Project Gotham Racing came along as one of the launch titles for the Xbox. And with great delight is was a very good racer. Not one of the best racing titles around, but one of the more challenging and unique ones. It uses a Kudos system to track how well you do on a certain race, and give you points on how well you do. Get enough points and new courses will be unlocked and new cars as well. Well, let's get this engine started.

Graphics

This has to be one of the most graphically stunning racing games I've seen to date. The cars have reflective mapping on them, and they even take damage if you smash them into other cars and walls. The courses are based on real locations, from London, San Francisco, and Tokyo. When you see Fisherman's Wharf and driven there, it looks exactly the same. The developers have done a painstaking job in creating the buildings, trees and even the little bumps in the road. The only thing that strikes me is that the only people that I see are the ones in the cars. There is no one around the streets and the whole city looks deserted.

Sound

The sound is okay. It's not really that spectacular. Each individual car has their own engine sounds, the screeching of the tires sounds great, and that's about it. Nothing really special here. But the neat thing is once you get tired of the music, you can download your own music into the track listen to those while you're racing. It's really cool listening to Nelly's "EI" while you're drifting around a corner.

Gameplay

Project Gotham Racing is a mix of arcade and simulation. The cars handle realistically, but not so much that you'd really need a steering wheel. It's easy to control the cars and each has their own handling. Some cars have rear wheel drive and four wheel drive, while some are heavier than others. It's cool finding which car suits you best. The Kudos system is very challenging and it's where you'll spend most of your time. Prepare to be a little frustrated if you can't accomplish the goal that the course wants. But once that goal is accomplished, it'll feel awesome and you can even try to beat that score.

Overall

Project Gotham Racing may not be the best racers around, but it's enjoyable and challenging. It has enough options to keep you playing and playing just to get that course right and eventually get that Ferrari F50 that you so have been dying to race in.

"Will I ever get that damn Ferrari F50 without using the code!?"

--Alvin

Graphics - Great car models and environments. Need some people though.	9.0
Sound - Basic engine sounds with different sounds per car. Cool part is you can rip your own tracks.	8.1
Gameplay - Easy to get used to. Not a cinch to play the first time though.	8.3
Satisfaction - Might get boring after you can't finish some goals.	8.1
Overall	8.4