Introduction
The next generation of gaming is finally upon
us with the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox 360
which is sure to bring with it some innovative
titles. However today we’re looking at the
return of an old favorite. The Project
Gotham Racing series, originally started
on Xbox, is famous for its innovative blend of
simulation and arcade physics and creating a memorable
drifting experience. PGR3 was a launch title for
the new 360 and is essentially a revamped version
of PGR2 with a few extra features including Gotham
TV. So as well as being one of your first chances
to experience all the 360 has to offer, chances
are that PGR3 will most likely be your only way
to get behind the wheel of the world’s fastest
super cars…let’s see what it’s
like..
A History on Project Gotham Racing
The original PGR debuted on the Xbox in late
2001 and since then it has involved into one of
the best racing franchises available. PGR features
a kudos system which rewards racers for
driving with style, so the game is much more than
a simple challenge of getting from Point A to
Point B in the fastest time. By drifting, drafting,
and overtaking your opponents you can earn more
kudos and subsequently unlock new rides with them.
In addition to the normal game play noted above
new to PGR3 is Gotham TV, which is an incredible
Xbox Live component that allows you to easily
view a friend or one of the world’s top
racers live!
Ohhh, so shiny!
Above everything else, gamers should certainly
see a major improvement in the visuals in PGR3.
To start off the photorealistic environments are
simply a blast to race through. In fact, an actual
photo
comparison has been created
to show various locations in game with their real
life counterparts, and it is surprisingly difficult
to determine which one is real! The cars themselves
are nothing sort of gorgeous also, all of the
extra polygons they’ve included really show.
Additionally the inside car views accurately depict
the actual cockpit of rides like the single-seated
McLaren F1 LM. Other nice graphical touches include
from the outside views you can enjoy the high
reflection update rate and the limited damage
modeling system (side mirrors break with ease,
but cars will never come close to breaking down).
When you're driving the motion blur builds on
the sense of speed when hitting 200 mph and the
soft lighting effects add a warm glow when implemented.
If you’re fortunate enough to own an HDTV,
there are a lot less jagged edges and the worlds
as a whole seem much more lifelike, but even if
you’re using standard RCA cables PGR3 is
still a beautiful game. It has to be said that
even via HDTV there are some jaggies ingame noticeable
on the cars, quite how this translates into ingame
Anti Aliasing settings we are not sure.
Vroom Vroom!
The audio in PGR3 could stand to use a few improvements
however as it is most gamers won’t feel
let down. The engine sounds are emitted differently
depending on what racing perspective you use,
so when you’re cruising along in your favorite
Ferrari you can either listen to the deep rumble
in the cockpit view or hear the whining exhaust
from the outside. Sadly the Gotham Radio found
in PGR2 has been replaced with various playlists
including rock and opera songs that don’t
create as much of an atmosphere as the radio stations
did. Hearing the squeals of your tires as you
sharply drift around a tight bend is satisfying
though and hearing the rear bumper of the number
one guy get pushed in because you were drafting
too close is a personal favorite of mine. Really
the sound effects are very close to what you would
expect if you were actually piloting such vehicles,
and although the lack of Gotham Radio might disappoint
PGR veterans, the audio effects are top notch.
A Racing Experience Like Never Before
All presentation values aside, Project Gotham
Racing 3 delivers one of the best driving simulation
experiences to date. The heart of the game is
in the career mode, where the gamer starts off
with just enough Kudos for the slowest rides in
the game. Career mode is broken up into a bunch
of different championships all over the world,
including top racing locations such as Tokyo,
Las Vegas, and London. Essentially, the championships
are divided up into several challenges. A difficulty
level for novice to hardcore drivers is selected
before each scenario, and with a greater difficulty
comes a much more worthwhile Kudos prize. Kudos,
which can also be earned by racing with style,
are the officially currency of the PGR3 world
and can buy you some amazing cars.
