Bizarre Creations, in partnership with Microsoft, is back with Project Gotham Racing 4. The PGR series is one that dates back to Metropolis Street Racer, so the history of the franchise has been around for close to seven years. With the in-depth experience the developer has had with the racing genre, and with helping launch Xbox Live on both the Xbox and Xbox 360, can Bizarre Creations continue their success and create the ultimate drift racer?

Fear not fellow devout fanatics, Bizarre Creations have maintained the series distinct gameplay with a few new additions including: new dynamic weather conditions, motorcycles, a new career mode, and a plethora of exotic cars. Beyond these sparkling additions came a few hiccups that I didn’t expect to encounter. From motorcycles being too simple to control to a frustrating “one shot and your done” career mode, what Bizarre Creations has added in isn’t necessarily for the better.

Let’s begin with the motorcycles: they are fun, but they wear out their welcome in the long run. Sure, the lineup of bikes is impressive, with brand names such as Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yahama, Ducati and a lot more, but the downfall is that the bikes’ handling is tremendously easier than the cars. Add in the fact that they are faster than 70% of the cars I used in the game; it was a turnoff in the end. Racing bike vs. car in an event was fun for the first few hours, but when the bikes continually pulled ahead of me, I intentionally started to target them on the track to knock the opponent off their bike. What’s even more frustrating is that Bizarre provided a handicap for the players that picked bikes as their ride selection with giving the bikes stability to withstand cars swerving into them at fast speeds. Nevertheless, the bikes look great, control decently, and are a worthwhile addition to the game – it’s just that Bizarre needs a little balancing in terms of difficulty of control compared to the cars.

The second big inclusion of PGR4 is the new career mode that acts as a season mode of sorts. Allowing players to unlock new garages and challenges is a fantastic idea, but when players are only provided one chance to complete the task successfully, then the difficulty rises higher. In the past, players were able to retry over and over again until they were satisfied with the results. Now, with the one-shot-and-done method applied, players will have to accept their failure and move on to the next race. The only option is to quit before the race is finished and restart it – so be prepared to quit before the checkered flag if you are one of those players that needs to be first in every race. Before moving on, I don’t want to make it sound like the career mode is all doom and gloom – it’s an Ok career mode that I was praying they would venture forth to, but it’s just that it could’ve been applied to the PGR series in a much better way.

For the third new entry to the series, Bizarre Creations has implemented a brilliant dynamic weather system. The weather system changes the handling, so being cautious of the surrounding environment is a must. What’s even more effective is the weather can change throughout a race. From a few rain drops to pouring rain – the weather system is effective and racing fans should truly appreciate what Bizarre Creations has put forth in terms of adding a new layer of gameplay to the PGR franchise. I came in expecting the motorcycles to blow me away, but it turned out to be the weather system.

Essentially, the gameplay hasn’t changed too much. Relying on the basics from previous iterations, PGR4 focuses on Kudos points through the means of drifting, getting mad air, and cleaning sections of the track. For motorcycles, new methods of obtaining Kudos are implemented with wheelies, endos and other tricks. Compared to the bikes, cars are at an unfair advantage of earning Kudos due to the fact that the tricks are a simple to perform. If players are looking for a revamped PGR, they better look elsewhere as PGR4’s gameplay is only taking what PGR3 had and improving on it.

For the visuals of PGR4, Bizarre Creations delivered a well-rounded aesthetic experience but it isn’t leaps and bounds better than what PGR3 was. I’d have to compare the improvement to how far Tecmo improved Dead or Alive 4 – not much at all by the casual eye. But, being able to drive through locations such as Tokyo, Shanghai, Quebec, and, of course, New York City is a pleasant treat with replication of the real-life locations. The water effects, as I mentioned earlier, add a whole new layer of gameplay to PGR. Rain will bounce of the hood of the car, snow will melt, and water will collect on the road if it downpours – in short the weather is effectively what outshines the rest in the visual department. The last portion of the technical section is the sound. The soundtrack is similar to what was offered in PGR3: a little of every genre for players to enjoy. And of course, the cars rev their engines with the best of them, so the sound effects are also pleasing on the ears.

As for the multiplayer, it holds up quite well from PGR3. PGRTV has now become PGR On Demand with allowing players to search for specific clips based on several things such as Kudos, track and times. I am one that would rather play than watch, but if watching other players is your thing, then PGR On Demand is here for you. The online experience is overwhelmingly positive with several games played without any lag. It may be because I have a 10-meg connection, but I never encountered matches where I lost control of my car due to lag. For online modes, players can join in cat-and-mouse games, elimination races, street races and a lot more. There’s enough here to entertain online players for countless hours of replay.

Sticking to their tried-and-true formula, Bizarre Creations delivers another great racer on the Xbox 360. Overlooking the few faults that I stated, Project Gotham Racing 4 is an outstanding racer. One thing that developers need to take in consideration (if Microsoft and Bizarre do team up for a fifth installment) is the addition of realistic vehicle damage. If this is added in, I will be one happy camper; but until then, I am fine with what was delivered in what may be Bizarre’s swan song for the PGR series.

Gameplay: 8.4
Having Harley Davidson bikes included is a perk that racing fans may find intriguing. Though what should attract gamers to buying PGR4 is the dynamic weather system – it’s well… what’s the word? Dynamic!

Graphics: 8.3
With 10 beautiful locals to encounter, Bizarre offers up enough diversity with race tracks to compete on.

Sound: 8.0
Nothing new here; if you have played any PGR game, then you have come to learn what the soundtrack will be like.

Difficulty: Easy
After playing MotoGP 2007 and Forza Motorsport 2, I had no trouble playing Project Gotham Racing 4, which focuses more on an arcade-style gameplay.

Concept: 8.4
I absolutely love that that they added in motorcycles and a career mode, but the next time around, they need to nail it down correctly and I will be even more pleased.

Multiplayer: 8.4
Rating my friend’s race clips and pictures is a blast. Too bad he can do the same as he only dished out bad ratings.

Overall: 8.5
It has to be done, but PGR4 isn’t the best racing option this year with Forza Motorsport 2 already being released previously. If players are tired of Forza 2 and want to move onto another racer, PGR4 is a great choice. For returning players, PGR is basically more of the same – whether that is good or bad is dependent on if you like the series.