I was really looking forward to Bizarre Creation\'s latest racing effort, especially because the company\'s previous racer MSR brought so much new to the table in terms of racing conventions. The Kudos system, while imperfect, still made racing about technique as much as win or lose, something I really appreciated. The good thing is that if you\'ve played MSR for Dreamcast, you\'ll find the game instantly familiar. Unfortunately, the said could be said about the game\'s graphics, which left me less than impressed.
First, some facts. Modes for Project Gotham include Arcade, Challenge, Time Attack, Custom, Medal Pursuit, Kudos Challenge, and Multiplayer. All of your standard races are there, but features like the Medal Pursuit option give you specific times to beat for a lap in specific levels, with medals awards for meeting specific times. In the end however, it\'s all about the Kudos mode, a complex set of missions that have you competing in standard races, specific tasks, and missions like keeping a total top speed at the end of a race, all for the sake of those sacred Kudos. They\'re the racing equivalent of collecting gold coins in Mario, and are the key to unlocking all the cool things you\'ll find deep beneath PG\'s surface. You can even use your joker once a round to bet with, doubling your kudos if you beat a certain lap time in a race – it\'s like gambling on four wheels, something I\'m more than excited to try out.
The gameplay is filled with great details, and the cars still have the same heavy, centered feel of MSR, which depending on how you felt about that game, is a good or a bad thing. Still, it\'s the next step in Bizarre Creation\'s racing plans, and you can definitely feel that.
When the game starts to disappoint, at least at this point in development, is in the graphics. Yes, the cars are incredibly detailed, and I\'m still in love with being able to watch the drivers react to racing on the road, but the vehicles still don\'t come off as detailed as the anal, complex GTA for PS2. In terms of building, the architecture is pretty complex, throwing tons of buildings in a packed city, all with a clear draw distance. Those building, however, are mostly made of flat textures, and lack the touches of games like the upcoming Test Drive from Infogrames, or once again, GTA 3. Right now the combination of flat buildings, the sometimes simplistic texture details (such as the grass), and lack of Xbox\'s amazing lighting system keep the game from truly setting a visual spark at this point.
The good thing is that Gotham looks like an incredibly dense racer, and to judge it at this point after only an hour of play between a group of editors would be nothing less than cruel. Look for a more detailed breakdown of the title when we get a preview build in the office.
xbox.ign.com
Unfortunately, the said could be said about the game\'s graphics, which left me less than impressed.
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So much for looking better than gt3.
:thepimp: :thepimp: :thepimp: :thepimp:
