Project Gotham... Where Is the Batmobile?

Gameplay 5/5: If you are contemplating which game to buy with your X-box 360 then look no further. Project Gotham for the 360 is the third installment in the franchise. PGR was released for X-box and received praise all around. PGR2 followed and you had to be crazy not to enjoy it. Now PGR3 has been released, and it is even better than it predecessors.

The single player in Project Gotham Racing 3 consists of playtime, and career. Playtime is the closest thing to the arcade race that you see in all other racers. The only real difference is that this is also where you can create your own routes. They are called routes because you do not actually create a level, but instead use an already built level and choose a custom path. The developers have boasted that 100 million different routes can be created. It is not very in depth, but if you want to setup a drift course or just get bored of the in-game levels then this is for you.

Career mode is much improved this time around. It is so simple to navigate that you forget you ever stopped racing. There are a few new game types this round as well. Elimination is just like in Burnout. The person in last place each lap gets knocked out of the race until only one is left standing. Another new type is Time to Kudos, where you must complete a lap in a restricted amount of time; when ever you are gaining kudos, the timer stops. They are both a lot of fun and add more variety to the game.

Project Gotham has been known for its difficulty, especially in PGR2. This time around they have made it much easier, but all you hardcore PGR fans, do not worry. There are multiple difficulties. The normal player will of course be playing normal, and will be awarded silver medals. The normal difficulty in PGR3 is much easier than the previous PGRs. If you are a little better, you could try hard which is much more challenging and will result in gold. The real hardcore player will be trying for expert, which are extremely difficult and will keep you going for months. This will result in the beautiful platinum medals you all seek. Although easier than its predecessors when you play on normal, the difficult can be changed to allow for an extremely difficult game.

The career mode has no story, but instead you will progress from tournament to tournament. You gain trophies after you complete each tournament, which unlock more tournaments. Throughout the career mode, you will also gain credits and kudos. Credits are used like moneys to buy cars. Kudos are used to unlock new cars to buy and to upgrade your league rank. The only problem with unlocking all these cars is that your opponents will always match your car. If you buy the best car you will go against the best, and if you use your worst car then you will go against the worst. So the only reasons to buy cars are to get them for timed trials, or to collect them. Once you are online, everyone will be using the same cars, so you will just have to buy that as well and you should do fine online. This is the biggest fault in PGR3 but it doesn't really seem to take any of the fun out of it.

The online in PGR3 is done perfectly. The matchmaking automatically sets you up with players of your same skill, and takes only seconds. There are many modes to play and different car restrictions for each match. Once you are online you will find that there is virtually no lag. Games will launch quick and once you are done you will be presented the opportunity to review the other players. It is setup perfectly and the fun will never stop.

Another new feature is Gotham TV. Here, you can watch the best players in the world compete and see who wins. From here you can also watch your friends matches, look at photos you took in game, and review saved replays. If you are looking to take a break from all the racing, this is a fun way to kill the time.

Overall, the gameplay is some of the smoothest and most fun of any games ever made. All the new online features are well put together. The career mode is fun and offers a great variety of levels and races. This is just one great game overall.

Sound 4/5: This game has amazing audio. The different types of turns, from slow turn to full drift, have different sounds. The engines all sound unique and are very well done. The in game music is pretty horrible, so you will probably end up using the custom soundtracks. The custom soundtracks never stops playing and have seamless transitions from screen to screen. It even plays during load times. With everything sounding so great, I really wanted to give this section a five, but with the in-game soundtrack being so horrible, I had to give it a four.

Graphics 5/5: This game looks gorgeous. Every car is modeled to every detail imaginable. The roads look great and the new blurred effect gives you a great sense of speed. The best parts are the environments. Every city is made to look identical to the real city. Las Vegas will probably be the most noticeable for its high level of detail sense most of the buildings are easily recognizable. If you were not controlling the car yourself, then you would think it was real.

Replay Value 5/5: This game has nearly endless replay value. The single player is very long, and has five different levels of difficulty. Gotham TV should keep you busy when you need a break. The number of cars should keep you collecting for a while. The online will suck you in and not let go as you try and go for gold, or platinum in this games case. If you ever get bored of this game, it will be because the next game in the Project Gotham series is released. The hours you will enjoy are endless, and since it is a Microsoft published title, it will come for $10 less.

Overall 5/5: This game could not have made me happier. I played it, I loved it, and I will continue to love it. The single player will amaze you with all its different tracks, cars, and competitions. The online play will keep you going after you have finished everything else imaginable. Gotham TV will give you some entertainment and let you in on some of the strategies of the best in the world. Overall this is a great game and a must buy for all X-box 360 owners.

Publisher: Microsoft
Genre: Arcade Racer
Rating: Everyone 10 and up