Project Gotham Racing

Project Gotham is a different kind of racing game. The goal in most racers is to drive as fast as possible so that you can [hopefully] cross the finish line before everyone else. There usually isn't much beyond that, except for a Time Attack mode, which involves more straight-forward racing! In Project Gotham, it's important to cross the finish line first, but not nearly as important as earning Kudos. Kudos are like the stars in Mario 64 and the orbs in Jak and Daxter -- you can't complete the game without 'em. Kudos are the key to unlocking the game's hottest cars and tracks. Unlike Mario and Jak's collectible items though, you can't find Kudos hidden within Project Gotham; you must earn them. The primary way of earning Kudos is by performing any of the seven special moves during a race, which include: slides, 360s, overtake, big air, two wheels, clean section and navigating cone gates.

Slides are performed the same as in Crazy Taxi. Gain a decent amount of speed and depress the A button while turning left or right. The longer you hold the slide, the more points you'll earn. But if you hit the wall while performing a slide or any other special move, all of the points accumulated for that particular move (or set of moves in the case of a combo) will be lost. You can avoid this by swerving while in a slide, but it's risky and can result in the loss of several points.

360 is the hardest move to perform for two reasons: (1) you must continually move forward while performing the 360 and (2) most of the roads are way too narrow to complete the 360 without hitting the wall. However, you receive a lot of Kudos for performing this move (not just Kudos in the game, but kudos from your friends as well), so it's worth the extra effort.

The third move, overtake, can only be performed when you are racing against other racers (not every race gives you an opponent). This may sound strange, but Project Gotham is not your typical racing game. Pass any opponent cleanly (i.e., without touching his vehicle, the wall or anything else) to "overtake" them. You can score multiple points by quickly passing several opponents in succession.

The clean section move is the easiest one to perform because all you have to do is complete a portion of the circuit without sustaining any significant contact or damage.

Big Air is another easy move, but your ability to perform depends on the formation of the track. The goal is to get all four tires off the ground. Try to stay airborne as long as possible to maximize your Kudos earnings.

Then there's the two wheels move, which requires you to get up on two wheels. This move is somewhat difficult to perform.

Last, but certainly not least, there's navigating cone gates, which is more of an action than a special move. Several blue and green cones have been placed throughout each course. You earn five points every time you drive through two green cones, and even more points if you drive through two blue cones. It's best to avoid knocking them over at all costs, because if you do, you won't have a chance to pass through them again on the next lap, losing valuable points.

All of this amounts to a long and entertaining experience that cannot be found anywhere else (except for the Dreamcast. Bizarre Creations released Metropolis Street Racer for that platform, which is the game that led to Project Gotham's development). It's nice to have a racing game that can't be completed in a week! And it's even nicer to have one that doesn't play like a Gran Turismo clone. Originality has been the theme of the top Xbox games: Project Gotham, Munch's Oddysee, Halo and Wreckless are all original games with unique play mechanics and other innovative features. 

The Xbox is a real-time lighting powerhouse. Every so often, you'll be at a point on the track where nothing prevents the sun from hitting the pavement. This is a really cool effect to see. The sun bounces off the ground just as it would on hot summer day. Look closely and you'll notice how the pavement's texturing has been intensified by the sun's gorgeous glow.

Project Gotham is the first racing game that I know of to show damage on real-life car models, such as the Volkswagen Beetle. Unfortunately, the damage is minimal. You can crash all day long, it doesn't matter. I banged up the side of my Bug several times, and the only damage I had to show for it was a small dent and a broken tail light! It's disappointing to see such little damage in a game that excels in almost every other way.

Project Gotham's soundtrack is packed with dozens of different songs from a farrago of well-known artists, including: Eve 6, Gorillaz, The Chemical Brothers, Iggy Pop and more. These artists provide the player with hours of entertainment. This is the kind of soundtrack that you'll want to listen to even when you're not playing.

Groovenics' "Teach Me" is an awesome rock song with a style similar to Incubus. The chorus is fast, much like the game itself, and while it is a tad distracting at times, I'm glad that the developers added it to their game. I always look forward to hearing it again (the songs can be programmed to play them as much as you want, but the default setting only plays it once each time around). "What I Say" by Alien Crime Syndicate is an excellent tune that blends nicely into the back of your head. You have to concentrate on what you're doing as you powerslide around each crazy track, and "What I Say" doesn't stop you from doing that. Gorillaz's "19-2000" is pretty far out, but it gets in your head and won't leave. It doesn't matter if you don't like the song at first, because in time, it WILL grow on you. It grew on me and I don't usually like that kind of music! Another one of my favorite songs is Eve 6's "Enemy." That song has absolutely nothing to do with racing, but who cares? It's fun to listen to and that's all that matters.

The Kudos system is one of the most original features ever to grace a racing game. Project Gotham practically created a whole new genre. It's one part racing, one part driving and one part performance action. I know that the Xbox has been out for a few months now, but I must say that this is one of the system's best launch titles. If you just got an Xbox, technically you're still within the launch window, and if you already own Halo and Munch's Oddysee, then this is the game to get. If you don't own Halo or Munch, then what are you waiting for? Go out and buy them right now! And pick up Project Gotham while you're at it.

Gameplay: 9
Project Gotham has a great deal of replay value. The more I played it, the more I loved it. PG just got better and better as time went on. If you ever wondered what the racing game equivalent to Mario 64 was, here's your answer.

Graphics: 9
Gorgeous car models, amazing reflections, great lighting and smooth backgrounds make Project Gotham one of the best-looking games of 2001. It would have looked a lot better without the jagged edges on the vehicles though.

Sound: 9
Although annoying at times, the sound effects are quite good. Wreckless' soundtrack is even better. The real radio station feature is very amusing, and if that ain't enough, you can download any CD you have and play it in the game!

Difficulty: 9
Earning Kudos is no small task. You can't simply make it to the finish line before the competition; you must perform a multitude of special moves and STILL come out on top to be the champion of this game.

Concept: 9
Project Gotham breaths new life into a genre that has been stagnating for years. The Kudos system is great, but it's the way you earn them (by performing special moves) that really stands out.

Multiplayer: 8
Up to four players can go for the gold simultaneously in Project Gotham. While it is fun playing this game with other people, Project Gotham is like Gran Turismo in that it is best when played by yourself. The split screen makes it hard to see everything and this is one game where good visibility is a must.

Overall: 9
Batman is nowhere to be found in Project Gotham, but you will find plenty of cars that exceed the speed limit of the Batmobile. Project Gotham is the premiere Xbox racing game. Enjoy!