Rev those engines up for the latest installment in the Project Gotham Racing
line. Developed by Bizarre Creations, Project Gotham Racing 2 features over
100 cars and 50 tracks from Moscow, Russia to Sydney, Australia. PGR2 features
both arcade and simulation mode, with multiplayer modes available via Split
screen or over Microsoft’s Xbox Live service. With improvements in visuals
as well as the handling of the cars, will PGR2 be the hottest racing game on
your Christmas list?

Gameplay
Project Gotham Racing 2 features the same kudos system that was found in the
original PGR. The kudos system awards points for successfully completing certain
skillful racing maneuvers, drafting, power sliding, combos, good lines, cool
air, two wheels, best laps, clean sections and more. The kudos system has been
enhanced to include more areas, such as drafting and good lines, a most welcomed
addition. For those unfamiliar with some of the previous racing tactics; drafting
is when you pull up behind another car and use the air that is whipping off
that car to help your car move faster, drafting often allows you to pick up
speed and pass the car you were tailing, this being called overtaking in PGR2.
With the numerous methods to gaining kudos points, racers are able to gain kudos
tokens for use later.

Once Kudos points are accumulated they can be spent to unlock cars for that
race circuit, or saved for later use on others. Each race circuit starts with
2 cars unlocked, of course they aren’t the best available, and from there
you are tasked with attempting to complete each of the games 7 types of challenges.
Each of the 7 types of challenges can be taken on in various difficulty modes
associated with respective medals; Novice for Steel, Easy for Bronze, Medium
for Silver, Hard for Gold and finally Expert for Platinum.

The seven types of challenges that PGR features all come with unique rules
or systems that set them apart and help to break away from the repetitive game
play found in other racing games. The first of seven modes is Cone Challenge;
in cone challenge a racer is tasked with navigating a course while driving through
road cones placed around the track, points are earned for passing through the
cones without crashing into them and a multiplier applied when multiple cones
are passed through in a limited amount of time (2 seconds). In cone challenge
there are no other cars on the track and your goal is to beat the Kudos score
set forth by the game in the allotted timeframe.

In Street Race the driver is set to go against 3 or more cars
(up to seven) and is required to place in a position no lower then that required.
As the difficulty level is raised you are expected to place in a higher position
against tougher opponents; for example, with the difficulty set to easy, you
are expected to place third or higher against easy opponents, with it set to
expert, you are expected to complete the race in first place against expert
opponents. Street races are your standard race type and have you competing against
various other cars for a mad dash to the finish line.

One on One races pit you against one other opponent and leave
you with no room for anything but first place. This may be seen as easier then
the street race mode, where more opponents equates to worse odds, the truth
however is that you are also left with no odds of accidents taking place that
allow you to easily steal positions away. The clear track presents as much of
a challenge as an empty one, if your opponent takes first place, its just your
racing skill against his. Setting a higher difficulty on “One on One”
will increase the opponents’ level to the respective skill level you selected.

The Overtake mode is one of the most interesting I have played
in a racing game. The driver is tasked with passing a number of other racers
that are on the field, with a higher difficulty meaning more racers need to
be “overtaken.” The racer begins the race at the same time as numerous
other cars on the track, with the catch being that they do not start in the
same position as you. Each of the other cars start out along the track slightly
spaced out one in front of the other. This adds to the challenge of this mode as
you are starting off playing catch-up. If you intend on completing this game
with all platinum medals then you will often be tasked with overtaking over
4 cars that all have a head start on your beginning position.

The Speed Camera mode is simple, you are given a basic strip
of the race way and tasked with getting to the end of it with your car over
the rated miles per hour for that difficulty. The tracks for the Speed Camera
mode in the beginning of the game are often straight runs with minor bends along
the way, making defeating them easy at the lower difficulty settings, as you
progress through the levels you are often required to make extreme power slides
and still work your way up to 100+ MPH with limited course left. Setting the
difficulty level higher in this mode heightens the MPH rating you must achieve
while passing the goal. The key is to find the right mix of power sliding, the
perfect line to do it in, and it all comes together. With that being said, this
can end up being one of the most challenging tasks ever seen in a racing title.
It is almost impossible to get the Platinum medal on some of the Speed Camera
challenges.

Hot Lap has you racing against the clock; you are given one
chance / lap and must complete the lap under the set time for the respective
difficulty level. The challenge in the Hot Lap mode is one small mistake will
often cost you the opportunity to complete the challenge successfully. While
challenging, the hot lap mode is also very frustrating, if you hit a wall too
hard or make a mistake that will set you off a second or two, you may as well
restart the challenge at higher difficulty levels. In respect to the fact
of it being annoying it is also a good way to get you familiar with the cars
and navigating the courses without incident. Timed Mode is
the same as Hot Lap except you are expected to complete multiple laps within
the given time.

The single player side of PGR 2 also features Arcade Mode,
which can also be accessed immediately to accept various challenges. The arcade
mode title may be misleading to some, the game still carries the simulation
style car handling in this mode, do not expect the cars to handle more along
the lines of Need For Speed for instance due to the “arcade” name.
In arcade mode the driver is given a set car and put to defeat the competition
in approximately 20 races of each of the 3 challenge types; Street Racing,
Timed Run and Cone Challenge. The car you are given to race
is selected by a set class defined for that set of races; meaning you will never
be given a jeep or sports coupe and expected to defeat an “ultimate class”
racing car.

