Project Gotham Racing is a 2001 arcade-style racing video game developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Game Studios, released exclusively for the Xbox console as a launch title. It serves as the spiritual successor to Bizarre's Metropolis Street Racer and retains the Kudos system, which awards points for driving skills and style, necessary for progression rather than solely finishing races in first place. Races occur across four real-world cities, featuring a total of 204 unique circuits. The game achieved both critical and commercial success, launching the exclusive Project Gotham Racing series that continued with Project Gotham Racing 2 in 2003.

Gameplay

left|thumb|Gameplay screenshot of a 2000 [[Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class (R170)|Mercedes-Benz SLK 320 in a race in 4th place in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan]]

Project Gotham Racing features three main game modes: Kudos Challenge, Quick Race, and Arcade Race. The Kudos Challenge comprises various style events in which players can earn a gold, silver, or bronze medal by successfully achieving a specific amount of Kudos. These events include, but are not limited to, Style Challenges, where players navigate through sets of traffic cones on the track; Overtake, which requires players to surpass as many cars as possible; and Speed Challenge, where players must ensure their speedometer hits a designated target. Quick Race involves competing in various races against five computer opponents, while Arcade Race consists of an additional collection of style challenges. Visible car damage, such as bumps, is present when the player's car is hit; however, this is purely aesthetic and does not affect driving performance. Each city is divided into three distinct districts (e.g., Fisherman's Wharf), and every district contains 17 circuits, resulting in a total of 204 configurations. The soundtrack is diverse, including Japanese language tracks and selections from obscure and underground artists.

Development and Release

Bizarre Creations did not receive the financial return from Metropolis Street Racer, which was over-budget, late to market, and released shortly before the discontinuation of the Dreamcast hardware. Initially, Microsoft asked Bizarre for a conversion to their upcoming Xbox, but the developers decided to evolve the game further to create a "worthy" launch title, requiring a name change since the original title was owned by Sega. The development team took over 50,000 photographs in the four real-life cities to capture every detail and design the game's environments as accurately as possible.

| Edge = 8/10

| EGM = 8.5/10

| EuroG = 8/10

| GI = 8.5/10

| GamePro = 4.5/5

| GameRev = B

| GSpot = 8.1/10

| GSpy = 84%

| GameZone = 9/10

| IGN = 8.8/10

| NGen = 4/5

| OXM = 9/10

Project Gotham Racing received favorable reviews according to video game review aggregator website Metacritic.

Accolades

The game was nominated for GameSpots annual "Best Xbox Game" and, among console games, "Best Driving Game" awards; these honors ultimately went to Halo: Combat Evolved and Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, respectively. During the 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Project Gotham Racing for the "Console Racing" award, which ultimately went to Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec.

Sales

The game sold over 1 million units globally by July 2002, making it the joint-second best-selling game (alongside Dead or Alive 3) to reach this milestone after Halo: Combat Evolved. By July 2006, it had sold 1.2 million copies and earned $44 million in the U.S. NextGen ranked it as the 43rd highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, or GameCube in the U.S. between January 2000 and July 2006. Combined sales of the Project Gotham Racing franchise reached 2.1 million units in the U.S. by July 2006.

Legacy and series

Project Gotham Racing launched a series that became Microsoft's flagship racing game franchise on Xbox. The final main title, Project Gotham Racing 4, was released around the time Bizarre Creations was acquired by Activision. Following this acquisition, Bizarre Creations announced that PGR4 would be the last game produced for Microsoft, effectively leading to Forza Motorsport replacing it as Xbox's flagship racing franchise.

See also

  • Burnout
  • Forza
  • Metropolis Street Racer
  • Ridge Racer V

References

  • MobyGames - Project Gotham Racing
  • GameFAQs - Project Gotham Racing
  • IGN - Project Gotham Racing