PROJECT GOTHAM RACING (XBOX)


Xbox off to a wheel-spinning start

By WILLIAM BARKER

There's something about cars and driving them, in particular, that excites so many people the world over. It has stirred the spirit for more than one hundred years and is likely to for another century.

You could go one step further and say it's an addiction to speed - perhaps it is. I actually lost my license for speeding on my motorcycle - though in my defense it is the first ever offence I've received.

Who knows what draws us to speed? Is it the feeling of being in control of something dangerous - or perhaps conquering an element of risk? One thing's for sure, it's a lot safer (and cheaper, natch!) to do it in a digital world, and the way thing's are going, it's becoming a seriously viable alternative to hard-ass laws and regulations.

Project Gotham Racing (PG) is, unofficially, sequel to the seminal Metropolis Street Racer, or MSR for acronym enthusiasts. Coded by Bizarre Creations, MSR offered gamers a completely new way to race and it was thrilling, to say the least. Rather than racing other cars, you had to reach Kudos targets. To get Kudos, you had to drive not only well, but also with style and flamboyance. Project Gotham is based on this same structure: it does everything the Dreamcast title did - but this time it's more refined and, as a result, highly playable.

Our first Xbox review, I'll start by saying the Xbox is one helluva piece of kit. This is the top of the line luxury model - we're talking leather seats, cruise control and a Dolby 5.1 for all and sundry. One of the coolest things about the console is its 8Gb hard-drive. The packaged operating system also has the ability to rip tracks from CD to the hard-drive, allowing you to create custom playlists, which some games - Project Gotham included - will happily play during the action.

But let's talk game. The first thing that's noticeable about PG is the framerate. It's got to be 60+fps. The real deal, people. This makes for a truly smooth and thus more playable game. Then you may notice the amazing graphics, which include details not seen in even the latest Gran Turismo game.

The car models are superb and, this time around, Bizarre have included deform, or damage, modelling. Environmental visuals are also tasty, with many of backdrops spanning way out into the distance. The replays are fantastic, showing off the games groovy eye-candy with some great camera angles. The four different regions in which the game is set, New York, London, Tokyo and San Francisco, all have an authentic feel and the 200+ circuits upon which you'll race range from above average to mind-blowing.

Little details, like the way the bitumen actually looks like bitumen, add greatly to the overall effect of hooning around flat chat. The way the cars wiggle about on their coil-over springs during hard cornering is astounding. Disc brakes glow, the sun casts realistic shadows and the reflection is mapping is as good as it gets.

For those who mastered MSR, this game will still be a worthy addition to your games library. A few things have changed, however. Obviously the sound and graphics are much better, but the physics engine has been ever-so-slightly tweaked, making the game a little easier to pick up for newbies.

One of my favourite new additions is the way Kudos now get tacked onto your score while driving - there's a little meter at the top of the screen which ticks over as you accumulate the Ks - no longer will you have to wait until after the race to find out how you scored. Speaking of which, there are numerous way to boost your Kudos - the most obvious being long, controlled and smooth powerslides. Using the handbrake can also assist here, but anything other than judicious use may result in bent panels and smashed windows.

Getting the car up on two wheels, overtaking and big airs are good ways to boost your score, and if you drive well - for instance, not colliding with anything - you'll get a clean section bonus too. Style Challenges include cone gates, which add 5 Kudos when intersected and combos are also possible by stringing together wild sections of driving. It's all annoyingly addictive to be honest.

The car choice in PG is much more appealing than MSR, simply because all the crap ones have been taken out. There may not be as many as in GT3 A-spec, but most of them are actually worth driving. A few of my faves are the Mazda RX-8, Ferrari F50, Porsche Carrera GT, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII, Skyline GTR and the Mini Cooper S (complete with tiny supercharger!).

Add to this an unmistakably authentic feel to the way the cars drive, whether they be front-wheel, rear or all-wheel drive, and you have one very original and exciting game. Collision detection is good, allowing for some great intimidation tactics with your opponents. Not a lot needs to be said about the CPU AI, apart from that it's devilishly good. During the early stages of the game, you'll probably find it a little too easy, but about half way through the game your foes become nasty little blighters. Tapping you ever-so-slightly on your hind quarter often cause race-losing spins. Generally solid racing lines are traits of AI scripting that isn't as linear as in Gran Turismo 3.

Project Gotham Racing is an amazing title, but behind the flashy graphics, realistic car models and bona fide vehicle behaviour, there lies a game that is an absolute hoot to play. While it feels very serious for much of the time, almost simulation-style if you will, the game comes with it's own bad-ass alter ego. The heart-stopping airs, sublime powerslides and handbrake 90-degree turns make for an entertaining, yet in-depth play. I believe MSR was greatly underrated, mainly due to its platform choice, but this is even better and speaks volumes for Bizarre Creations' guts to try something a little different and stick with it.

Project Gotham is one of the coolest driving games I've had the pleasure of tackling. The Kudos system is just perfect and provokes you to drive in a certain way that other games have never ever done. But without Bizarre's awesome physics engine, it would have been all for nought. With an extremely long shelf life, four-person multiplayer options and quick loading times, I don't mind not having a license for four months. I'd even be prepared to call it 'classic'.

ORIGINALITY 85%
SOUND/GRAPHICS 90%
PLAYABILITY 95%
ADDICTION 95%
ENJOYMENT 90%