Xbox Live

Project Gotham Racing was a hit when it was first released at the onset of Xbox
back in November of 2001. It featured single player, split screen, and system
link gameplay. PGR 2 has the addition of Xbox Live gameplay, making it a must
have for all racing enthusiasts. Xbox Live allows you to compete against your
friends, foes, and other gamers from across the globe in some of the most heated
and intense racing you’ll find, ever. Let’s get down to the specifics.

PGR 2 features two main modes of gameplay via the Xbox Live service, Exhibition
Racing and Kudos Racing. Exhibition Racing is an all out battle to the finish
line and is more similar to other racers, such as Moto GP, no Kudos points are
tracked or earned while in Exhibition races. The more popular mode is without
a doubt Kudos Racing, where you can show your style and earn Kudos points in
the same fashion as the offline game… except there will be the addition of
the human factor, meaning a whole lot of trash talking and competition.

The online experience is almost 100% lag free, even when it comes down to the
voice aspect, it’s almost ‘real time.’ The online interface is also very well
thought out and logical, so newcomers will not be confused and anyone that has
played the offline game can throw a mic on and jump right into the action. During
the race everything is tracked and the Kudos points you earn go toward your
Xbox Live Rank, and award you Kudos Tokens that can be used to purchase cars
offline. Any unlocked cars you have in the offline mode can be used in the online
races, as long as the host has not set restrictions to which car class can be
used in the competition. It would have been nice to see during the race exactly
where everyone stands with their Kudos accumulated for the track, but it’s a
minor issue really, more of a…. “let’s see it in Project Gotham Racing
3” hope.The online gameplay by far has met and exceeded my expectations.

Control
The controls themselves are very simple; the challenge in Project Gotham Racing
2 is learning how to handle the cars themselves. The game contains 4 often used
buttons, the left trigger for braking, the right for acceleration, the A button
for hand brake and the left analogue for steering your car. As stated before
the challenge often lies in mastering the car itself, as you progress through
the game you will be introduced to new vehicles, each with their own handling
scheme. The change from Coupe Series to Sports Utility is a major one, and from
Sports Utility to Pacific Muscle Cars; with the constantly changing car types
you can easily get lost in how exactly the cars should handle. The basic 4 button
control scheme should be easily mastered from the start with the real challenge
becoming the individual cars. Below is an illustration of how the default control
scheme is configured. In addition to the below illustration there are also 3
other preset configurations, as well as preset layouts for racing wheels,
such as the Mad Catz MC2 Wheel, Radica Pro Racer, Radica
Lotus Wheel, and the Thrustmaster 360 Modena Wheel.

Project Gotham Racing 2 default controller settings.

Graphics

The graphics in PGR2 are most impressive; the landscapes have been wonderfully
done to replicate the feel of the area. From the architecture of the surrounding
buildings to the side walk bistros, it’s often easy to guess the races
location by just looking around as you zoom down a side street at 135 MPH. The
cars themselves have also been nicely done, the windows accurately reflect the
surrounding scenery and the drivers can all be seen as you overtake them with
the momentum accumulated while drafting behind them. The accurate representation
of the driver within the car stood as a message that Bizarre Creations was dedicated
to detail; your driver will lean to the side during hard turns and reach over
when he needs to shift up or down. Each of the 100+ cars within the game is
accurately modeled to their real world counterparts, down to the rarely noticed
interior.

Audio
The automobile sounds in PGR 2 are top notch, and are based on digitized audio
samples from the ‘real life’ respective vehicles, making for some superb listening
pleasure while revving the engine up and screeching around the 180 hairpin turn
and spinning around to the finish line. The music audio is unfortunately where
the game is somewhat lacking, the premise behind it was great; unfortunately
it wasn’t followed through to its perfection. With various courses taking
place throughout the world, the designers had the great idea to feature artists
from the respective locations to play the music for the race tracks. The problem
is the music selected is often boring; it’s not a major motivational tool
that will spur on your racing needs. With the game featuring approximately 200
tracks from various international artists, finding the perfect song would be
easy, or so you would think; while you have the ability to customize the soundtrack
of the games built in songs, it is often very time consuming, especially with
so many tracks. Thankfully the revolution continues and you are not limited
to the tracks given to you by the designers anymore. Project Gotham Racing features
the ability to import your soundtrack that is saved on your Xbox consoles hard
drive, nothing beats cruising the streets of Moscow listening to 50 Cent and
Eminem rapping, it is what I would be playing if I owned an Enzo Ferrari.

Replay Value
With Project Gotham Racing 2 featuring both system link, split screen up to
4 players, and Xbox Live play, the replay value is through the roof. The game
features a variety of cars that can only be unlocked by completing the game
with medals of a particular level to keep the hardcore gamer going back. The
100+ cars allow for days of trying out the various cars and their pros and cons.
With arcade mode, kudos challenge and time attack to keep even the anti-social
lonely gamer busy for many days, PGR2 has scored through the roof in the replay
category. What are you waiting for? Pick up XBL and PGR2 and race around the
world, with people throughout the world.

Reviewer's Additional Comments
I was happily surprised when I was greeted with the amazing visuals in PGR2,
being the cynic I am, I often questioned the graphic shots I had seen online and
called them doctored or CGI, boy was I wrong. The amazing graphics as well as
accurate representation of each of the numerous cars calls for a big round of
a applause for Bizarre Creations. With PGR2 featuring so many game play types
as well as multiplayer abilities, the fun seems to never end. PGR2 is definitely
the racing title of the year for hardcore fans, those that do not like racing
sims, and prefer arcade style racers should avoid PGR2 like the plague, the
game play is simply for that person who is willing to slow down on the turn,
not the one barreling into the wall expecting to take off from it at full speed.

Overall Score
Overall Score: 9.7/10 [Not an Average]

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