Project Gotham Racing 4

9 stars out of 10

Jazz Van Net goes under the hood, for an all new review.

Right from the starting line, Project Gotham Racing 4 creates an emotionally-charged racing experience, where you become attached to your careers, profiles, and vehicles. There are several new features that embody this emotional experience, the most significant being the new career mode.

Get ready to be rewarded with a growing fanbase that cheers you on, reacts to your every move, and supports you through victory. Just imagine hearing the roar of the crowd as you cross the finish line with your own style and flair.
REVIEW:
PGR 4 does a number of things well. Once again, the arcade racer puts a focus on earning Kudos for drifts, getting air, and clean racing sections. While the goal is to win races, you'll want to do it in style. If you've played a PGR title before, the basics haven't changed much at all. It's all about drifting, a trick that never gets stale, even on the fifth iteration of the series.

Along with standard races, you'll once again compete in a number of skill events. These include navigating through cone gates, speed challenges that require you to push the speedometer to a certain level when you pass a mark, elimination races, and Kudos challenges that task you with racking up massive Kudos on your way to the finish line. Though there are a couple of new events, for the most part, PGR 4 is more of the same from the past. That's not such a bad thing, since PGR has long been one of the better racers on Xbox.

To spice things up, Bizarre Creations made three significant changes for Project Gotham Racing 4, none of which turned out that great. First, they added motorcycles. Then Bizarre added a new career mode meant to mimic a racing season. The hope, it would seem, was to infuse the series with some new energy and excitement. While the racing season has its plusses and the motorcycles can be fun for a while, both take away more than they add to the series. Lastly, Bizarre introduced a dynamic weather system and, unlike the first two additions, this one actually delivers. The extreme weather variables add quite a bit to the tried and true PGR formula.

PGR 4 pits bikes against cars, having the two racing side-by-side in any event. To its credit, Bizarre did a great job nailing down licenses for some excellent bikes. There are no complaints on the impressive motorcycle list or the faithful recreation of each. Some might expect that a motorcycle could tear up the competition against cars. In a lot of instances, this is true. Bikes are generally easier to handle and, so long as you aren't racing against truly superior cars, you can usually do very well in the single-player events.

Gamer Hint:Weather can effect your car & driving skills.