Those fortunate enough to have played the previous games in the series will know that 'Project Gotham Racing' is all about kudos - and lots of them.
I'm sure that the success of racing games lies in the fact that deep within us all is the need for speed, or just call it the need to get out on that road and drive like there is no tomorrow!
'PGR3' offers loads of this, spread over three main scenarios. You have timed events, racing events and Bizarre’s trademark style events, which all contribute to your Gotham Career.
Seasoned racing veterans will be used to the hot lap and timed run events but relatively new to this whole challenge are the 'Breakthrough' and 'Time versus Kudos' events. The former involves hurriedly racing over a series of checkpoints to the finish line, with each checkpoint adding more time to your clock. The latter is the more difficult of the two and requires you to perform some slick manoeuvres, which racks up kudos and adds time to the clock.
Racing events boil down to normal street races, one on one competitions and eliminator rounds where the last car in each lap is eliminated from the race.
Style events are where the kudos system really shines. If you're eyeing out that platinum trophy you're going to have to perform all manner of crazy, road rage inducing, pedestrian crushing, gearbox bashing slides, spins, two-wheelers, air grabbers, 360's, drifts, drafts, overtakes, and brakes. A mouthful, perhaps? Exactly. But not nearly as much as it is an eyeful...
Each car (of which there are over 80) in PGR3 is realistically rendered in as many as 80 000 polygons (which for those non-graphics fundis out there is a monster truck load) and each car has its own unique manufacturer-designed dashboard view.
Not many game developers are interested in spending their limited time and resources producing an in-vehicle dashboard view that rivals the real deal. Bizarre Creations, however, pushed the envelope in this regard and introduced an optional view that includes reflections off windshields, seamless side to side movements of the head to glance at the sideview mirrors and the G-force effects that are prevalent when taking bends at 80 km/h.
As if all the details in the cars themselves weren't enough, Bizarre's staff actually went out and captured screens of each of the five locations in the game (Las Vegas, London, Tokyo, New York, etc.) and used actual blueprints to realistically represent each of the hundreds of environments you will encounter in the game.
One of the greatest console inventions of all time has to be Xbox Live. It is here that PGR3 truly shines. Let's just say that you won't be suffering any buyer's remorse for that home theatre system you recently purchased…
James Henderson |
