Retro Review: Project Gotham Racing 2

Ah, Project Gotham Racing. If you checked out my Blur review, you know I like Bizarre Creations as a developer. While F1 97 was my introduction to them, it was here when I really got to know about their formidable reputation for racing games. Going into this retrospective I thought one thing: "PGR2 had to be the slickest racing game I ever played". I remember the gorgeous cars, the great handling, the real world cities to pull off all manner of style, and the various events that you competed in to earn kudos. Notably, I thought it looked as good a racer as the original xbox was ever going to produce at the time. But do my statements still hold up over 10 years since the game's release? Does it legitimately beat out Forza Motorsport where it counts? And is it still worth talking about releasing a new instalment?

Despite playing this retrospective on the Xbox 360, I would recommend playing PGR2 on the original xbox. Firstly, there are some small technical hiccups from moving consoles, such as freezes and a black screen when selecting cars in the world series mode. Second, you have custom soundtracks on the original xbox that you can play on the radio stations while racing. Burnt CD's make a welcome change from the tracks shipped with the game, especially later on when you will have likely heard them all many times. Its a small touch, but its hard to beat The Cardigans "My Favourite Game" as you speed through the city streets.

For the record this is also the single player review. Multiplayer split screen is still fun, but the lack of online in 2015 is a blow to really fleshing it out.

The game contains a few different options for players. The single player has three main branches, the Kudos World Series, Arcade Racing and Time attack, and these three branch into a series of challenges for the player to complete.

The Kudos World Series feels most like a conventional single player, so most should jump in here first. The progression is done with 14 different car classes and over 100 vehicles, spread over every location the game has to offer. You must complete a series of challenges in one car class before you move up to the next series. Classes tend to feature two or three cities, all of which are beautifully modelled and have a nice introduction at every event.

The actual racing events are fairly straightforward when looking through modern eyes. There are street races, time challenges, one on one events and overtake events. Some more unique events are the cone challenges and speed camera events (where you must reach a set top speed). Cone challenges in particular emphasise the philosophy behind PGR; Its all well and good winning, but the best racers win in style.

If you want to succeed in Project Gotham Racing, you must earn kudos, the currency you need to unlock new (and often better) cars. To earn kudos, you must drive stylishly. The more common moves you tend to pull off are cornering well, powersliding around corners, racing a section without damaging your car and driving behind your opponents for drag and a slight speed boost (drafting).

You also earn bonus kudos based on the difficulty you choose. Silver is actually a reasonable normal, but a great challenge is found in gold, and only the best tactics and driving can get you to the platinum medals. The extra kudos bonus always has you trying to perfect your way around a course, and is a great incentive to push harder than you would in other racers.  This also helps the novice drivers out there, who may not be getting great cars, but can complete the career mode earning just steel and bronze and be content. Additionally, to ease the player from frustration when aiming one level beyond, the retry option is always there that instantly has you starting again. None of this excessive load times you tend to associate with newer racers out there.

There is something of a gambling theme running through the difficulty and scoring system that I quite enjoyed. Going back to cone challenges, these events in particular emphasise the combo bonus. If you pull off a succession of slick moves in between 2 seconds, a small bonus is given and increases with each subsequent move until your combo is done. Chaining two or three moves will net you maybe 5-10 kudos, but pull it off all race and the bonus is in the thousands. This bonus is the main way to pass cone challenges, and its up to you to decide whether you should keep the combo going or slow down and bank what you have. Crash, or hit a cone and you say goodbye to that bonus score.

Ranking up the world series from VW Golfs all the way through SUV's, touring cars, roadsters and up to the Ultimate high end racers is a great progression system. Each class gets just enough time devoted to it that it isn't short lived nor overstays its welcome. I wish PGR4 kept this system rather than multiple seasons to be honest, its just more straightforward.

Typical race selection in a class

The AI is about as impressive as you expect for a decade old game, and no doubt drivatars do it better, but opponents do put up a challenge in street races. Still, its very possible (and nigh essential in platinum) to knock an opponent off at the first corner and hold onto a lead for the rest of the race, particularly on one on one events. The actual driving is enjoyable and covers a wide range from drifting kings to speed demons. Each vehicle has its own handling feel, and some excel in a form of handling that requires their use. You WANT a drifty car for racking up extra kudos in cone challenges. The controls fit neatly between the hardcore tuning sims and the more obvious drift friendly arcade racers. So, if you like the idea of pushing a Skyline to its limits in a semi-realistic way, but without having to set up the damn thing for 15 mins, then this is the racer for you.

