Project Gotham Racing 2 Review (no fat)

Game Description

Generally speaking, Project Gotham Racing 2 (PGR2) is a worthy successor to the first Project Gotham fare. In this second go-around, the designers have added some exciting racing features, including the addition of some more great looking cars and the opportunity to play online with up to seven players.

Project Gotham Racing 2 Gameplay

PGR2 is a solid game for those people who like variety. For example, PGR2 offers a three totally different modes of play for single player games, including a Time Trial mode, Kudos World Challenge and an Arcade Racing mode.

In addition to the modes of play, the game features races in a broad spectrum of geographic locations. Drivers race everywhere from London to New York to Tokyo and more than ten other cities in between, including Moscow and Hong Kong.

PGR2 centers its gameplay on the interesting selection of cars. You can select from a pack of 30 cars, featuring everything from a MINI Cooper to a Mercedes ML55 and quite a number of vehicles in between. Each car is rated a bit differently for speed, handling, acceleration and the like. While you can’t customize your chosen car, there is enough variation for you to be able to find a car that best fits your style.

Plus, you have four different perspectives to choose from during the races. A player can select a first person view from the driver’s seat or a behind the car view to get a broader perspective of what is happening around the car itself. You can alter perspectives during the course of any given race.

While PGR2 features “artificial intelligent racers,” they are fairly simplistic in their functioning. With that said, at higher difficulty level settings, these racers actually do become rather challenging…in fact, they get very challenging.

Project Gotham Racing 2 Multiplayer Gameplay

The online, multi-player option is a particularly solid feature. Up to seven people can play PGR2 online. The multi-player option adds an extra element of suspense and excitement to an already fairly high charged game.

Actually, something that accompanies a good multiplayer gameplay is the increase in the replay value, and what further boosts the replay value is the online multiplayer gameplay…Kudos to Bizarre Creations for getting that spot on.

Project Gotham Racing 2 – Earning the Kudos

One of the interesting features of PGR2 is the fact that you actually gain extra points by being a good driver. The better you are at handling curves at high speeds and other challenging maneuvers, the more points you will amass throughout the playing session. So basically, Project Gotham racing is not just about winning…it is also about how you win.

The Kudos system isn’t a gain-all deal though; you also lose ground on your Kudos meter if you scrape walls and crash your car. Although you can bang into other cars all you want, but crashing cones isn’t a good show-off trick so it is more than likely to be penalized.

If that is not enough, you have Kudos Combos as well. Just as you complete a Kudo earning trick you have a few seconds to add Combo points to your meter as well…crashing when you’ve got a good Combo going is such a pain…

Project Gotham Racing 2 Graphics

Despite the fact that PGR2 is theoretically played in real world locales, the graphics do fall short in the believability department. On the plus side, when it comes to landmarks in the various cities where the racing events are being held, these real world fixtures are easy to identify and generally well done. Also, the graphics flow evenly and there, generally, is no problem with lags in the operation of the game.

All in all, PGR2 is quite the arcade racing game but the intense excitement provoked by the game makes up for any shortcomings in the graphics department.

Project Gotham Racing 2 Sound Quality

One of the stronger points of PGR2 is its sound quality. The game’s sound is innovative and unique in that it adds a truly authentic touch to the game by adding in location specific tracks. There are nearly 250 songs plugged into the game that cover nearly any imaginable music genre.

Another unique twist when it comes to the sound associated with the game is the presence of DJs from different locations around the world. The game features over 30 DJs from the different cities and countries where the races are occurring. While the graphic renditions of these locales may be a bit weak, the presence of the voices of the actual DJs who call these locales home adds a true sense of believability and authenticity.

Project Gotham Racing 2 Verdict

The Soundtrack and the variety in racing environments increase PGR2's value for racing fans. To top things off, the challenge of gaining Kudos and creating great Combos is something that might actually take your mind off anything else for quite a while. On the whole, with the addictive gameplay, Project Gotham Racing 2 is a collectable for any arcade racing fan.

Project Gotham Racing 2 Game Cost

PGR2 for Xbox currently retails for $9.99US at the time of writing.