Project Gotham Racing

Project Gotham Racing isn't a true sequel, but does retain many of the elements that made the first game very enjoyable. The game places an emphasis on looks, not just in actual pixels, but also in how you play the game. The biggest difference with MSR & PGR is the Kudos reward system. For pulling off some grand tricks (driving on two wheels, elaborate turns with controlled fishtails, etc.) you are awarded with Kudos, a type of Уstyle pointФ. Where MSR deducted Kudos for messing up, PGR doesn't. This was something that was a major criticism with MSR, and the lack of it adds to the enjoyment of PGR.

These Kudos are used to unlock other vehicles and cities, and you'll definitely want to unlock them. The major environments in MSR are patterned after real cities: London, San Francisco, New York, & Tokyo. Each of these cities has a large number of courses in them, so driving around will rarely get boring. To help in this regard is the amount of detail Bizarre put into the cities. While a bit УflatФ at times, the backgrounds look like somebody went around and took photographs of each city and coded them into the game. Driving around gives players the sense of actually being in the city.

Also helping with the immersive gameplay is the radio. Each city has its own set of radio stations that play various types of music. DJs spin the hits as you spin your tires. If you want, you can even create your own radio station by ripping songs onto the hard drive, such is the goodness that is PGR on Xbox.

Gameplay, the game just can't be beat. The cars handle well, and the courses are challenging enough to keep you coming back for more with out getting too frustrated. The triggers control acceleration and deceleration, giving a true analog feel, much like the brake & gas pedals in a real car. And the cars do look real. The reflections are real time, and with the amount of detail included in the game, that's a lot of freakin' reflections.

Damage to your car is also reflective of the care and attention to detail given the game, as well as the power of the Xbox. Collisions will not trigger a preset destruction code in the car. Real time damage is the name of the game here. Having troubles with that one turn? Expect the appropriate side of the car you are driving to get banged up, and progressively too.