PG4’s gorgeous attempts, Forza still clings on to that number one slot. Not that PGR4 doesn’t push it all the way to the finishing line.
Unlike Forza, PGR4 is all about style. The Kudos system that awards you points for driving with the kind of flair of a young Mr Hamilton remains.
Cash might mean prizes everywhere else, but here Kudos is the moolah of choice. You gain points for all kinds of fancy driving – from long powerslides around sweeping bends through to encouraging your car on to only two of its four wheels. Once you’ve gained sufficient Kudos, you can not only swap it for a new motor but sparkingly new tracks too.
Arcade and Career modes make up the main bulk of the single player action. Arcade mode remains to be a steady stream of fast and frantic challenges with tonnes of excitement to be had.
Career mode loses the medal system of old. Instead, you get a year long calendar of events that vary from standard racing through to a test of your driving skills. Our favourite is knocking over a set number of cones on the track.
It's a challenge certainly, but it pales in comparison with Forza’s lengthy and involving career mode. While there’s still lots to do, it lacks the quality and devilish difficulty curve that makes Forza such a stunning title. The multiplayer version fares better with more options than car mods. Fluffy dice anyone?
Where PGR4 really shines is the graphics, particularly during wet races. The neon splendour of Gotham's cities match any title on any console right now. Every track seems to have a special moment, be it a gorgeous tunnel section or a wickedly tight turn set against a stunning backdrop. It’s a shame that the cars suffer from more jagged edges than Britney Spears’ face.
Sadly, the biggest addition is a dud. The inclusion of motorbikes sounds promising, but they just aren’t as fun to drive as the many cars available. Try a bike in a mixed race and you’ll be cut up and bashed into the side more often than you’re actually racing.
PGR4 may not be as good as Forza, but there’s no doubt it’s a cracking racing title. Just avoid the bikes if you get wound up too easily.
FORMAT REVIEWED
Xbox 360
OTHER FORMATS
None
POSTED...
Tue 16 Oct 2007 at 12:55pm
