Project Gotham Racing

by Microsoft

Product Features

• You'll have to make your way down streets, along sidewalk, and through parks & buildings to come in first
• Race in over 20 high-end ultra-fast cars, from the Corvette Z06 to the exotic TVR Tuscan
• Over 100 challenges await you in cities like New York, San Francisco and Tokyo
• Get behind the wheel and prepare yourself for true international racing action!

Product Details

• ASIN: B00005NZ1J
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (223 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,578 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Bizarre Creations, the developer of Metropolis Street Racer for Dreamcast, makes its Xbox debut with a sequel of sorts. Project Gotham Racing is very similar to its predecessor, except with refined gameplay mechanics and vastly improved graphics. The focus of this racer is unique, as it's centered on the "kudos" system. Players are rewarded bonus points for sustaining slides, riding on two wheels, catching air, clean driving, and passing other drivers. Chaining any of these actions together results in high-scoring combinations. So in addition to trying to finish the race first, the player must worry about style and technique to succeed in this game. The kudos system is fun and definitely makes this game stand out from the competition.

Another highlight is the game's detailed graphics. The more than 200 circuits based on London, Tokyo, San Francisco, and New York are extremely authentic. Those familiar with the cities are sure to do a double take at the numerous courses. The game's cars are also beautifully rendered and feature impressive reflection and lighting effects.

Gameplay is quite diverse with quick race, arcade race, kudos challenge, time attack, and multiplayer modes. Kudos challenge alone features nine different types of gameplay that range among races, time trials, and obstacle courses. The only significant drawback with Project Gotham Racing is its difficulty. Most players will find that two-thirds to three-quarters of the way through, the game becomes exceedingly difficult to the point where it's more frustrating than fun. Despite this problem, it still provides dozens of hours of entertainment for most and a challenging time for hard-core gamers. All players will find Project Gotham Racing a truly distinct and beautiful racer. --Raymond M. Padilla

Pros:

• Unique gameplay
• Exquisitely beautiful cars
• Detailed levels that look like the real cities

Cons:

• Frustratingly difficult towards the end
• Fewer cars than other racing games

Product Description

Circuit-based racing in downtown environments in which players can race against up to three friends at a time through realistic time-of-day and weather conditions. Players can choose from 20 different cars and compete on more than 300 city-based circuits. With 100+ individual and wheel-to-wheel racing challenges and a separate arcade mode.Format: XBOX Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: E - Everyone UPC: 659556745141 Manufacturer No: J04-00002

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Superb, November 27, 2001

By 

D. White (Mid-Atlantic USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Project Gotham Racing (Video Game)

One of the best racing games available on any console, Project Gotham (PGR) improves upon the wonderful Metropolis Street Racer (Dreamcast) in EVERY way. PGR is extremely challenging, visually striking, and full of replay value and many modes of play.

First, gameplay. PGR features a mix of realism and arcade-speed in its handling that is beyond compare. I gave my brother a shot at a very tight track in NYC with a Porsche Boxster. He was doing fairly well--as far as he knew--after only a lap or two. He is a casual gamer who only plays sports games, baseball and Madden. So if he can handle it so quickly and so well, then anyone can.

BUT, then there are Kudos points, which you must earn by driving aggressively and with style. This my brother would need much time to learn, how to string together a tail-out slide through cone markers while passing two cars and avoiding walls at the same time...plus coming in 1st! Manage all this and you'll earn Kudos to open up new cars and tracks, even extra play modes, helmets, etc. Real skill is needed in this game, on many dimensions.

Now gameplay modes: you may be tasked with passing a certain number of cars in a certain time limit; beating a fast car one-on-one; earning a set number of Kudos on a track in a given number of time and laps (very hard); beating a specified average time; beating a specified single time, and more! In fact, after 5 hours of playing, the game will open up an entire new game mode called Medal Pursuit (in which the focus shifts away from powerslides to absolutely clean driving to beat a best time)! So much game!

Oh, and then graphics. The game is inarguably more graphically accomplished than even GT3 on PS2. For instance, cars in GT3 generally only have "paintd-on" bodylines such as at doors, hoods, trunks. In PGR there are so many more polygons used that you can actually see the sun reflect WITHIN the modeled bodylines! Superb.

PGR is flatly the best racer on the market for those who truly desire challenge, great gameplay, awesome music (including the ability to import your own from the hard drive), incredible 60fps graphics, and longevity. You will not be getting that Ferrari F50 until you've shown some serious mettle. A must-have racer for a must-have system.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good game, but..., November 26, 2001

By 

AceSpeed - See all my reviews

This review is from: Project Gotham Racing (Video Game)

Let me get this out of the way first:
This game is an arcade racer, not a simulation. As such the controls are based on the well-known "power slide" theme that is relatively common. For more realistic control and customization, look elsewhere (like Gran Turismo 3 or Tokyo Xtreme Zero for PS2).

Here is what you want to know:
Graphics: Excellent. At least comparable to Gran Turismo 3. Weather effects are beautiful and lighting is often amazing. Cars look beautiful and reflections are really well done. Some turns are hard to see at night, but then again what did you expect...

Sounds and Music: Many of the game's songs are actually pretty cool, but nothing compares to the ability of ripping your own CDs and listening to them while you play (which you can do here). No MP3 downloads though. Engine sounds are good too.

Control: Mixed bag. Personally, I like it. But if you ONLY like simulation-style control, don't even look this way. Cars will slide like crazy and if another car even touches you while you're "sliding" forget it, you're gonna spin. The difference between AWD, RWD, FWD and 4WD is hardly noticeable (IMO).
My biggest gripe here is the actual XBox controller which is as heavy as a small melon. It is the most uncomfortable controller I've ever held in my hands. You'll see what I mean when after an hour you're switching fingers for the trigger (accelerator).

Gameplay: This is where the game loses the most points with me... Cars must be unlocked, which is fine by me, but what you must do to unlock them is my problem. I mean, the game is already getting hard and I'm only up to 50,000 Kudos and they expect me to get 200,000 Kudos to get the F50!?!? Forget it.
Why do game designers keep making games in which you only get the best cars after you don't need them?
Plus, although I have no problem beating the actual races (Quick Race Mode), some of the cars are only earned by beating some points challenges that I simply don't get (Arcade Race Mode), I mean the concept is simple, but just you try to get gold in them.
One thing I really like is the fact that now Kudos (points) are never taken away (unlike the predecessor Metropolis Street Racing); if you hit a wall or another car, you simply don't get any extra points, but points earned are points kept. Another thing I liked is the fact that this game allows you to progress little by little (unlike GT3 and its 2-hour races) which is nice.

Replay Value: Pretty good until you get stuck. This game gets ridiculously difficult as you progress and chances are most people will not finish it.
Although I love racing games, this one is about more than that... And for you that may or may not be a good thing.

Bottom Line:
At least rent it. If you have it and don't finish it, don't feel bad as I can tell you for sure that most people won't.

Freebie Tips:
- Since your competition is always adjusted to match the car you're driving, most of the pure races can be beat with the first car (the Mini).
- Try this as your user name: nosliW (caps matter). It will activate all the cars and races.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Project Gotham vs. Grand Turismo 3, February 5, 2002

By 

Jeffrey R. Tilley Jr. "goatman_1" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Project Gotham Racing (Video Game)

Ok, for those of you out there that have been fortunate enough to either own, or play several different systems, or are hard-core enough to know what's hot or what's not, you probably know that the biggest baddest racing game on the market is GT3, for PS2 which is the newest installment of the Grand Turismo series. While I wasn't as addicted to GT3 as some get, I've got to admit that it deserves almost all of the hype it's received. When buying Project Gotham, there could be only one comparison, one game to beat: GT3.

While far superior in some aspects (I like to knock out complaints early), my biggest complaint about Gotham, especially compared to GT3, is the lack of cars, especially in the beginning. You only start with three cars, none of which are uber-cool or exciting. There should at least be more cars for multiplayer as it's a drag to pull the game out of the box all hyped to play with friends and have to choose from a mini-cooper and a MR5. With GT3, there was a huge selection of cars right out of the package for arcade or multiplayer games. I was so annoyed by this that I'm almost tempted to knock Gotham down a star, but the good things are so revolutionary that it survives well.

Some people will be annoyed with the lack of a "campaign" style game where you can buy and customize cars. I didn't find this too disheartening, as that's really a GT3 thing, and not something I expect with every racing game I buy. Gotham is much more of an arcade style game than a simulator. It's easy to overlook this one.

Ok, what's good about Project Gotham? Everything Else. If this is an example of things to come, we can expect some incredible racing games for the Xbox in the future. What PGR lacks in cars, it makes up for in some of the most detailed circuits imaginable. The incredible RAM and video RAM capacity of the Xbox means all the tracks consist of 3D models, with 3D statues hurling by at an impressive frame-rate. Buildings boast real signs and posters, and landmarks down to the barest details. GT3's cardboard cut out people and environments sometimes bordered on cheesy. Living in Japan I've been to Asakusa, Shibuya and Shinjuku and they've captured the landmarks and buildings perfectly. All that RAM also allows PGR to do something that always bothered me about GT3: show damage to the cars. That was always irritating. Winner: PGR.

The Dolby Digital sound is incredible. I only recently got the advanced A/V hook-ups, and this game roars on my surround sound system. While it has an impressive song collection already on the disk, PGR is the first Xbox game I've owned that allows you to use your own music copied onto the hard-drive. For another cool twist, you can choose to listen to the radio pre-sets, which include authentic radio stations from the various cities including real DJ's. Super cool. PGR has it all over GT3 in the sound category.

Fun. This game is extremely fun and addictive. The game play is strong for any racer, but the addition of a Kudos system: rewarding players for cool skids, two wheels, overtaking racers etc. adds a new dimension. While I thought it was cheesy at first, the arcade game, which allows you to run through a track solo strictly to collect Kudos, is a lot of fun. Trying to do outrageous turns and combos becomes addictive. I don't think I can honestly say that PGR is more fun than GT3, but I can say it's at least AS fun.

In the end, while I really wanted to be able to declare one the undisputed victor over the other, I really can't. PGR is far more sophisticated which is to be expected. GT3 has a depth and garage that PGR lacks. They're both a LOT of fun. If you can afford it, there's only one true solution: buy them both. If not, I'm a big fan of better, faster, stronger so I'd have to go with Project Gotham. With new features and advancements not seen in other racing games, Project Gotham has set a new standard that will certainly improve all games in the years to come.