Project Gotham Racing 4 Review

The addition of motorcycles was a brilliant move. I wouldn't just be saying that, of course, as the sensation of riding a bike is definitely qualitatively different from driving a car. It's simply a different racing philosophy that is easily applicable and learned in the game through excellent use of the physics model. As such, bikes make quite an addition to the game.

One definite drawback to this title, however, and this is somewhat tied to what sort of a gamer you are, is that, for all its fun and challenging elements, the variations of similar gameplay types will get old after some time. The main question I had to ask myself is whether I'd shell out $60 bucks only to run the risk of losing interest in the career mode after a week or so. Then again, one could always just pick this game up off the shelf and race a few.

If Gotham Career starts getting old, there's always the multiplayer mode. PGR 4 has a full-featured multiplayer component with a Halo-like online party system and a way for people to share photos and browse each other's garages over Xbox Live. If you are hardcore about your racing, and, say, a bike fanatic, you'll love the fact that you can school your car-driving buddies online.

In a nutshell, PGR4 has more horsepower under its hood than initially meets the eye. The fourth game was carefully constructed to use the latest technology as a mere tool in reaching the ultimate design goal for this one - which is to make PGR 4 a fun and rewarding gameplay experience. I especially enjoyed how it takes a bit of practice and skill to truly excel in it. It's as if Bizarre rightly realized what really matters in designing a good racer and went after it in the making of PGR4.