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Bizarre Creations’ latest racer shows off the Xbox 360’s eye candy. The Project Gotham Racing (PGR) series has always been a looker, with both games maximizing the original Xbox’s potential at the time of release. PGR 3 is the game that really shows off the muscle of the Xbox 360’s graphical prowess, but beneath that is a solid racer to boot.
PGR 3’s main mode is the career mode. The career mode includes both an online and offline component. Offline, you’ll be taking on computer-controller racers while the online pits you against actual people online. Completing these events will unlock credits to unlock cars to fill the multiple garages that the game has in store for you. The events include the typical street races and elimination races where the last place at the end of each lap is eliminated. The game’s online career component never really ends since you’re always trying to improve your online ranking. The game does a good job of matching you up with someone of similar skill and connection speed to you.
The gameplay in the game is pretty similar to previous games in the series. The game’s kudos system returns, which rewards you for driving with style. The kudos system seems easier to handle this time around, though that is probably a byproduct of the easier-to-control vehicles in the game. In some time raced, earning number kudos will even stop the time, meaning that you need to balance speed and style as you race. The game’s handling is pretty realistic though the physics have been tweaked to be a bit more fun than a typical simulation. There is still no major penalty for crashing into a wall.
The game includes 80 vehicles. You’ll find cars from Shelby, Lotus, Mercedes, RUFs, and yes, Ferrari in that lineup. You’ll have to use credits to pay for it, but you’ll find many of these in the game’s career mode. PGR 3 includes some additional features besides racing. The game includes a Gotham TV feature that lets you view pictures of cars taken in the photo mode as well as access saved replays. You can also view live online races in Xbox Live. The game boasts seven different garages for you to own. Aside from this, there are two versions of Geometry Wars, a simple arcade shooter.
PGR 3 includes a fully functioned online component. As I mentioned above, there is a full career mode that can be played online. The game also boasts online quick race and optimatch features. You’re able to play street race (and team street race), eliminator (and team eliminator) and capture the flag, where you have to post the quickest speeds in certain sections of the track to “own” that part of the track. The game performs very well online with nonexistent lag.
The game’s visuals are extremely impressive. This is one of the best looking games available for the Xbox 360. The car models are painstakingly detailed. Every little part of them was designed with a strict attention to detail. The game includes an in-car camera view that is simply amazing. All of the game’s cars have amazingly authentic interiors that really make you feel like you’re driving these cars. They are a bit marred by somewhat simplistic lighting but the actual cars look so good that you won’t even notice. The environments are undoubtedly more impressive. Every part of the track has been meticulously recreated so you’ll definitely recognize key sections of the different cities if you had visited before. If you’re in New York, you can certainly tell you’re in New York thanks to the sights of the city. The sense of speed is purely fascinating. You really feel the cars reach these speeds and feel how they struggle to make turns at such insane speeds. The game reaches a level of immersion that was rare in the current-generation. Even on a typical, 480i television, the game looks markedly better than that you would expect from an Xbox game, but playing at 720p is simply amazing.
The audio is equally impressive. The soundtrack is incredibly varied, including the expected hip-hop and rock tracks with some J-Pop and stylish classical music. The sound effects are amazing; all of the cars sound authentic and different.
Project Gotham Racing 3 is one of the brightest shining stars on the Xbox 360. The visuals and immersion is simply amazing in this game. The graphics are incredibly impressive, something unmatched by any other game. The gameplay is still solid. Welcome to the next-generation of racing games. -- Adam Nunez, PGNx Media
---- Dec 11, 2005
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