Metropolis Street Racer may have been announced early on in the Dreamcast cycle, but by the time the game was released, the system was on its last legs. Never mind the fact that this took place over the course of under two years -- it was a shame on all parts. MSR had its problems, but the fact that someone had taken the racing simulation and tried to pull off something truly unique was to be applauded.

In a stroke of luck, not only was the developer Bizarre Creations recognized for their work, but they were given the opportunity to do their racer one better for the launch of a new console system. While Project Gotham isn't quite a sequel, it's certainly a revamp of the MSR formula, and a honing of the Kudos formula that made the game so unique. It's a new way to look at racing, and while it's going to be criticized for focusing on a different aspect of racing than most people are used to, that's also part of what makes this game a new experience worthwhile for anyone who calls themselves a racing fan.

Gameplay
For those of you that felt like Gran Turismo's levels were too long and drawn out, you've got your savior. Of course, you've probably also got Attention Deficit Disorder, but either way, a big bulk of Gotham's gaming takes place in tiny, bite-sized pieces that stress specific skills. The entire game is sectioned up into three major modes: Kudos, Quick and Arcade races, each of which tests your general driving skills, your racing skills, and your technique skills respectively. Each mode is split up into race sets, and you can choose the order of each race, and beat them at your leisure. Can't finish all for races in level one of the Arcade race mode? Try playing the Kudos mode until you unlock a faster car, then go try it again. It's freeing to be able to play the races in the order you want, when you feel like it.

Part of the reason the game is structured this way is because the game is about technique, not simple wins. So you can unlock cars by getting first place in a set of races, by beating a certain car in a one-on-one race, or by getting a certain total number of Kudos. Even in races, the Kudos are always the factor in winning, not simply a place number. At first, the Kudos bonus you get for getting in the top three is enough to have you win a race, but as you get further in the game, things will get tougher, and you'll have to actually place and get a minimum amount of Kudos to win. You can't just play sloppy and expect to get far in Gotham -- you're going to have to learn to play like a champ.

Fortunately, the Kudos system is a lot easier to handle in Gotham. You can points by sustained slides (without hitting any walls), for getting on two wheels, for catching air, overtaking another car, and of course combos based on doing any of them in quick succession. In Arcade mode it's even tougher, because in order to hit the high scores needed to get gold in the races, you'll have to do all the above while keeping yourself going through sets of green pylons at a speed fast enough to keep the score from totaling. It's brutally tough, but so much fun that you'll put yourself through sweaty sessions on one race just to learn to read the track and get you and your car playing perfectly.

Your competition is just as ruthless as the courses, and when you're in one on one races you'll spend most of the time peering through the rear view mirror, trying to block your opponent from passing you. Sometimes you can manipulate the AI to your advantage by simply slamming cars to slow you down and help you around corners, but they're smart enough to aggressively seek out gaps and pass you on straightaways. More often than not you'll be slamming your fist because a stupid cornering mistake you've made, not because you felt the AI's been unfair or overly stupid.

I was a big fan of the heavier feel of the cars in MSR, and I instantly fell in love with the control in Gotham, particularly in the subtleties between the cars. Because you're doing so much turning, sliding, and braking, you'll find yourself intimately aware of the differences between an Audi TT Coupe and a Focus, just on how well they brake at certain speeds, or take tight turns. This is a game that should be judged on its control first and foremost, and in that regards this is a fantastic example of racing precision.

Graphics
Some people are going to tell you that this is the most beautiful racing game made to date... and those people have never played Gran Turismo. While the cars and textures in Gotham are absolutely, positively stunning, the lighting and the little details are still as flat as they were in MSR on the Dreamcast. While racing games have taken lighting to new levels, Gotham tends to give everything a bright, direct look that points out the simplicity of the building architecture rather than work around it. The cars are beautiful, from the way they reflect the environment and crumple to the way the driver reacts to your commands, but the buildings are almost pulled from another game entirely. The textures on the individual structures are crisp and tight, but windows and detailing are painted on rather than done in actual polygons, which makes the environments seem more toylike than they should.

