There’s something special about street racing games. Granted, there have been some wonderful circuit based racers, but nevertheless, there’s nothing quite like charging down a long, narrow straight, side-by-side with a rival at 200mph or expertly drifting your car to within an inch of the barrier and getting away with it to really get the heart pumping.
One series that knows a thing or two about this is Project Gotham Racing. While it must be said that PGR3 was slightly underwhelming in certain areas, such is the expertise developer Bizarre Creations has displayed in this field over successive games that the PGR series has become synonymous with racing on Xbox.
And certainly, it’s a reputation that the fourth in the series cements with a display of excellence that not only restores your faith in the series after the slightly iffy PGR3, but also makes a very strong case for being the best racer on the 360.
Visually, the game looks as good as anything we’ve seen on the 360 to date. While some might bemoan the fact that everything shifts at half the frame rate of Forza 2, the sheer amount of additional detail this has allowed Bizarre to pack into the levels more than makes up for it. Drive past buildings, and you’ll see light reflecting off the windows. Likewise, the additional detail on the track – additional run-off strips, markings, etc – coupled with the crowds and advertising billboards all ensure the courses look like proper racing courses. Also, thanks to the additional detail crammed into the buildings and scenery (where things like bumps, window sills and the like are much better defined), each location still has a unique feel and vibe to it.
The improved texture quality, lighting and special effects impress immensely as well: while the low ambient lighting and abundance of primary colours in its textures gave PGR3 an almost cartoon look, PGR4’s more refined textures, less dramatic shadowing and improved reflection effects give it a greatly more realistic appearance.
But it’s not just the big improvements that catch the eye: the small touches help to craft a more robust, realistic visual experience. The damage models have been toned down and now feel far more convincing. Likewise, watch a replay and you’ll find that the cameras all feature a host of minor imperfections (distortion, slight wobbles and the like) to make them seem more lifelike. However, because their positioning is so good, it still displays the action at its dramatic best. The same is true of the subtle buffeting that afflicts the behind-and-above cameras used in-game, which helps heighten the sensation of speed.
The net result of all of this is that PGR4 avoids the slightly sterile feel normally associated with racing games and offers a much more involving, more immersive and more true-to-life visual style. Irrespective of whether it’s the wholly believable manner in which the iron girders that adorn New York’s bridges woosh past your car at 170mph or how uncannily accurate London looks when you’re powersliding around the capital’s streets, you can’t help but be impressed by what Bizarre has managed to do with the 360.
But PGR4’s brilliance extends far beyond its textured skin: although the weather effects, additional cities and bikes are all major additions, if anything, it’s the refinements to the traditional elements that stand out the most. The cars retain that trademark Gotham weightiness – reassuringly heavy, but yet slippery and responsive enough to be fun – with speed on the track coming from being able to strike a perfect balance between drifting the car enough to carry extra speed through the corners, while not striking the barriers or losing too much time sliding around. However, while it will seem familiar to PGR3 veterans, at the same time, the handling has been tightened up a little to add a little more bite: hit a bump and the car will get slightly lighter, or stick a wheel on a curb and you’ll find the car creeping up it. Coupled with the sensation of speed, knowing that the handling’s ever-so-slightly trickier than before makes nailing that perfect corner all the more satisfying.
The circuits you’ll race around have also been enhanced as well. Although in many cases they’re the same as the ones you’ll know from Gotham 3, they’ve changed a lot: additional markings have been added, rumble strips have been elongated and in tricky corners, the barriers have been pushed back to allow for errors – in short, they feel more like legitimate racing circuits than ever before. This isn’t just cosmetic, either: the longer rumble strips double up as suggested braking points, and the wider run off areas (which can be crossed with no penalty) make overtaking all the easier and, while the benefits of these take a while to sink in, they do really add to the feel.
The subtle tweaks made to the Kudos system also work a treat. While certain staples still remain – such as being rewarded for drifting, grabbing air, sticking the car up on two wheels and the like, or losing a Kudos chain for clattering head first into a wall – the changes help to make it a more balanced experience. For instance, gently brush a wall with the side of your car, and you’ll keep your kudos. Hitting top speed will also net you a considerable amount (especially on tracks with longer straights, such as the Nürburgring or New York’s bridges), meaning that you don’t necessarily need to worry about showboating too much or avoiding contact at all costs.
The various race disciplines and car selection cater to this perfectly. Broadly speaking, these can be divided into two groups: those focusing on speed and those focusing on showing off. For instance, with races or speed challenges, you’ll find that a car with a lot of grip and little drift will see you hitting your targets every time, whereas more kudos gathering challenges (such as Time Vs. Kudos or Superstar) will naturally favour a car that slides around a lot – and each class of vehicle has plenty of both to choose from.
As a result, the gameplay feels fantastically balanced and rewarding to play, and although we have a few reservations about the calendar-based layout of the Career mode, the manner in which it encourages you to use a variety of vehicles to negotiate it is very refreshing – and even if you don’t warm to the career mode, the arcade and other single player elements will still offer you months, indeed years, of longevity.
However, there are a few contentious points. Firstly, there’s the motorbikes: Bizarre has done a marvellous job in shoehorning bikes into the gameplay without having to alter the control system too much or widen the circuits by stupid amounts, however they do feel somewhat out of place and are slightly frustrating to use. With bikes requiring a greater turning circle than a car, getting your bike through the bends requires a greater deal of precision. On top of this, their lower top speed means it’s impractical to perform stunts on straights due to the loss in pace, yet due to the fact bikes seldom slide, it’s tricky to gain kudos in the corners. Perhaps the worst aspect of all is the highly unnatural wobble the bikes undergo when you correct your steering, which feels very off balance.
The much-vaunted weather system also disappoints: sure, there’s an undeniable novelty to seeing the weather go through its motions, but the graphical charm and occasional awkward spot of excessive sliding on a spot of ice, or aquaplaning on a puddle, soon wears off, and on the whole lacks the impact of Sega Rally’s track deformation technology.
Finally, there are the cities. While some of the new venues, such as Quebec (which is very reminiscent of fan-favourite Edinburgh from PGR2), are welcome additions to the series, nevertheless, you can’t help but feel that the likes of London, the Nürburgring and New York that have been carried over from PGR3 are still stronger locations in which to do your racing. Fortunately, the revisions made to these – along with the natural challenge they present – ensures they still feel fresh and fun to play while at the same time being familiar. But nevertheless, it’s a shame that the new locations couldn’t match the existing ones.
However, these are minor niggles that promptly pale into insignificance when compared to the excellence of the rest of Bizarre Creations’ latest racer. In terms of both graphics and gameplay, PGR4 offers a near-perfect blend of balance, depth and accessibility that works well irrespective of whether you want to sit down for a prolonged gaming session or just fancy kicking back and enjoying blasting around some of the world’s most iconic cities with some truly awesome machines. Make no mistake, if you love your 360, PGR4 demands a place in your games collection.
