Bizarre Creations has been an important partner for Microsoft. The Project Gotham series helped launch both Xbox and Xbox 360 along with Xbox Live. Project Gotham Racing 4 marks the first PGR title not connected to a major product or service launch. Without the stress of having to deliver big with all eyes watching, Bizarre had the ability to take a breath and make the ultimate drift racer. Instead, Bizarre took a step backwards, with the weakest entry in the franchise since the series dropped the Metropolis Street Racer name and came to Xbox.
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.
Tags: Project Gotham Racing Review video game
