Project Gotham Racing

THE BAD:
Seemed to be lacking in options and things to do
Fewer cars than other games

SUMMARY:
Project Gotham Racing is one of the few games I’ve played for the Xbox, but it was worth my time. One of the best points of this game that others don’t have (that I’m aware of) is the Kudos scoring system. In this game it’s not all about getting round the track in the shortest amount of time.

I first played this game in a shop in my town centre and it did impress me. The first thing I noticed was that I was getting points for sliding my car around corners instead of taking the fastest route through the corners. I was also getting points for overtaking, getting all 4 wheels off the ground in a jump and for going over bumps in the road. This appealed to me as it was something different that I hadn’t seen before in other games. Of course you did have to try and win races as well just like other racing games, but this one required you to do it in style. If you hit a wall while racking up Kudos points in a slide, for example, you would lose all the points you were accumulating in that one instance and you’d get a nice “D’oh” (from the Simpsons) just below where the score was. I thought that was a nice touch in the game, even though it was only small.

Saving up your Kudos points would enable you to buy faster cars so you could compete in later races. There wasn’t nearly the choice of cars you get in games like Gran Tourismo but there is enough to get by. Like most racing games, knowing the tracks you were racing on was important to win some races as the opponents were pretty fast. You could also do practice races where you could race fast cars it takes ages to save up for on tracks against another person.

While the game impressed me at first I did become bored with it fairly quickly, quicker than most games. I think its downfall for me was that there just seemed like there wasn’t a whole lot to do. While Gran Tourismo had many types of races, and lots of cars, this game just seemed to be lacking in these areas. I’m not a car freak by any means but the ability to customise my cars appealed to even me and you can’t do that here. All you get to pick is the colour of your car, and you can only select certain colours on some cars, which was slightly annoying.

This game was fun while it lasted, but unfortunately it didn’t last that long for me. The fact that there wasn’t a whole lot to do in this game was the main reason this game didn’t hold my interest for long. I feel that many other things could have been done with this game and that it was rather bland after a while which is a shame because the initial idea was fresh and interesting.

THE BAD:
The car damage doesn't look great, can be confusing. Sometimes too hard, some of the 2-d background objects are annoying. Too much hype before its release

SUMMARY:
The visuals on this game look great. The cars look stunning and you have a real sense of pride when you win a new car.

It is quite fun but hard to get to grips with and isn't for the casual gamer this game takes commitement. Another downside is the fact it was far too hyped, it is good but not as amazing as it was made out to be.

I think you should wait for the second game coming out as while this is good it isn't great.

THE BAD:
It may get a little too hard. Sometimes it seems that even the designers of the game would never have been able to beat it!

SUMMARY:
Overall great game. It gets really hard after awhile, but thats what makes it a reasonably good game; its not too easy. For awhile you have to use the Corvette Z06, but once you get the Viper, its easy sailin'!

THE BAD:
It may get a little too hard. Sometimes it seems that even the designers of the game would never have been able to beat it!

SUMMARY:
Overall great game. It gets really hard after awhile, but thats what makes it a reasonably good game; its not too easy. For awhile you have to use the Corvette Z06, but once you get the Viper, its easy sailin'!

THE BAD:
very steep learning curve, frustrating for casual gamers.
damage on cars well done, but looks too clean.
some annoying graphics - 2-d trees and smoke, occasional jaggies.
no training mode.

SUMMARY:
This game is so bloody addictive it's not funny. I've been playing for about 20 hours so far (altogether, not at once!), I'm less than halfway through, and still rearing to go. There have been a few frustrating moments when I've been tempted to throw the controller through the screen, but the sense of achievement when you get past a major hurdle is immense.

The cars are beautifully rendered, especially when you unlock the metallic paint-jobs and take them out for a spin at night. *drool* The tracks and environs are equally beautiful - I've crashed into a couple of walls admiring the scenery!

The controls and scoring system do take some getting used to, but you'll pick it up after an hour or two. It will however, take a lifetime to master! The learning curve has obviously been meticulously engineered to provide maximum longevity and replay value.

The only real gripe would be no online/system-link capability (only split-screen multiplayer) but we've been assured that this will be remedied with PGR2, so buy PGR and get practising!

This game is an absolute must for any Xbox owner,

THE BAD:
The car damage looks crap, The Kudos points can be confusing to new players - they confused me at the start, but ya get used to them.

SUMMARY:
Overall, the game isn't as good as we were told it would be. However, it IS a good game, and I enjoy playing it - I'm not a keen fan of racing games, but Gotham has kept me sat by my Xbox for hours on end. If you want an amazing-looking racing game, wait for Mercedes Benz World Racing, if you want a great racing game, with good graphics (not as good as Mercedes) and some great challenges, get Project Gotham Racing.

THE BAD:
Sometimes to difficult to play with the standard controler

SUMMARY:
It's incredibly detailed, amazingly adictive, with superb graphics. You play one hour, and one hour, and one more hour, and when you check it out it's 3am and you need to get up at 6.30am.

However, sometimes it's a little to difficult to play, specially with the standard controler. I wonder if it's easier with a wheel ...

THE BAD:
29 cars, where did the Lanburginis go?

SUMMARY:
This game is great is packed with almost everything you can think of, there are so many levels specially when you want to play 2 players.....
Also the game is so realistic it just makes you feel like stopping and taking a look at the level instead of racing....
Really nice job done on this game, but of course it could have used an online option...