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| Game: |
Project Gotham 2 |
| Genre: |
Racing |
| Developer: |
Bizarre Creations |
| Publisher: |
Microsoft Games |
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| Related Links: |
Coming Soon. |
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Project Gotham 2 Preview: |
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Hands on Preview:
When invited over to play PGR2, I jumped at the chance as this was one game that is going to be hot, hot, hot !! Needless to say, I was not disappointed. PGR2 is the ultimate test of racing skill, style and daring which rewards drivers not only for how fast they drive but for how they drive fast !! A combination that is very hard to beat.
Having owned the original PGR, getting into the game without reading the instructions was a breeze, as the controls were more or less identical, whilst the usual options were presented along with a few new ones. The primary mode of the game starts you off with simple courses and challenges with slower cars but you can work your way up to other classes thru tougher challenges and more advanced courses. Each race or challenge has 5 difficulty levels to choose from which respectively can earn you an increasing number of bonus Kudos. I’ll get back to the Kudos system in a second as this has also been vastly improved. Not only have you got the group & one-on-one races but you can Speed Race or take the Cone Challenge.
The new Kudos Ranking system allows drivers to earn special Kudos points by driving with style. You can be rewarded for doing power slides, spinning 360’s, cornering on two wheels and for the first time, drafting while staying on the race line and keeping car damage to a minimum. The Kudos Ranking system challenges gamers to earn Kudos and improve their level-ranking, because to more you get….the more you can unlock !! You have the opportunity to unlock cities, tracks and cars. I also remember how frustrating it was to build up a high combo of Kudos only to see it all lost with a simple nudge against the barriers or another car. Well, the developers have decided to be kind to all us reckless drivers by allowing the kudos to diminish instead of vanish at the slightest infringement. At least you might get some points for skidding around that corner only to end up clipping the barrier !!
The two most important features of any game are Graphics and Gameplay. So, how are they in PGR2 ? Well, the gameplay is smoother than the first, allowing novice drivers to quickly notch up points and access some unlockables. The difficulty curve is not as steep as the original PGR, so you wont be throwing your controller to the floor for just missing out on a 1st place win even though you had done everything right to win that race. The controls are spot on, giving the player a real arcade experience. PGR & PGR2 were never hailed as racing simulation but as Arcade driving, and this is exactly what it is…..ARCADE !!
The graphics have been made smoother whilst a lot more attention has been shown towards the smaller details, such as birds flying in the sky to the unique spokes of certain cars. Not having visited every city featured in this game, I can not possibly say if they are true to form but one city which I have been to….not mentioning any names…Sydney, Australia, has been captured wonderfully. Even though there are no street names like Midtown Madness, I was able to recognise a few of the streets and even areas where some of the major attractions can be found, like The Rocks, Sydney Bridge, Opera House etc etc. There are more cities to drive around than the first PGR but some of them you will have to unlock.
Onto the cars, and oh boy….what a selection of cars. You will be able to take the wheel of some of the most exclusive high performance vehicles in the world to the vintage classics. For example there is the new Enzo Ferrari, Porsche GT2, BMZ Z4, (see our PGR2 Garage feature here and check out all the cars) to name but a few. Just like the original game, you can listen to the hottest DJs in the world or create your own personal playlists through the exclusive CD player.
Now, if all that doesn’t get you excited….the game is LIVE Enabled. You can join your friends around the world for the ultimate street race. Not only that, but you can download “ghosts” or recorded cars to watch, learn from and compete against from other drivers around the globe. Leaderboards will update in solo play mode whilst connect to Xbox Live so you can keep track of who’s number one. At the moment, downloadable content has not been ruled out or confirmed.
Overall, this will be one of the hottest titles out for the Xbox and I know I will be getting this as soon as it hits the shelves in the shops. Here’s hoping to see you on the streets for a bit of speed racing !!
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