Project Gotham Racing 2 Review

Developer	Bizarre Creations
Publisher	Microsoft
Genre	Driving

Bizarre Creations released Metropolis Street Racer (Dreamcast) and Project Gotham Racing (XBOX) in 2001, two games based on a unique racing system: Kudos, where points were given for racing style instead of just speed. PGR was XBOX’s response to PlayStation 2’s Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec. Project Gotham Racing 2 is XBOX’s response to all racing videogames ever made. With more then 100 tracks spread over 10 cities, access to more then 100 cars in 14 different classes, and online racing via XBOX Live, you will soon learn what PGR2 is all about; it is not how fast you drive but how you drive fast.

Gameplay - Project Gotham Racing 2 offers brawn and beauty through its gameplay. No other racing videogame offers anything similar to PGR2 (excluding MSR and PGR). The game uses a system called Kudos, where points are awarded for strategic and heart-pounding maneuvers. Kudos can be achieved during a race by performing some of the following tricks: a 360o spin, gaining air, drafting behind an opponent, overtaking an opponent, performing a well maneuvered slide, and driving only on two wheels.

A big part of the Kudos system is making Combos, where you can continue to pile on trick after trick into your Kudos Stash, which is later added to your Kudos Bank. Your Kudos Stash however does not last long; you only have a few seconds after a move has been maneuvered to complete another one. Learning how to handle speed will also be a big factor for you as a gamer. Crashing into an object such as a wall will lose you any points you have been building up into your Kudos Stash, but crashing into another car will lose you no points and your Kudos Stash will continue to be into effect. PGR2 will take you about an hour to learn its racing techniques, but a lifetime to master.

The game offers 3 prominent modes for its single-player adventure; Kudos World Series, Arcade Racing, and Time Attack. The main single-player mode is Kudos World Series, where you complete Kudos Events such as street race, cone challenge, hot lap, overtake, timed run, speed camera, and one on one with 14 different car classes (ranging from classic cars to exotic cars).

Each car class has its own series of events for racing; one car series must be completed before another is unlocked. Each event has five levels of difficulty: novice, easy, medium, hard, and expert (each level of difficulty is corresponded with a medal). Kudos points that are earned in a race will result with Kudos Tokens, however only the all-time best Kudos performance in an event will count towards your Kudos total and tokens, regardless of difficulty. Kudos Tokens may be used to purchase additional cars within a car series, most of the time; additional cars must be unlocked to help you complete some of the harder events within a series. Cars from one car series will not carry over to a new car series, as your Kudos Tokens will, so how you spend your Kudos tokens should be taken seriously. PGR2 may be completed nearly on any difficulty, which allows gamers of all skill to have the same experience, such as unlocking cars and tracks.

The other two modes in PGR2 include Arcade Racing and Time Attack. Arcade Racing has modes such as street racing, timed run, and cone challenge. Each mode has its own races that are set up with pre-determined cars and tracks. Time Attack is the only mode that does not use Kudos; your goal is simply to race fast. You must set the fastest time on specific tracks or with specific cars. There is also a quick race mode known as Instant Action. Instant Action does not count for you or against you, because it does not offer Kudos points or the ability to set time records. Simply race on different tracks with different cars to improve your skill as a racing gamer.

Beyond PGR2’s single-player mode is its amazingly designed multiplayer mode. Venture in races via split-screen, system-link (up to 8 players), or XBOX Live (up to 8 players). XBOX Live offers more then what you will get out of split-screen and system-link play: Downloadable Content and the ability to upload and download Ghost cars, in addition to XBOX Live online play. Through XBOX Live, you will come across Exhibition matches, which allows players to race on different tracks with different cars, while talking trash and Kudos Racing which puts your reputation on the line each time you race. Kudos Racing works similar to Kudos World Series being that Kudos points will be given out to players based upon Kudos Bank, time of finish, and place of finish. Kudos Racing only has circuit races, however the game’s host can modify settings such as the track to be used, the number of laps, the weather conditions, and the car class to be used. Online Scoreboards are also available; these Scoreboards will show the top players’ results across the globe.

