'That one racing game we all have been waiting for'
 Developer: Bizarre Creations
Publisher: Microsoft
Category: : Racing
Multiplayer: Xbox Live
Official Site
Platform: X-Box 360
Might look like: PGR3 ?
Date posted: 11 March 2008 (Updated)
Written By: Ian
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Project: Beat Forza 2
"Forza Motorsport 2" came out earlier this year to a huge amount of critical acclaim. It was big, had loads of cars, and a great driving model.
"Project Gotham Racing 4" (or PGR4) follows hot on the heels of 'Forza 2', but can it compete against its goliath simulation brother?
Revamped gameplay and more stunning visuals ... and sound
The graphics in PGR4 are a big step up from 3. Finally the game runs at 720p, and it looks simply stunning, with gorgeous post-processing effects, motion blur, and fantastic HDR lighting.
All of the previous cities return, so you can really see the difference over the last iteration of the game.
The addition of weather effects is also excellent, the snow-filled Nurburgring being quite simply one of the most beautiful and realistic sights ever to have behold in a videogame. Delightfully, the weather effects do more than look stunning, they have a real and vast effect on the handling of your car, which adds challenge and variety to the core gameplay.
Sound is excellent as ever, with the usual eclectic mix of music, and perfectly pitched engine notes, mixed beautifully into a thrilling 5.1 experience.
  
Some of the core modes have also been revamped, particularly the once frustrating cone challenges, which whilst still not the best aspect of the game, have become far more enjoyable and are now pitched at a more realistic difficulty level when compared to the rest of the game.
There are more cars too, and bikes for the first time in the series, with more variety, right down to classic Minis, all the way up to the Caparo T1 and a jet powered bike for totally insane speeds. There are new cities too, and basically, this all adds up to a bigger and better game than ever before.
The career mode is also bigger and better, and whilst some events do repeat a little, and Tokyo seems to be a little underused when compared to the other cities, it is a great improvement and a far more realistic mode than before with randomly dispersed events with no real meaning.
There is also more competition as the AI actually score points too, and are very competent racers, especially at the higher difficulty echelons. The achievement point are also spread well, and include some more challenging ones, some easy ones, and some where you have to do all kinds of crazy things to get the points, but they are some of the best to date, beaten perhaps only by the Orange Box in terms of variety.
Multiplayer
"Multiplayer" on PGR4 is great, but it's a shame that there never seem to be many people online. There are some great modes, including some team games, which are excellent, whilst all of the old modes from PGR3 return.
  
There is also a 'Halo style matchmaking system' to try and square you off against similar level players, which works quite well, but is ultimately pretty slow. Performance online is flawless.
For the very skilled, there are also leaderboards for just about everything if you want to challenge the very best out there!
Conclusion
"PGR4" is without a doubt, 2007's best racing game.
The improved graphics, the majestic weather effects, vastly improved handling and a robust multiplayer mode are a great start.
But the restructuring of the career mode not only adds length and depth to the game, but most significantly, makes it far more fun than any other game in the series.
There is also more variety, which is the real kicker, as this is where it blows away the more serious, and also excellent, but RPG-like Forza 2 away, because it never feels like a grind getting to rank 1, unlike in the former game.
"Project Gotham Racing 4" is a superb game, and a must-have for any 360 owner. A fitting end to the series.
-Ian
Ratings
Manual:
90 % |
Graphics:
96% |
Music & Sfx:
91% |
GamePlay:
95% |
|
This game scores
 
on our 5-point Rating System
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