Outside of World tour, you have Arcade mode, which has a series of races in one specific category (Cone challenge, street race and timed run) and you can earn kudos by taking part. Vehicles and tracks are pre-set so its up to you to make the most of what you have been given. Its actually a great alternative to World Tour, where car selection plays a slightly larger role. I particularly enjoyed the string of 20 cone challenges, and testing your ability to really rack up the score for platinum medals.

Lastly there is Time attack, which, like arcade mode, has set tracks and set vehicles, but its a more relaxed affair, as no kudos score nor difficulty is involved. Its just you and the racing.

One more mention of note is the Instant Action option in the main menu. If you aren't in the mood to navigate the various branches of the single player, you can select this option and get a random car, city and mode to race in. Great for five minutes of action and adds a 'pick up and play' option. More racers could do with this small addition, and its a shame its not seen that much on modern games.

I mentioned how this is the slickest racer out for the Xbox and the presentation definitely helps the game out. All of the cars are modelled with great detail for the time (including modelled interiors and animations), the cities are well and truly mapped street for street for an authentic racing experience, and the menu's and interface are simple, but not trying too hard at impressing like perhaps its sequels. It has aged, particularly with the lack of extra details once the cities and vehicles were modelled, but this is one of the better looking xbox racers. The sequels did add the extra detail to impress, but even without that its got the authentic masquerade in full swing.

As great as the box art

Its not just the visuals that impress. The city specific radio stations further give each city its own flavour and Menu music and sound effects are simply perfect; I cannot think of a better sounding racing game as far as menu's and sound design are concerned. The soundtrack is varied too, from calming night drives to desperate last lap sprints, you won't feel the need to turn the radio off for a while. All in, the audio has you feeling like you are about to get into the driver's seat, and that's exactly what you need for this game.

While this retrospective has seemingly had a strong set of rose tinted glasses, there has to be a few flaws to be acknowledged. Sadly Xbox live multilayer is offline, as it is with all original xbox titles. From my understanding this was a racer to really showcase online multiplayer until Halo 2 came along and introduced the lobby to consoles.

The presentation has not dated all that badly, but the driving does feel less enjoyable than it did in 2003. Playing PGR4 or Blur shows the subtle advances that Bizarre implemented to improve handling across the board. Bizarre also added a few more modes to the series, and compared to the more recent Forza games, PGR2 would feel a lot more repetitive and anaemic if its cone challenges and overtake modes were missing. Also notably absent for more hardcore racing fans are a cockpit view and tuning system. Save for a transmission option, all you get to change about your vehicle is the paint job. The game also has a feel of being stuck between arcade and simulation at times, minus the intense speed and craziness of the former nor the insane customisation and physics of the latter.

This is still king for a sense of speed

It is also apparent in the world tour that there tends to be only one or two cars you need to win races per class. Grand Touring has the Ferrari Maranello, Sports Utility has the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and so on. Sometimes you may have a class with a vehicle with slightly better acceleration to beat speed camera events, but for the most part the car with best top speed and acceleration wins.

And of course, for a game that demands fast reacting at times, the reduction from the previous games 60 FPS to 30 has an effect on gameplay in subtle ways. You won't have the faster 'feel' up close, so the pacing may appear slower. The quality of the graphics had to mean compromise in some areas, and this is it. It doesn't wreck the game by any means, since 30 was standard for its time, so its just a nitpick.

I guess my reasons why I prefer Project Gotham Racing to Forza comes down to the kudos mentality of progression, the racing taking place in the cities as opposed to purpose built tracks, a strong and unique identity to its presentation, and the actual driving feels more enjoyable to play. This really is an arcade game wearing a simulations coat of real cars and cities, and I think this broader appeal is why it worked as the Xbox's flagship racing series until the 360's release of Forza 2. I hear rumours every now and then that there is the possibility of a reboot or new instalment in the series, but with the success of Forza Horizon as an arcade/sim hybrid it is unlikely, and oversaturating the racing genre is not Microsoft's strategy.

Project Gotham Racing 2 is one of those top tier xbox racing games that offers a middle ground for players who don't want to tweak everything like a simulation, but also want a sense of authenticity to their racing. This has everything a fan could want from the series, with the series strongest track lineup and progression system. Importantly, the single player stands the test of time, being thoroughly fleshed out and not dependant on an online component (as perhaps Blur was) or DLC down the line to be great as it is. This is not really a game for players turned off racing games, but if you feel the need for speed and have your old xbox, definitely check this one out. If you have more recent consoles, give the sequels a shot as well (They are really cheap now). Forza may be Microsoft's favourite racer now, but its worth remembering the brilliance that preceded it.