PGR2 takes has more then 100 tracks through the streets of Barcelona, Chicago, Edinburgh, Florence, Hong Kong, Moscow, Stockholm, Sydney, Washington D.C., and Yokohama. There is also the incredible world famous 13-mile 73-turn Nürburgring track in Germany. There are more then 100 cars from 14 different car classes such as Compact Sport (MINI Cooper S and Honda Civic Type-R), Sport Convertible (Toyota MR2 Spyder), Sport Utility (Volvo XC90 and Mercedes ML55 AMG), Roadster (Lotus Elise, Vauxhall VX220), Classic (Mercedes 300SL Gullwing and Jaguar E-Type), American Muscle (Chevrolet Camaro SS, Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray 427), Super Car (Ferrari 360 Modena), and Ultimate (Porsche Carrera GT and Saleen S7). With such a wide selection of cars, you are bound to find at least one car for your liking.

PGR2 is an arcade racing videogame, but it still has realistic racing dynamics, the main thing that makes this game an arcade racer is its AI. Regardless of the fact that you will find racing differences between cars, at times the tracks themselves can be too easy to complete regardless of the difficulty setting. The computer will only race better meaning that it will follow the racing “line” better, if you raise the level of difficulty. You will never notice the strategy of racing of the computer to ever increase. PGR2’s greatest weakness is its AI, it is simply just short of racing realism.

Graphics - Bizarre Creations has been a big reason why racing videogames in the last couple of years look so good. There was no exception for their excellence to shine when it came to developing PGR2. From the big things and more importantly to the small things, you will notice nothing but pure graphical bliss in PGR2. The tracks correspond well with whichever city they are based upon, you will notice buildings, sky effects, water effects, ground effects, etc. The day and night effect also plays a big role in this game, yet I must say when the sun is setting, there seems to be nothing more beautiful then how the dim sun casts itself across the city as you are racing (I apologize if my sensitive side is making you uncomfortable, I watch too much Queer Eye For The Straight Guy).

During a night race, you will notice how the lampposts shine the way for you, but also how the headlights play its part and shine the path directly in front of you as you drive. Besides day and night, the only other weather effect is rain, regardless of the lack of weather effects, “rain” seems to properly mimics nature and all its glory. Anything you would expect to be in a city and more importantly a city set up for racing, you will find in PGR2 graphically. As far as the cars go, each car is amazingly replicated based upon its real life counterpart, if you are a car “buff” you will be able to look at a car in this game and name what car it is. And at all times, if you find yourself concentrating on the driver inside the car, you will notice how he makes left and right movements if you are turning left and right and how he uses his hand closest to the gear and hand brake to adjust those instruments if you do so.

Sound - PGR was quite popular for the fact that it offered the ability to listen to your own music via the XBOX hard drive and the ability to listen to PGR radio stations with real artists and DJ’s that corresponded with whatever city you were driving in. This feature has replicated itself onto PGR2 with even more attitude. PGR2 has more then 200 songs once again by real artists and DJ’s corresponding to the 10 cities you can race in. Yet as a very particular music listener (mainly Rap and Hip Hop), I found myself using my XBOX hard drive once again as I did with PGR. There is some Pop, Rap, and Rock, but just like PGR there is mainly a lot of up beat “trance” like music. Beyond the music in PGR2, you will notice the sound effects of the game itself.

Its not really rocket science to make car effects for the engine gaining speed and when the tires are skidding across the concrete, that is why you will not find anything wrong with it in PGR2. From start to finish, you will hear everything that you would expect to hear in any street race, except for the sound of NOS, being the PGR2 has no NOS or Turbo features. Take your game online with XBOX Live, and you will be able to experience the joy of talking trash, while listening to music, while racing in the streets (…now if only PGR2 came with a cotton candy machine, then you would be definitely set).

Bottom Line - PGR2 will take you a long time to complete, even if you simply collect Steel Medals, and even longer if you want to collect nothing but Platinum Medals. There are more then 100 tracks and cars to unlock and many time records to set. And the challenge of the game almost doubles with the fact that you can do it all over again and again or even online via XBOX Live. And with Downloadable Content and the ability to upload and download Ghost cars via XBOX Live, there will never be a dull moment for you with this game. If you liked PGR there is no question of whether or not you will like PGR2, because the answer is yes. However PGR2 may strike your attention even if you did not like PGR, because many of PGR’s flaws have been removed and improved in PGR2. PGR2 is a great addition to any XBOX collection for the avid driving/racing fan.

Review by Sean Nagasawa