Any console-maker worth their salt will tell you that one of the main ingredients for the successful launch of a new console is a showcase title - a game that is not only exemplary on its own merits, but which takes advantage of those facets of a console which are unique. It's one thing to list new and improved features on a piece of paper, but it's another entirely to be able to point to a specific game in order to let skeptics experience what your nifty new console brings to the table. The Nintendo 64's controller probably seemed silly until people started playing Mario 64. The Xbox probably looked unwieldy until Halo jumped off television screens. PGR3, probably more than any other launch title, demonstrates what the 360 experience is about. With tried and true gameplay, a startlingly slick presentation, and seamless online integration, PGR3 seems to be a sign of things to come from the 360.In terms of fundamentals, very little has changed from Project Gotham 2 to Project Gotham 3. The basic gist of the game is that you start with a not-so-good car, perform in a series of races and challenges to earn cash to put towards new cars, which in turn give you an edge on further races and challenges, and so on and so forth. Ultimately, you wind up in an elite series of races driving extremely high-performance cars against rather stiff competition. PGR3 does differ from its predecessor is that the lowest class of cars have been cut off entirely, bringing the total car count somewhere closer to 80. The cars you start out with are, in comparison to what you see on the street, pretty high performance vehicles. This does cut the length of the career mode down a bit, as you can accrue a respectable amount of credits in a short amount of playtime - giving you access to cars like the Enzo Ferrari, which you can use with a good degree of success even up the game's last events. Still, there's a significant chunk of gameplay to be had, and it's a real challenge trying to get the higher levels.

The gameplay itself will be familiar to most - it tends towards the simulation side of the racing spectrum, and it can be extremely punishing to gamers who have grown a little too accustomed to Ridge Racer, Burnout, or Need for Speed. Unlike those games, PGR3 requires extremely judicious use of the power and e-brakes. Skilled players will be able to whip around turns with the e-brake, but even preemptive use of the power brake is extremely effective in competition. Most of the cars, by virtue of their high performance, are RWD - so effectively controlling oversteer and managing your tire traction are just as important as hitting your corners at the right angle.

One of PGR's biggest shticks has been the emphasis on style. Players are rewarded for risqué and cool-looking driving with ‘kudos.' Many of the events in the career mode center on kudos - some requiring you get a certain amount in a very short time span, and others running on a modified hot-lap, where you can gain extra time by scoring as many kudos as you can. PGR3 also tracks your kudos production relative to all other players in the world, provided you are connected to Xbox Live. After every event you get a global ranking, and you can see how your driving matches up to the best in the world. The competition for the top spots is fierce, but it's extremely gratifying to see your talent validated against your digital peers.

The online component is probably what distinguishes PGR3 the most from the competition. In addition to the ability to compare your driving abilities with everybody else in the world visa vie Kudos leaderboards or ghost runs, there's a fully fleshed out multiplayer game that is an absolute joyride. You can take part in street race, eliminator, and capture the track modes, all against real-life competitors with full voice support. The game uses a rather complex system to match you with players whose connections are agreeable and who are of a similar skill level. Of course, if you're just starting out, this means that you'll be racing against the worst of the worst, which can be aggravating at times. Lesser skilled players are prone to swerving, slamming into walls during turns, and overly aggressive play. In many races, the winners are decided in the first turn, as over-eager or malicious drivers slam into the cars in front of them, sending whole packs careening into the guardrail. Learning how to avoid this sort of behavior is key to advancing in the online career mode.

Once you get to the higher ranks, player behavior tends to calm down a bit and people are a little bit more courteous. Higher ranked players are less prone to taking risks, and you'll often see them all making the same car selection, which can lead to a general sense of homogeneity at times. Still, the competition is pretty fierce, and success can be rather gratifying. Particularly high ranked players are featured on something called ‘Gotham TV,' where non-racers can watch the race as it happens. This can actually be a rather amusing diversion during down-time, as crashes and other misbehaviors are far more amusing when you're not behind the wheel.

Beyond the online component, the most thoroughly anticipated part of the game was the visuals. In this respect, PGR3 delivers once again. It is by far the best looking racing game seen to date. The car models are absolutely fantastic, taking moderate amounts of damage as you go, though it's unfortunately static stuff like the trunk popping up and mirrors breaking. No dynamic crashes yet. The different views of the action are great, particularly the cockpit view. Everything within the cockpit is accurately modeled, and you can actually check your mirrors and glance out either window as you're driving to locate other racers in your proximity.

Your virtual driver's head actually reacts to the game's physics independently of the vehicle, so you'll feel like you're really being jostled around. The lighting is fantastic, and far more noticeable, as they've implemented a sort of virtual retina. It takes time to adjust when moving from dark areas to light and vice versa, just like it does in real life. It's a very neat little touch, and highly unexpected at first. The tracks themselves are modeled after real cities, and they make spectacular backdrops for the action. If you pay attention, there are even 3D spectators on the side of the road who react to what's going on in the race. Watch them flee in horror as you slam into the guardrail in front of them, it's glorious. It's also worth noting that the game flies by at remarkably consistent framerate - never taking you out of the action.

Of course that PGR3 is a much bigger performer in HD than on an SDTV. There's simply no replacing the color contrast, sharpness, and sheer beauty of playing the game on an HD display. That's not knocking SDTV's either - it's still the best looking racing game there is on older sets, it's just that seeing the game run in HD is just TOO perfect an excuse to trash the old TV and upgrade, bank account be damned. It's worth noting however, that PGR3 doesn't translate very well when using a VGA cable to connect the console to 5:4 ratio monitors. The game is designed for 720p, and it doesn't scale very well to other resolutions. It still looks good with some tweaking, but it looks slightly off - the anti-aliasing in particular becoming noticeable.

In all, PGR3 presents an extremely attractive package to any current or future 360 owner. It's the premier racing franchise on the console, one of the best graphical showcases there is, and one of the best online components you can find anywhere. For a first-generation 360 title, it's a pretty impressive offering, even considering the fact that the career mode is a bit shorter than PGR2. Every 360 owner would do well to have a copy of PGR3 on the shelf - there's simply no substitute.

Score: 89%

Jan 10, 2006 | 0 comments
Chris Chester