Project Gotham Racing

The finished result is a game that rewrites the book on realism in videogames. The length they have gone to to recreate the experience of driving the world's best cars around the world's most exciting cities will astound you.

This game needs to be in every true racing gamers' library. Hours and hours (and days) of racing excitement, awesomely detailed graphics, and customizeable soundtrack make for a top of the line racer.

One of the best racing games to hit the console market.

Project Gotham gets harsh when you start going for gold. This game's liable to have you tearing out your hair and bawling like an infant with regularity. You'll wonder how on earth your competition managed to take that turn faster than you did, in a budget car that's far inferior to your performance-bred steel.

PGR presents just enough challenge without being too hard and frustrating which keeps you coming back for more.

Does Project Gotham Racing topple the PS2 giant? Not quite, but it's still one hell of a game.

Once you grow accustomed to the style of play you will be treated to a racer with depth and a remarkable presentation.

The range of driving skills required, the excellent combo Kudos system, the satisfying handling and range of unlockable extras ensure this is a game you'll keep playing.

The Kudos system is one of the most original features ever to grace a racing game. Project Gotham practically created a whole new genre.

Modes aplenty and a fun, refreshing points system. [Dec 2001]

Amazing models, detailed backgrounds, and outstanding animation all lead to Project Gotham having the best graphics of any racing game to date, ousting "Gran Turismo 3" from that spot.

Despite lacking some of the customizable features, sheer amount of cars and complexity of GT3: A-Spec, PGR is a well-balanced racer.

Imagine it this way – it's as if you're playing Tony Hawk in a minefield, and you'll lose your points if you tap a mine.

This speedster is definitely much better [than "Metropolis Street Racer" for the Dreamcast] in every respect.

An awesome game.

Obsession can easily set in with certain challenges. You might be able to see how you could earn the required amount of Kudos, but actually doing it is another matter. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It's a tough game that demands perfection more often than not, and to beat some particular races you'll be restarting the entire race the moment you've made an error.

The way the sun, street lights, and even other cars reflect off your car will amaze you. Each city, (San Francisco, Tokyo, London, New York City) is modeled as seen in real life, so you might recognize some of the places or buildings you are zipping by.

With easy-to-learn gameplay and a learning curve that lets you build up your skills as you progress without overwhelming you, Gotham is an incredibly fun title.

Aside from these minor graphical niggles, the game does look mightily beautiful and plays smooth as glass, even in splitscreen multiplayer mode.

I got the distinct impression during my time with this game that there was an arcade-like slant to how you progressed through different levels and unlocked items. [Dec 2001, p.100]

You don't have to invest a bazillion hours to unlock the sweet rides. [Jan 2002, p.229]

If the difficulty level of the latter stages was kinder and the environmental detail greater, it would have been a near-perfect racing game. As it is, it's still a very good one.

Less a racing game than it is a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater with cars instead of skateboards...[It's] also notable for its generally impressive visuals, breadth of gameplay options, and sheer number of tracks and circuits.

The game's impeccable control blends arcade sensibilities and simulation accuracy into a smooth, silky cream. [Jan 2002, p.87]

The refinement of the Kudos point system is the biggest difference between Project Gotham and its Dreamcast predecessor. [Feb 2004, p.95]

Project Gotham's trademark feature, the Kudos meter, is no doubt the best feature in the entire game.

Even with its slight problems, it's a great racing game with solid looking graphics and fantastic cars to drive through some stunning cities.

Easily the best-looking console racer to date...Expanding the kudos system to include bigger payoffs for clean racing would help make "Project Gotham" more well-rounded.

Expect a tough time; the computer AI is fierce, and a single mishap is often enough to cost you a race. [Jan 2002, p.28]

A pristine racer, with stunning graphics, plenty to play for and jaw-dropping replays. Tell the boss you're sick.

Nothing goes on along the sidelines. There are no pedestrians watching, no birds flying overhead, nothing. Pretty hard to believe these world-class cities are so dead.

Using a trick based system that rewards slides, two-wheeled skids and perfect runs, the player must earn points for the above while still riding the line and achieving exceptional lap times. At first this technique seems fresh, but after a few incredibly disappointing runs down the later tracks you'll find it more frustrating than satisfying.