Highly addictive and intense racing action, despite unlocking cars being something of a chore more than a fun experience.

Not so long ago, if you used the word “kudos” people would think you were referring to a sweet little candy bar filled with chocolate chips and oats.

With the release of the original Project Gotham Racing, Microsoft Studios re-defined the word, and had video game motor heads power sliding to the nearest game store for a copy.

For those who never enjoyed Bizarre Creations first outing, PGR 2 is an arcade street racing video game set in the mold of the Ridge Racer series. The most noticeable difference between these two franchises is the sheer number of tracks and cars available in PGR 2.

The tracks themselves are set in cities all across the world from the United States, Russia, Japan and a host of other countries. The main draw of the game is to compete in various events to acquire “kudos”. These are basically points that the player gets for completing certain tasks within a street race or timed event.

For example, you get kudos for power sliding, drafting or passing your opponent, going around a sharp turn on two wheels, performing a 360, etc. In the timed tasks such as the cone event, you are tasked with steering through an obstacle course, all the while trying not to hit the walls or any of the cones.

The beautiful part of all this is that you can create combos that will really makes your kudos rating soar through the roof. Collecting kudos is not just for aesthetic purposes either. These give you purchasing power that will allow you to un-lock the dream rides scattered throughout each car class.

While we’re on cars, these are of top notch variety. There are no generic or fake automobiles in this title. You could best associate the vehicles with those found in the Gran Turismo series. Car models vary from every day Toyota’s and Ford’s to high dollar brands such as Lotus and Ferrari.

The number of car classes in which to compete is impressive. There are around 16, and each class has numerous cars to unlock and competitions to keep you busy for a few weeks. Each class has several street races, timed laps, top speed and cone challenges.

Another great aspect of this title is that it caters to gamers of all skill levels. You can choose to either go for the less difficult medals like silver and bronze, or you can you go for the gold. To be honest, most gamers will not be very successful on the higher settings.

The AI cars make absolutely no mistakes and if you hit one corner, then you’re battling for last place. Those with upper tiered skills and patience will find that the number of kudos awarded on the higher difficulty settings is extremely satisfying. Now that we have a handle on what PGR 2 is about, let’s see if it can stay in the draft with those other franchises mentioned above.

When the first PGR was released, the graphics were considered very good. Although there have been minor tweaks to car models and tracks in PGR 2, it’s not a quantum leap over the original.

I was just the slightest bit disappointed that the color palette was too similar to the original PGR, and did not encompass some of the effects found in games like Gran Turismo 3.

Example: In GT3, you will have orange sunsets and rain soaked tracks with colorful reflections from trackside settings.

PGR 2 has excellent reflections, but the day tracks all look too similar. They all seem to have that gray washed out look. Even though the option for rain is available, it just doesn’t have an authentic look or feel. Night tracks are encumbered with the same issues, but the headlights breaking through the darkness makes these more tolerable.

On the flip side, the trackside cities and backgrounds are nothing short of amazing. This is particularly evident in the city courses. Each track is filled with huge skyscrapers and old-world architecture that will satisfy any gamers need for eye candy.

The real stars of the show are, of course, the cars. They are flat out spectacular looking and are at least as beautiful as those found in GT3. Even better is the fact that they are deformable. Hit enough guard rails and other competitors, and you will soon end up with a crunched fender or a broken windshield.

Taking everything into account, I have to say that this is a beautiful game. Yes, there is too much similarity to the previous incarnation, but the original wasn’t bad to begin with. At the very least, we can say that there is no drop off in overall graphical quality.

Game play begins and ends with three words: Xbox Live integration. The crafting of the game play for PGR 2 is as good as I have ever seen in a racing title. Along with the single player experiences mentioned in the first few paragraphs, Xbox Live compatibility guarantees that this title will be well played until PGR 3 is released.

Each time you turn on the game, you have the option to sign into Xbox Live before playing in the single or multiplayer modes. Now, signing in for the multiplayer mode is understandable, but why sign in for the single player?

The main reason is because you can track your progress with every other PGR 2 competitor in the world! As you complete each objective in the race, your score is automatically uploaded with every player who has completed that race and you can see your world wide ranking.

Scores are based on the number of kudos you collected in that event, and when you see what some of these guys from Germany are putting up, you will become a more humble gamer.

The most awesome aspect of this though is the ability to download the “ghost” cars of other competitors so you can go head-to-head and see how you stack up against the best. That my friends, is what Xbox Live is truly about.

This game will bring video game addicts from every part of the globe directly into your living room. Throw in the ability to send an invite to your friends (even if they are playing the single player mode) and you have the definitive multiplayer racing experience.

Of course, all of the above is only worthwhile if the game’s playability brings a fun and intense experience. That’s an apropos description, because when you get four or six other human competitors together, the action is indeed intense.

When you get a group of PGR rookies that you are blowing off the track, you can talk smack all you want and go to bed feeling like the king. Of course, the opposite is true when the virtual Michael Schumacher’s of the world burn you like a tiki torch. When that happens, they do all the talking and you go to bed whimpering.

Either way you slice it, the smooth control and speed of the cars puts this game into the “easy to learn difficult to master” category. It’s loads of fun to draft, power slide and rear end the guy or gal in front of you…although I have only heard rumors about that last part happening. I personally run a clean and spirited race. I would never dream of spinning out my fellow gamers, right Indie?

At last we come to the sounds. These are top notch as well. There is the option to listen to one of the many songs programmed into the game, or you can use your own ripped tunes. The car sounds are spot on, and you can easily distinguish the high pitched whine of the Ferraris from the throaty rumble of the Ford GT40. Power slides and screeching tires all sound realistic, so we can only commend Bizarre Creations for their effort in this department.

Game play and Xbox Live are the two things that really make this game come together. The single player experience is not bad, but with so many different car classes to unlock, it eventually begins to feel like a chore. The obvious reason for continuing is to unlock the vehicles in the “ultimate” class.

Playing with friends is the hook for this title, and the smooth integration and game play shows that Microsoft was serious about the follow up to one of the great Xbox racers.

If you own an Xbox, and online racing is your thing, you can’t go wrong with PGR 2. Those looking for a more solid single player game may want to rent Midnight Club II or Need For Speed: Underground before making a final decision.

Single or multiplayer, PGR 2 has tons of depth, re-playability and all out intense racing action. I’ll look to see you all at the track as soon as you’re finished reading this review.


Review by Michael Harris.