Aside from the typical street race mode, there
are plenty of other racing situations to be found
here. In the Cone Challenge mode, the objective
is to drive through cones while earning Kudos
along the way to reach a certain quota. The Time
Vs Kudos is a race against the clock where earning
Kudos will temporarily stop the countdown, so
it’s important to find a balance between
style and speed. Eliminator mode disqualified
the driver who comes in last for each lap, and
the Time Trial mode is a race where it’s
just you against the clock.
What becomes apparent quite early in your career
is that Kudos can be earned at a relatively fast
rate, so it shouldn’t take you too long
to purchase the coveted Ferrari F50GT if you save
up right from the start. Cars are divided up into
classes ranging from the meager Class D to the
adrenaline pumping Class A and your opponents
in the solo career will always have cars in the
same class, so it’s potentially possible
to beat the entire game with a ride such as the
Saleen S281E Mustang. This approach also has one
major advantage, it allows racers to pick up the
game at their own pace because some of the latter
cars are extremely difficult to handle. The slowest
cars in the game are still a lot faster than the
slowest cars in PGR2 on the whole, so you won’t
find rides like the Mazda RX8 or Honda Civic.
Still, the wide variety of cars helps keep the
linear single player career from ever feeling
stale.
Aside from the career mode, there are a bunch
of other party modes that are simply for fun.
Racing rooms can be created where other human
players or computer AI opponents can join. Free-for-all
or team based races can be created to increase
the ferocity of the competition. No matter whom
you’re racing and how you decide to match
it up, creating a variety of race modes is a seemingly
effortless process that allows gamers to have
fun and race.
The Team Street Race Mode is the most basic mode
in which the red crew will take on the blue crew
in a straight up race to the finish. In Capture
the Track, the racer with the fastest time in
each section of the course earns that part of
the track for his team, and the team with more
parts of the course at the end of the race wins.
To help make this title much more replayable,
a Route Creator is available that allows you to
mix and match different parts of your favorite
courses until the track of your dreams is created.
Although it would’ve been cool to build
your own level from the ground up, piecing together
routes still allows for millions of possibilities.
The Photo Mode lets you take a picture of your
car in action by freezing a specific moment in
time and allowing you to adjust the angle as well
as some special effects. Probably the most visual
appeasing mode is the Garage Mode, which lets
you walk around in a garage filled with all of
your luxurious rides. Each car is at its absolute
pinnacle of beauty here, and admiring your entire
collection is a special little treat. Best of
all, playable versions of Geometry Wars 1 and
2 can be found in the garage, allowing for some
old school arcade fun. Overall, there are plenty
of game modes to keep the most avid racers busy
for a long time.
The Future of Project Gotham Racing 3
– Xbox Live
The solo career is filled with a bunch of different
challenges and scenarios, but sometimes all a
racing game really needs is an enjoyable online
experience. Luckily, PGR3 delivers an outstanding
gameplay performance over Xbox Live. The online
segment is divided up into two sections, your
online career and free play. In the online career,
all races count toward your TrueSkill ranking
that lets others know just how fast you are. This
portion is made up of a bunch of special modes
including the sprint based Urban Rallies, high
stakes One-on-One matches, and the supercharged
A Class only section. In the free play segment,
all of the aforementioned party race modes are
available, and you can again setup race rooms
for others to join. Generally speaking, the racers
are extremely hectic at the start and there is
a high probability that someone will get spun
out. Often times the fastest 0-60 cars will be
placed at the back of the pack, which is just
asking for disaster. Once the initial chaos is
dealt with, the rest of the race will surely make
your palms sweaty.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Project Gotham Racing 3 for the
Xbox 360 is a fantastic racing title that is undoubtedly
worthy of a purchase. Between the variety of available
cars, assortment of game modes, and the absolutely
stunning audio visual presentation, it’s
nice to see that the gameplay hasn’t suffered
at all, although at the same time the gameplay
hasn’t evolved a great deal since PGR2.
Next generation of gaming is off to a great
start.
| Game play |
17/20 |
| Graphics |
19/20 |
| Sound |
18/20 |
| Value |
19/20 |
| Preference |
19/20 |
| Overall |
92/100 |
