|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| PLATFORM: XBOX 360 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| WALK THE LINE |
|
|
|
|
 ’ve been wrestling with this game. It’s good. In fact, what it does is executed with a consistently high level of quality that makes the entire experience nothing short of rock solid. But what Project Gotham Racing 3 does has mostly been seen before, and also executed well by other games.
Most obviously, it’s beautiful. The fully-rendered audience members and real-world locations are bright, varied, and make delicious backgrounds to race through. A handful of viewpoints is crowned by a cockpit perspective that shows the individual cars’ interiors – something that I hope every racer from here on out steals with the same degree of detail. And then there are the cars themselves. The ride list numbers around 80, and the cheapest, lowest-end vehicle is far more machine than any of us will ever dream to own. Instead of a simulation title’s progression through factory-equipped starter cars, PGR 3 wants players to get to the good stuff right away.
Weirdly, this is one of the areas where I think the title falters a bit. In short, the entire game – from its course layout to physics to car list to user-selected difficultly at the start of each race (a great feature, by the way) – attempts to walk a line between modern simulation and arcade racers. As an avid racing game fan, I don’t think that it scratches either itch with absolute success, especially after you get a dozen hours into the long single-player experience and there are few new rewards. This exact point is where your personal feelings have to come into play and make this the sole question to ask: Are you so particular about racing that this no man’s land is no place for you?
If you think that the world of in-betweens sounds interesting, there are some treats in store. The much-trumpeted online features are impressive. Regular old races are spiced up with user-created tracks, the tool for which really lets gamers loose with few restrictions. The tournaments weren’t yet set up for us to try, but if the community involvement is strong, these could be really awesome. Gotham TV is another feature that, at bare minimum, is interesting and I’m glad that Bizarre Creations is trying something new with online. While I thought that this and the scrolling ticker tape of achievements wouldn’t be very much of a draw for me, I found the information and experience of watching other races to be really interesting and fun.
While PGR 3 wavers back and forth between schools of thought, it is a solid and fun, if not deep or terribly rewarding, racer – one that ably promotes beauty over brains. While I’ve been wrestling over how to describe it, players should feel confident in its high-quality execution.
|
|
|
After three games, developer Bizarre Creations knows what to do to get that motor oil in your veins pumping. Despite the fact that there isn’t much that has really changed about this franchise, the graphics do make a difference in the cockpit mode. When the shadows sweep across your dashboard and the world blurs behind you in your mirrors as you streak through city streets, you’ll understand the impact that racing in this view brings. I would have liked more new tracks, and although I understand customization is not the focus of this series, I have been hoping for two iterations now that PGR would get some depth. Gotham TV doesn’t do anything for me, but giving you the option to race created courses is cool, and the online features will please those who can use them. This is a solid debut on the system that will serve fans well; I just hope the developers are also looking down the road to ensure the series continued success. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
8.5 |
|
|
| CONCEPT: |
| When your series’ second title goes over like a fart in a church, make the third stand out and prove worthy |
|
|
| GRAPHICS: |
| A fully 3D crowd and nicely detailed backgrounds really do make a difference |
|
|
| SOUND: |
| The weirdest song list I have ever heard, but I love it |
|
|
| PLAYABILITY: |
| Consistent controls that differentiate the cars well enough |
|
|
| ENTERTAINMENT: |
| The highly-scaleable difficulty level makes this accessible to practically anyone |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Copyright
1991 -
2009
:: Game Informer Magazine
|
|
|