Let me say first of all that I haven't actually bought Project Gotham Racing 4. I won an Xbox 360 and was toying with the idea of selling it when a work colleague suggested that I try PGR4. He took the view that this one game alone could persuade me to keep my Xbox.
And he was right.
This game is tremendous in just about every category. Having come from a history of PS1 and PS2 games, particularly the Gran Turismo series, I didn't hold out a lot of hope for PGR4. How could it possibly compete with the sublime GT2?
And the answer is: by not competing, at least not directly.
The Gran Turismo series is a very realistic, very serious work. PGR4 is, pure and simple, a blast. The fun and games begin almost immediately - no passing of lengthy and complicated licence tests, pretty much straight into the action.
Granted, players start with small, not very powerful cars but at least the races are with other small, not very powerful cars. And bikes. Did I forget to mention? PGR4 includes a wide range of bikes as well as cars, and the races include both.
Bearing in mind that a lot of the races take place at night, and in variable weather conditions, racing a car whilst riding a bike is a serious adrenalin rush!
Players win points for places in races, and points do indeed make prizes. The more points you rack up, the more prizes are unlocked - packages of cars, packages of tracks, etc. There are serious supercars available (Koenigsegg, Ferrari, Lamborghini), together with classics (E-type Jaguar, original Mini Cooper, Ferrari 250).
There are also some challenges available to earn extra points - knock over a set number of cones using an E-type Jag and the handbrake, take a vintage Ferrari racing car around a snowy Nurburgring in a set time, and so on. Great fun.
The graphics are awesome, the tracks are realistic and the handling isn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be, and the playability is almost limitless.
And I didn't even try the Xbox Live online racing function!
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Project Gotham Racing 4 is the highly anticipated next instalment of the blockbuster ... more
Project Gotham Racing (PGR) franchise, developed by Bizarre Creations exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. With a dramatic new weather ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.94 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Sep 27th, 2008
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