In a market stacked with racing games, the Project Gotham Racing series, PGR for short, needed a great game just to keep up with all the other games. When you first pop in the game, the first thing you may think is that this is just PGR 3 with a few new cars. As you start playing it more, you realize how wrong you were at the start. Without having to rush development, as was the case with PGR 3, the developers at Bizarre Creations took their time, and churned out one of the best racing games that we have seen thus far on the Xbox 360.
The first area you see a difference between PGR 3 and PGR 4 is in the racing circuits. No new cities have been added, all 5 are still intact, but they look much better. While you are racing, you will notice the different things. The skyscrapers will awe you, and you will lose focus on the race by staring at the beautiful terrain.
After PGR 3 revolutionized next-gen racing games with its stunning visuals, smooth frame rate, and overall stunning graphics, many fans expected PGR 4 to take graphics to a whole new level. However, these fans will leave somewhat disappointed. Although the graphics are still gorgeous, there is virtually no change from PGR 3. Aside from fixing a few minor details here and there, the graphics remain the same. It would have been great to have an upgrade, but most, if not all, people will be content with the graphics.
One of the main problems people had with PGR 3 was the fact that the tracks were way too simple. Fortunately, this problem was fixed in PGR 4. All throughout the game, you will encounter many different track styles. Hills, slopes, and tunnels add a whole different element to the game, and believe me, it really makes the game much more fun. Another all-new addition to the circuits is the weather. When driving around the tracks, you will have to put up with fog, which makes it so that you can only see a few feet in front of you, having to rely on the taillights of your competition to have any idea whatsoever of when to stop, turn, speed up etc. You also have to deal with rain and ice, which put your stick skills to the test. It is very tough to maintain control of your car when you have to deal with not only other cars, but also the weather. Although it is difficult, it really makes the game much more enjoyable.
The main new addition in PGR 4 has to be the inclusion of motorcycles. Motorcycles add a whole new element to the game, and serve as a change of pace, if you will, to the cars. The addition of motorcycles gives a ton of new options to the players. Don’t like the feel of the cars? Then use the motorcycles. Of course, with all motorcycles come the ability to pull-off wheelies, which, pending how long you hold the wheelies for, could earn you anywhere from 25-500 Kudos, with which you can buy many things, such as cars. Overall, the addition of motorcycles is a very smart addition and gives the player many more options to choose from.
The main single-player mode in PGR 4 is its story mode. In this mode, you start as a driver on the bottom of the totem pole. You start off in amateur mode, eventually working your way up the ranks in an attempt to become the greatest driver in the world. Story mode adds a sense of purpose to the game to fill a much needed void. It is truly a very fun mode, and will have you playing for a while.
If you played PGR 3, you would remember the old Gotham TV mode, where you could watch other people race. This is no longer an option, as it has been replaced with PGR On-Demand. On-Demand allows you to share your videos and pictures of racing with other gamers, and the files are then downloaded and voted upon. Don’t worry, actually racing other people is still in the game. While people playing other games have had to deal with lag, that is not the case in PGR 4. The racing is completely lag-free, and plays just like single player. PGR 4’s online capabilities aren’t a huge step-up from PGR 3, but they fixed the important things, like the lag, and reworked the Gotham TV mode, which had gotten a few complaints from consumers.
Overall, the game is amazing, but is a slight step down from PGR 3. This is because all the other racing games took huge steps forward, while PGR made subtle changes. Depending on what type of racing game you like, this may or may not be the game for you. If you like very smooth, realistic, games with a medium variety of cars, then this is the game for you. If you are looking for a game with a deep variety of cars, and customization, then you should not look into this game, but should still at least give it a rent. Whatever the case, PGR4 is still one of the best racing games on the Xbox 360.