It's a compliment to some of the game's finer points that when something stands out, it's mainly because it doesn't match with the some of the high points of the other details of the game. The road reflections show off what subtle bump mapping can really do, and the particle rain effects off the tires are realistic and entertaining to watch, but grass is a painted green slab, or when a set of buildings are almost flat square blocks, it draws you out of the experience. The saving grace here is that racing games are about cars, and you'll never, ever be disappointed with your ride when you're gliding through the city streets.

You'd think that silly things like picking a license plate from any of the countries in the game, or choosing your own helmet would be fruity additions to a meaty game, but just wait. You'll get spoiled, and the next time you play a racer you'll be holding your breath until they let you put your name on a Tokyo plate. Because the detail is so visible on the Xbox, those details are recognizable on the cars, and really let you go geeky on the game. You'll know you're in trouble when you're sweating about how you can unlock the additional car colors and helmets in the game. Talking to yourself is only right around the corner.

Sound
Bizarre Creations has put as much detail into their music as they have into the control of the cars, and it's really impressive. Not only are there 60 tracks by such artists as Looper, David Lee Roth, The Gorillaz and The Chemical Brothers, but you can choose how and when you listen to them in an infinite combination of ways. You can make your own custom CD for the game, mixing in your own music with the Gotham music seamlessly. You can pick a radio station with real DJs from the appropriate cities who'll actually announce some of the songs as you listen, talk about fake concerts and promotions, and generally quip like real life. You can even create your own playlist, then put it in Radio mode over the top of the tracks to have a DJ chatter over your own music. It's beyond the call of duty, and exactly when you want when you're spending this much time playing a game. Every game should have this many musical options.

Car sounds aren't quite as anal as Gran Turismo, but they're meaty, loud and authentic enough to have you grinning. They sound exactly like you want cars to sound, and in my opinion that's more important than having every car sound exactly like the real thing.

Closing Comments This one's not for everyone. That being said, neither is the Tekken or Gran Turismo series. Both are games that require some heavy duty dedication to really find the beauty of their respective play mechanics, and Gotham is no different. 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. But if you're meticulous enough to enjoy getting into the meat of a deep title like this one, you'll find that the designers have really tried to create a new driving experience, and for the most part, succeeded in doing just that. Though I wish the environments were handled with more flair, the cars are beautiful, and the gameplay is polished and fun. If you can get over the tight corners and lower-speed racing involved, you'll be amazed by the depth of the game, not to mention the technique required to master it. Add to that the most in-depth music manager of any Xbox game yet, and an amazing pack-in soundtrack, and you've got yourself an awesome reason to buy an Xbox as a racing fanatic. -- Vincent Lopez I love the fact that Project Gotham Racing is so tough. Not only will the AI drivers bump and cheat their way to victory in the street races, but the courses themselves --especially the cone lined kudos races-- are extremely unforgiving. You will drive the courses correctly at the greatest speed possible or you will not advance at all. With only a couple dozen cars available it seems Bizarre Creations had no choice but to make PGR super tough. There are only so many goodies they can reward you with. But, the graphics, number of cars and awesome music ripping system are all just great accessories to the main thrust of the game: some tough ass lifelike racing. A soundtrack full of your own music and a beautiful racing game coming together is the greatest combination since chocolate met peanut butter. No more complaining about lame videogame music or anything like that. Just the idea of being able to have different soundtracks for when you're driving in the different cities seems like such an obvious feature to have in a racing game now. Xbox has promised us a level of detail that we haven't seen before and from the street signs in individual cities to drivers who actually steer and react to vehicle motions, Project Gotham delivers. It's not GT3 but PGR is a damn good first effort and should satisfy your early Xbox racing jones. - Aaron Boulding